On Saturday, Ella had a violin recital. Yes, this was the same day as her birthday party. And the same day I fell flat on my face (and by extension, my stomach) like a massive klutz. Even though I felt fine and the baby was still moving around like crazy, I figured I should call the doctor anyway, and this led to me spending three hours in labor & delivery being monitored (everything checked out perfectly). It was quite a day. I can't remember being quite so exhausted - both emotionally and physically - in a long, long time.
Going into the recital I was a little nervous. Even though I knew she was prepared, this was Ella's first real performance. In her first recital last November, she only did a violin "demonstration" (translation: she showed the audience how to get into proper playing position and then played a grand total of about six notes). I was also worried that she would be distracted and/or exhausted from her party.
Ella, on the other hand, didn't seem to have a care in the world. She was the ninth performer and she intently listened to everybody who went before her and cheerfully clapped for them all when they finished. When it was finally her turn she walked on stage without hesitation and with a huge smile on her face. Ms. Becki started to play the introduction before Ella was ready and that's when I really started to sweat bullets. I thought there was no way she would get into position in time. But she did. And then she looked right at me. "LOOK. AT. YOUR. STRINGS!" I tried to convey the urgency of my message with my eyes but she just kept staring at me, as if intentionally trying to give me a stroke right then and there. Then, without breaking her stare, she began to play right on cue.
At no point did she ever appear to have even the slightest hint of stage fright. In fact, I am pretty sure she loved every second of being the center of attention. As I have said before, I really think this little girl was born to be a performer.
Here is her performance of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star: Variation A." The F sharp at the end gave her a bit of trouble, but she managed to pull through like a pro. The stare down begins at about the 00:18 mark and appears to last only 3 seconds, although it felt like 3 years.