My performer for a day experience a couple of weeks ago wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the special guests who came to watch me in the show: my mother, my grandmother, and my son, Finn. Finn loves horses, but had never seen one in real life before. What follows is an interview I did with him, or “Arabian Nights Through the Eyes of a Two-and-a-Half Year-Old.”

Please note: this interview was transcribed verbatim – these were his word-for-word responses, and the toddler-level grammar has be preserved for your reading enjoyment.

Gina: Honey, what did you see when you came to visit mommy at work?

Finn: Forklift!

Gina: Right, there was a forklift. What else did you see?

Finn: Grandma took me to see horsies.

Gina: And what did the horses do?

Finn: Horsie licked me! And a horsie did a poop.

Gina: Er, yes that sometimes happens.

Finn: A big poop.

Gina: Moving on. What else did you see in the barn?

Finn: I touch a horsie’s nose.

Gina: What did it feel like?

Finn: So soft! I like to touch a horsie’s nose.

Gina: Did you kiss the horse’s nose?

Finn: Horsie had a really soft nose. I kiss it!

Gina: What else did you like about the horse?

Finn: Horsie was wearing red socks. I touch a horsie’s socks.

Gina: What did you see the horses do?

Finn: Horsies did a dance for a lady.

Gina: Who was the lady? Was she in the balcony?

Finn: Lady was a princess. She’s pretty.

Gina:Did you like the princess?

Finn: I like a forklift.

Gina: What else happened?

Finn: Me and grandma run fast.

Gina: Why did you run fast?

Finn: Run with a horsie. And Troy brought me a light.

Gina: That was nice of him. What do you say to Troy?

Finn: Thank you Troy! Troy brought me a light, and a man had a light.

Gina: Which man had a light?

Finn: Man on a big horsie had a hot fire.

Gina: Were you scared of the man?

Finn: No. He had a hot fire light.

Gina: Right, he did. What happened next?

Finn: Forklift!

Gina: No, the forklift was earlier. What happened after the man with the fire left?

Finn: A baby goat came out.

Gina: That’s right.

Finn: And a baby goat ran away.

Gina: Do you remember what happened after the goat?

Finn: A lady make a smoke. A big, big smoke.

Gina: And what came out of the smoke?

Finn: Unicorn! Unicorn did a dance with a lady. And Troy brought me a light.

Gina: Yup. And then what happened?

Finn: Chocolate cake! And I eat it up.

Gina: Yeah, I saw you later – you were a big mess.

Finn: It’s okay, grandma clean it up.

Gina: Then who did you see on the horse?

Finn: A man!

Gina: A man? What did the man do?

Finn: Man jumped through the hot fire! Horsies go round and round, and a man jumped through the hot fire.

Gina: Who came out on a horse and waved to you?

Finn: Mommy!

Gina: That’s right. And did you wave back to me?

Finn: Mommy look silly.

Gina: I looked silly?!

Finn: And pretty.

Gina: Aw, thank you sweetie.

Finn: And I touch a horsie’s socks!

 

My mother and Finn had to leave soon after the Gypsy Bareback act, as it was getting close to his bed time. However, since his visit, we’ve had some variation of the following conversation every morning when I leave for work:

Gina: Bye-bye, Finn. Mommy has to go to work now, so be a good boy today.

Finn: Mommy go to work and ride the horsies?

Gina: Um, not today sweetie.

Finn:Go with Mommy to work and ride the horsies!

I don’t have the heart to tell him that Mommy’s not an equestrian.

Weeks later, Finn is still talking about what a great time he had, I’m still talking about how sore I was, and the staff is still teasing me about my brief stint in the arena – so I’d have to say that this project was a huge success all around! Since my experience, I’ve seen a few actual Performers for a Day come in and do the show. Thankfully, they all style better than me.

After an afternoon of riding lessons, acrobatics training, falling, laughing, and getting back up again, it was time to prepare for the actual show performance that night. Michael and Melody made some last-ditch efforts to teach me to style, and Michael showed me the proper way to sit and point my legs during the entrance into the arena (hey, it’s harder than it looks!).

Melody selected a few Gypsy costumes from the wardrobe department, and after some experimentation, we found a look that worked. I couldn’t help but notice that every costume that Melody presented seemed to be missing a little fabric around the midriff. At least she found some nice, full skirts to cover my nice, full hips. She even managed to find a hair piece that would mask my short hair and make me look more like the rest of the Gypsy performers. Fortunately, there was an extra one on hand that matched my hair color perfectly.

Once I was attired in full Gypsy regalia, Emily Del Valle, a performer who often plays the Princess, helped me do my make-up. I had done stage make-up before, but stage make-up for an equestrian show is done a little heavier, particularly around the eyes. The application is also a little heavier to ensure that it’s not being sweat off during the performance. Emily had me picture-perfect and ready to go just in time to greet guests for the VIP sneak peek of the barn.

I stood with Gary Herrero, another of our talented riders, as Emily painted Comanche for the Native Act later in the show. Guests wandered in and out, and many of them stopped to take photos of Gary, Emily and I. I was even asked to sign a few souvenir posters, which is probably a testament to the great job Emily and Melody did with my costume. In fact, they did such a wonderful job that when my two-year-old son arrived in the barn, he didn’t recognize me at first. It took his grandmother and I about five minutes to convince him that the Gypsy lady was actually his mommy, but once he accepted my strange clothing and suddenly-long hair, he was more interested in looking at every horse in the stable than the silly outfit I’d adopted.

Once the VIP sneak peek was over, I changed back into my street clothes to watch the opening of the show with my family. My son’s reactions were pretty priceless (but more on that next week), so I was curious to see how he’d feel when I suddenly appeared in the arena as well. When it was time for me to head backstage, he was so enthralled with the show that he didn’t even realize I’d left.

In the runway, the immediate area behind the curtain into the arena, I was reunited with Aries as Gary hoisted me up onto his back. The Gypsy theme music started up, and Gary, Aries, and I joined the Gypsy parade into the arena. As I waved from Aries’ back, I spotted my son in the crowd, looking mystified and delighted – as did several members of the dining staff, who were more used to seeing me in my Manager on Duty mode during the show.

During the Gypsy act, I was supposed to stand in one of the spotlights and dance as Melody, Michael, Emily, and the rest of the riders performed acrobatics that I could never accomplish in my wildest dreams. I had been told to just pick a spotlight, stand in it, and swirl my skirts in time to the music. However, as I watched Melody jumping rope on horseback, I started to feel a little self-conscious. What was I doing dancing around in the spotlight while an actually talented individual was performing?

Slowly, trying not to draw further attention, I began backing out of the lights. My retreat didn’t last long. I was soon stopped by Charlotte Reynolds, one of few riders who provides backup, but doesn’t actually perform in the Gypsy Act. Charlotte is usually responsible for supporting PFDs during this portion of the experience. She asked me where I thought I was going, and I told her I probably didn’t need to be in the spotlight anymore, did I? Charlotte was really sweet about it. She just laughed and told me to get back in there and swing my skirts for all I was worth. I felt better when she hopped into the spotlight opposite the arena from mine and began to dance to the music as well.

At the end of the act, Melody gestured me to come up and style and bow with the rest of the cast. I tried to style as femininely as possible, but then ended up bowing in the wrong direction – facing the skybox while everyone else was facing the Princess on the other side of the arena. Oh dear. I’m just glad Csaba wasn’t around to witness it – I’m sure he would have had something clever to say.

Next week, I’ll be concluding my Performer for a Day series with an account of the show through the eyes of my son; the magic and wonder of Arabian Nights, as described by a two-year-old boy.