Perhaps the term kobesister was confusing for a two-year-old. Elia didn’t seem to truly understand that Maë wasn’t actually related to her; she’d taken to calling the baby girl “Sissa”. It was quite adorable, especially as she didn’t call Daphne her mother. That, she understood wasn’t possible. Niels and Amanda had been a bit nervous welcoming Daphne and Maë into their home. Not because they doubted that their guests would be good company, or because they felt uncomfortable around them, but because they’d expected Elia to morph into a little monster when she saw her parents paying attention to another baby. As it turned out, Elia and Maë were getting along wonderfully. Eliana-=who always threw major tantrums when she didn’t get her way, who hated to share toys with her siblings (even when they weren’t even her toys), who demanded full attention every waking moment--she was being the world’s sweetest toddler when it came to interacting with Maë. She’d spent Christmas constantly trying to sneak cookies and sweets to Maë. Most of the time, she insisted on hugging Maë or trying to pick her up, declaring that she was a big girl and Sissa was undoubtedly a baby. Admittedly, it was a different story when either Amanda or Niels held little Maë. It was those moments that sent Elia into a big of a jealous rage. But as long ad Daphne had Maë, Elia was more than happy. One night, Amanda sat on the guest bed with Daphne, chatting away while Elia and Maë finished watching Sesame Street on Daphne's tablet. No sooner than the episode ended, did Elia ask, “I stay wif Sissa?”
Amanda was perplexed for a moment. “You… stay?” She looked at Daphne uncertainly. Elia cuddled up at Daphne’s side and closed her eyes, pretending to sleep. Amanda laughed lughtly. “Okay then,” she said. She leaned over and kissed her baby girl’s cheek. “Goodnight Daphne, Elia, Maë.” She stood up and walked slowly towards the door, but just as she stepped out of the room, Elia suddenly jumped off the bed and ran to Amanda, hugging her around the legs. “No go!” Amanda laughed lightly. “I thought you were staying here with Sissa?” “I stay wif mama,” she said, wrapping her arms around Amanda’s neck and cuddling up against her. Amanda grinned and waved to Daphne. “Say goodnight to aunty and Sissa then,” said Amanda. Elia waved to them. “Night annie an’ Sissa!”
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Hello lovely ballerinas! Welcome back to class. I absolutely adored your stretching pictures from our first homework assignment. Today, we’re going to learn the positions after we warm up. Ready? As we did the last two weeks, we’re going to start with our barre exercises. ~~ Okay, so stand up straight. Heels of your feet together so that your feet make a V. This is called first position. * goes on to show them the rest of the positions* ~~ There was no Week 2 homework, but this week, I would like you all to tell me your favourite thing to do in ballet class so far. Do you like the battements (kicks), the barre stretches, or the jumps? And why? Comments #1. My Favorite is The Jumps! I can't wish till we learn how to twirl and spin!
Audrey Richards #2. Oh that's coming up very soon!! I hope you enjoyed the holidays? Amanda van Loon This year, Amanda was determined not to make the same mistake that she’d made last year. Life had settled down by massive degrees, so things were a lot more stable than they’d been the previous year. Daily, Amanda would cross off another date on the calendar, leading up to Angelo’s birthday. He was turning 6 years old today. Kobe, how bizarre it seemed. Wasn’t it just yesterday that she was cradling him in her arms? Niels and Amanda were awake quite early. They’d gotten their other early-riser, Elia, out of her crib and got her dressed for the day. Emi was next, and she was aware of the plan so she was more than willing to be awake early. The last person to wake had been Angelo. At first, he was a little groggy, cranky almost, but when they all started singing happy birthday he immediately perked up. They had a bit of a long ride ahead of them. As they usually did, they took the bus towards the Hamptons, and when they finally arrived and pointed out Angelo’s surprise, he shrieked with glee. His sisters giggled at his reaction. He just stayed in place, jumping up and down and yelling, “Boat! Is it mine?!”
