January 2026 Recap
WEEK 1
It felt like we were rolling in on two wheels back to Lafayette after a very busy and productive Nutcracker season with Houston Ballet. There really is something transformative about dancing in The Nutcracker year after year. This year in the party scene was a great first large production role for Stella to work alongside the company dancers. The HB Nutcracker is very visually stimulating, and there’s a lot going on across the stage. Highly recommend seeing if you’re in the area next year.
The great thing about wrapping up so many performances and backstage life is that this made for a nice transition into Mardi Gras season, specifically for Stella to fulfill her role as Queen in her children’s krewe. Her krewe performs a pageant as part of its festivities, and every year someone will say, ‘She has such a beautiful stage presence. How did she learn that?’ By now, everyone in the krewe knows the answer is ballet/ballet theatre. She has been working since the summer on designing her costume. It was fun to let her weave in bits of ballet in the design, from color to lines to placement of sparkle. When we wrap up the Mardi Gras season, I might write a dedicated post on this process.
The weekend was jam-packed with dress rehearsal, the pageant, and the ball. It was great to have all our close friends and family with us and for Stella to get to spend time just being a teenager, laughing, dancing, and enjoying the photo booth with friends. Some parents say their teens are nightmares. I’m glad we either aren’t experiencing that (yet??) or that we have a really great group of kids and parents in our village.
Unfortunately, winter break was too short because of Nut and Mardi Gras activities, so everyone was tired and trying to mentally prepare for getting back in the routine for the Houston commute by Jan 5.
WEEK 2
Early bedtimes, back to school/ballet. It was my week home, but also fall consultation time for HBA. I’m very proud of my husband for attending without me. Not that he can’t, it’s just usually my job to take the notes/prepare questions. It’s still early in the year, so not too much came of the fall consult, but nice experience since we have never had this kind of formal feedback opportunity. Good thing it was his week, because all the stress of the previous week finally caught up to me, and I was sick.
Summer intensive audition season is now in full swing, and another great perk of being in Houston all the time is how many programs have an audition tour stop at Houston Ballet. I can remember having to search all the sites looking to see who was coming the closest to us…HB had a published list on their bulletin board with all the dates and companies/schools. Such a timesaver for me this year!
Miami City Ballet School was making a stop at HB this weekend, so we signed up for any chance to get into a Balanchine-style class when they came close. Ms. Ochoa adjudicated the class, and Stella loved seeing her again. She said she felt so free getting to turn in a straight leg 4th….IYKYK. Nothing beats working your brain and body a little differently.
WEEK 3
Midterms week for Veritas. A lot of people think that homeschool/online school either means you don’t have real tests or that when you do, they are easy. Fun fact, this is false….at least for VSA. The structure of midterms and finals is more like what I remember from college, with dead days and more comprehensive review. The great thing here is that you can choose what days you would like to take your exams. You already know I love a good teaching/learning moment. Midterms went well for a first experience. Learned a few things to do differently for finals, but nothing detrimental. I’m trying to remind myself that this year is also providing great opportunities for independence and that it’s a good thing when your child says they know how something can be done better next time. Equally important as a letter grade!
The week ended with Saturday HBA class and then driving to Austin to take class with Pacific Northwest Ballet for their SI tour stop. It had been years since we went to Ballet Austin. I remember how big it felt when Stella trained with them in the summer of 2019, but now it feels normal to me. Probably because we have been in so many professional studios since then. OK, so I guess moms grow too on this journey ;)
Stella loved the class, but it was such a large audition…over 50 dancers. Makes for a tight space. When looking back to see who adjudicated the class, I realized that it was the same teacher who was a dancer at SAB and the model student in Suki’s book. How cool!
As an early birthday treat, we went to our all-time ATX favorite, Elizabeth Street Cafe. We just love the warm pho and the perfume of incense. And a Vietnamese iced coffee at 8 pm is the best fuel for a late drive back to Houston. I don’t drive well in the dark, and there were SO MANY DEER on the way back…scary.
WEEK 4
Hooray! A day off. JK not really. We spent MLK Day on the road to Baton Rouge to our pediatric ortho specialist for scoliosis scans and monitoring. Wearing the Providence brace at night has been a challenge on a tired body during Nutcracker season. The visit was neutral. Keeping in the same routine. While we wish for the report of, ‘congrats, you’re done growing,’ because then no more night brace, we’re not there yet. Which also has me wondering how much taller Stella will get?! Back in the car for an extra night at home and then back to Houston.
Trying something new this year on a more consistent basis: Gyrotonics. I tried to get Stella into Gyro more last year, since there are options in Houston. There are zero options for Gyrotonics at home. Sometimes a voice in my head says, ‘Hey, you could get certified to teach this and help others,’ but I can't always decipher if the voices are worth listening to. Ok voice, be quiet for now because no time for me to pursue something new in my personal life at the moment. Once again, thankful to access to practitioners who are dancer-focused.
Ended the week with a very quick trip to Boston for an audition opportunity. We had great plans for spending an afternoon at our favorite spots, but winter storm Fern forced me into a tight window to make sure I didn’t get trapped for days in an airport. Prayer works. We flew to and from Houston safely and mostly on time. Not sure of what will become of this audition, but we are in our ‘say yes to opportunities’ era, and practice makes perfect progress. I am still sad we didn’t get to go to Beacon Hill Books while there because stepping into that cute townhouse changes me energetically.
Sunday really wasn’t too bad weather-wise in Houston, so I treated Stella to brunch for her birthday since I would be back home on her actual bday. Tiny Boxwoods is our all-time favorite: lavender lattes, sourdough toast, lox, and eggs. Yum.
WEEK 5
Birthday week, and we now have a 15-year-old! I think she was a little sad that she didn’t get to be with both of us and her home friends on her bday but a hard truth of life on the professional path is that sometimes celebrations don’t happen on their exact day. Holidays and birthdays are like this, and while I get it, not everyone else does. I was happy to see she had so many shout-outs on social media. There’s the silver lining on using SM for good…when you can’t be with the people you care most about, there is a way to make them feel important.
Summer intensive audition tours are wrapping up, and we’ve heard back from many programs. It’s been fun making this year more about trialing classes for what a program has to offer, versus showing up wanting so badly to get an offer. HBA places their year-round students for summer in a placement class in December, so we already know where she lands for their SIP.
I find myself saying I’ll get back to running after XYZ. First, it was after the holidays, now it’s after audition season, and now it’s after Mardi Gras. I need to get my side of the street back in order soon. No races on the calendar so far for 2026, but why does the NYC Marathon lottery call me when I know I’ll never get in…also just saw the Every Woman’s Marathon is coming to New Orleans in 2027, but I don’t know if I want to get a broken ankle in the pot holes ;)
Really just trying to spend the end of this week trying to get ready for February. The shortest month of the year looks like it’s going to feel even longer than January in some ways. And I think we’ve been in January for the past six months, right?