Follow MtnGrl Musing

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Hangin with First Ladies



While the guys hatched a chicken accord over hamburgers at Ray's Hell Burger in the suburbs, Michelle, Svetlana and I took in 'Artistic Interludes' in the city at Duke Ellington School of the Arts. That is to say, I got to work earlier than usual only to leave two hours later to simmer in the midday sun for 45 minutes before gaining entry to an auditorium (after being searched and wanded), where I was privileged to sit for about two hours to await the arrival of the honored guests, Michelle Obama and her girl, Svetlana Medvedev, the First Lady of Russia.

It was well worth it.

The performances were stellar from the start. String Virtuosi played Classical and Baroque favorites while we waited, then a pianist performed as well. Sometimes they were appreciated with applause breaking through the din of chatter. Scenes from Porgy and Bess evolved as the program began and a girl sang Summertime in such a stunningly crystalline soprano it brought tears to my eyes. That, and an infectious choreography by Katherine Smith in In Tandem performed energetically by an athletic troupe of dancers, were highlights for me, in a performance that was well befitting not one First Lady, but two.

As you can see, I carefully staked my position, taking shots of the doorway through which they'd enter well beforehand, checking the lighting, flash settings, etc. I was ready.

When the moment arrived, I managed to shoot through the competing barrage of heads and arms and zoom in on...
The First Hair:

It got better, though.




Mrs. O and Mrs. M, both quite accomplished women, married to smart, powerful men, have become friends, Mrs. O said, and both enjoy the arts. She wanted to return the hospitality Mrs. M shared during their visit to Russia last year, and invited her to Duke Ellington. She encouraged the kids to "Get out of this country!!" to see what the world's various cultures have to offer. Mrs. Medvedev dressed like First Ladies usually do, (a little matronly, though she's a relatively young 45) in a white long sleeved skirt suit with blue bowed scarf. (Did she not know it's been hellaciously hot and suffocatingly humid for the past ...how many days?) Mrs. O was chicly casual, as is typical for her, buff arms bared, of course, and WHAT - could it be? Bare legs too? No hose?! You gotta love her.

Check out MtnGrl Musing on Facebook for more photos from the performance.

3 comments:

Jon Storey said...

Nice post.

stan said...

Great ladies of this century!

Anonymous said...

That's certainly an experience you'll never forget. I love moments that are significant enough to refer to as your life goes on.

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
MyFreeCopyright.com Registered & Protected