Niels chuckled. “Well, today it is,” he replied. “We have it all to ourselves. At least for a few hours. Do you want to learn to drive it?” Amanda was a bit wary about this question, but Niels would be right there. What could go wrong? Angelo barely took the time to reply. Instead, he started running towards the dock. Elia wiggled to get down from Amanda’s arms and ran after her big brother. Amanda grinned at Niels. “Well, it seems our six-year-old loves his surprise.” *stands in front on the mirrors, facing her students* Hello there! Welcome to ballet! My name is Miss Amanda, and I am so excited to be teaching you girls. Have any of you ever taken a ballet class before? ~~ Okay so, we're going to do a little warm up. If you don't warm up you can badly hurt yourself. So we're going to start with the neck, and then shoulders *demonstrates, letting them follow* ~~ So our term of the day is "Relevé". I know it sounds different. That's because it's French. In ballet, it means to balance on your toes. *demonstrates* No worries; you'll get better with practice. When you go home, try to walk around on your toes. And remember to put most of the balance on your big toe, not your pinkie toe. *goes around and corrects her students* Alright, let's get down on the floor and work on some flexibility. Who here can do a split? ~~ Okay, so tonight when you go home, have your mummy or daddy or siblings or nanny take a picture of you stretching. I want to see proof. That's it for your "homework". So let's bow. We'll do this at the end of every class. It's called reverence. *bows with them* Wonderful! See you all next week! Comments #1. *follows everything she does and tells, easily doing the Releve and holds up her hand once she asks for the split* Me me me!
Emily Darcy #2. *laughs fondly, loving Emily's enthusiasm* Hmmm could it be that Emily can do a split? *grins* I'm excited to see it! Amanda van Loon #3. *grins and steps to the front ready to present* Can I show it now? Emily Darcy #4. Yes, you definitely can. *smiles and steps aside* Amanda van Loon #5. *slowly slides down into a straddle split, trying her best to look good while doing so* Emily Darcy #6. *applauds* Very good, Emily! And that's not the easiest one to do. Amanda van Loon #7. *smiles so proudly* I've learned it when I was 5 in Moscow. I've also done my homework, Miss Amanda. Emily Darcy #8. Done! Audrey Richards #9. Well done, Audrey. That's a very good stretch! Amanda van Loon #10. Thank you! My Mommy taught me how to stretch even though she's not trained in Ballet. Audrey Richards #11. That's very good, still! See? It's even useful for non-ballerinas. *winks* Amanda van Loon ![]() It wasn’t quite what Amanda had imagined when she started looking for jobs, but she was actually excited. In her search, she’d been asked to join the staff of the NY Schools, teaching ballet as an extracurricular activity to whoever signed up. So far, there was only one little girl on the roster, but it didn’t stump Amanda’s excitement. She’d visited the school grounds and walked around in the room where her classes would be taught. The mirrors had only just recently been added, the floors redone. Amanda had requested that they added ballet barres rather than buying the portable ones. They just needed to be installed along the walls. There was no need for a stereo system. A simple bluetooth speaker would do the job. Amanda beamed, walking around her ‘classroom’. Elia’s excited squeals jolted her out of her dreamlike state. Amanda glanced at her baby girl. Clearly, she knew the exact purpose of the little room, because she was happily dancing around. Amanda chuckled. “Do you want to join my class?” she asked.
“Yeth!” Elia exclaimed with her cute little lisp. She nodded enthusiastically and continued dancing around. Amanda laughed lightly and scooped her little girl up into her arms. Elia giggled and wiggled, trying to get free as Amanda tickled her. “Okay, let’s make a deal. You sleep until 7am. Not 4, not 5, not 6--” “7, 8, 9, 10!” Elia giggled and clapped. “I count!” Amanda beamed proudly. “Yes, you count well, sweetie. Does that mean we have a deal?” Florence had been incredible; a little escape from reality. For a little while, she was that carefree girl again--with nothing to worry about except what she would wear to go out for dinner with Niels. Returning to New York after a few days in the Tuscan city hadn’t been too bad, though. She’d missed the kids, and not only that, but she had something to work towards now. She had interviews and ‘auditions’ lined up. Except this time, she wasn’t looking for jobs as a professional dancer. No, that dream was far gone. She was going to try her hand at teaching and choreography. She’d hired Rico to take her dance photos. He’d gotten incredibly good at capturing those action shots. Amanda was impressed. “Wow,” she said, every time he moved to the next photograph on his laptop. “How am I supposed to choose? They’re all so good.” Rico smiled humbly at her. “How about you choose three?” he suggested. “One with each costume. You choose three to use with your resume, and I can give you a few others, free of cost. For you to keep at home or whatever. Deal?” Amanda grinned. What seemed like hours later, she had her three professional shots. “I’ll take these,” she said. “What do you think?” As Rico walked her towards the front door, Amanda chuckled. “Kobe, I’m going to be sore. I feel it already. Do you think I’m getting too old?” She gave him a look. “Don’t answer that,” he said, laughing lightly. Rico grinned and held up his hands in surrender. “Hey, I live with 3 girls. I know better.” Amanda laughed and nudged him playfully before walking to the car. “Thanks again! You’re the best!” She got into her car and gently placed the envelope of pictures on the back seat. Now to find a job... |
Amanda at a GlanceNames: Amanda Pontremoli, Amanda van Loon Archives
August 2017
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