It all comes down to the salsa!

Let me start this off by giving credit where credit is due: My life-long friend, Leslie Bahler, accomplished violist and soprano, living in the Buffalo, NY area. She is an active instrumental and vocal performer, as well as a teacher, wife, and mother – and married to my other life-long friend, Peter Bahler, also an accomplished double bassist and singer, teacher, husband, and father. (Oops – they’re both also grandparents!)

Leslie was recently invited to perform as the soprano soloist on a concert series. The series does not pay, but it is well worth participating in because of the publicity and the possibility of there being future performance opportunities. This is just too good to pass up. Leslie worked incredibly hard, preparing arias by Mozart and Handel (perfectly suited to her lovely voice, by the way). She spent hours rehearsing with the chamber orchestra and hours of vocal coaching with her teacher.

The performance was a rousing success. Leslie was truly “on her game.”

There was a reception for performers and audience following the concert – and the performers actually had to provide the food! (See? Told you the pay was nothing.) Leslie brought a mango salsa and the chips. Part way through the reception and mingling, a lovely lady approached Leslie, program and pen in hand. You all know where this is going – the autograph! Here’s what the lady asked for:

“Where did you get the salsa?”

So, perform your hearts out, do your very best work – and

DON’T FORGET THE SALSA!

Graduation

It's that time of year - proms, graduations, etc. So let me tell you a graduation story.

A friend is getting her Master's degree after MANY years of part-time classes and too much reading and too many papers, etc. She turned to her best friend often to find books on-line or to talk her out of screw-ups on her computer and finally to be interviewed as a "subject" for a very personal and difficult topic (for the "subject" more so than the writer).

Comes time to invite people to graduation. The "subject" hears about the date just two days ago and finds out she's not invited because she "wouldn't be interested." Ouch. Graduation morning: The "subject" receives an invitation to dinner the same evening - no notice. The "subject," you see, has no life. "No thank you." A semi-argument ensues in which the subject points out the interest shown over the past few years, etc... and that it would be nice to see the finished product. Response from the graduate? "I didn't even invite my brother and felt guilty inviting you."

This is, by the way, from a PSYCHOLOGY MAJOR!

The "subject" told her to enjoy her day and the fancy dinner tomorrow night (given by her rich friends), that she had earned it through hard work and should be proud of her accomplishment, but the "subject" has made plans for today to work and then relax this evening.

Needless to say, the graduate was not pleased, but the "subject" is feeling pretty good for standing her ground and refusing to be last-minute or second-best. As a country song says, "Second fiddle is one instrument I never learned to play."

Big Girls Do Dance!

Here's a frivolous post for a change - I'll save my "pissed-off post" for later.

Dancing with the Stars. This is fun to watch! Granted, the format is exactly the same week after week after week, but that handsome Tom Bergeron, coupled with Len Goodman's ballroom knowledge and British wit, well..... we can excuse the sameness.

There's a cyclone celebrity contestant - Marissa Janet Winokur - who played Tracey Turnblad in the Broadway production of "Hairspray." Marissa is a plus-sized petite dynamo with a smile that lights up the stage. You also need to know that she survived cancer 7 years ago and that she and her hubby are expecting their first child - via a surrogate. Nothing stops this lady!

She's not the best dancer on the show, but each week her hunky pro partner (Tony Davolano) puts her through choreography that would have most of us in traction or hitting the barf bag. She spins, flips, gets lifted (yup - LIFTED), girates, and keeps going. Last night, she did a beautiful rhumba and proved that big girls do dance and dip and girate and look fabulous doing it. This was preceded by a quick-step, one of the most difficult dances in ballroom - and except for missing one jump, she completely nailed the routine and looked lovely doing it! About two weeks ago, she did a Vienese waltz - again very difficult because of its shading (see - I'm learning the lingo). At the end, one of the judges called her a princess. A teary-eyed but smiling Marissa thanked the judge and said that she'd always wanted to be a princess. Moments like that just can't be bought. Every so-called "pudgy" little girl needed to be watching that show to find out that there's a princess hiding inside, and no one can change that fact.

While she may not make it to the finals next week, she is a winner already: cancer survivor, mom-to-be, and a role model for a girl of any age - be yourself! Wear a bright smile and carry yourself with pride - and dance from the heart.

And Marissa - please write a book!