Natalie MacMaster

September 17, 2005

Tonight I went with Isaac to hear Natalie MacMaster play at Fermilab as part of the Fermilab Fine Arts Series.  For the past 31 years, the "Auditorium Committe" at the lab arranges an arts performance to take place in the 800-person auditorium on the third Saturday of every month.  Performers from all different genres have come to Fermilab and although I miss most of them because my life is too busy, I have seen no less than Sam Bush and tonight Natalie MacMaster play on the same stage that I myself have stood to give talks. 

So as if Natalie MacMaster isn't awe-inspiring enough in her "usual" performances, with the way she plays Cape Breton Fiddle Music and step dances and charms the socks off audiences, I think she hit a new high (at least as far as I was concerned) tonight.  As she walked on the stage I thought "wow, she looks so different from the last time I saw her, but that was 5 years ago" when she was at Strawberry Music Festival.  The first time I saw her in 1998, I was so thrilled by the way she played and her incredible energy that I just wanted to put my mandolin away and go back to the violin, which was my first instrument.  (fortunately or unfortunately my mandolin was with me in California at the time and my violin all the way back in Illinois). 

But getting back to tonight:  Natalie MacMaster put on this fantastic show of beautiful ballads and foot-stomping jigs and amazing stepdancing while being seven and a half months pregnant.  She couldn't resist telling us her due date and tour schedule, and while I heard sharp intakes of breath when she said this was only the beginning of her last tour before the baby is due, I realized that she will stop touring at about the same time I stopped playing volleyball when I was pregnant with Isaac.

It was such a buzz for me to see all seven and a half months of belly along with every bit as much energy and beautiful sound and grace as I saw when I first saw Natalie perform.  So often women (myself included) hide behind ridiculous maternity clothes, refuse to stay active as long as possible while they are pregnant, and/or don't tell anyone they are pregnant until the very last possible second for fear of repercussions on the job.  But Natalie was out in full force and amazing form.  I kept thinking "this is what it is supposed to be like:  you get pregnant, you are damn proud of it, and you stay just as proud of what the rest of your life is about, and the two just go together hand in hand".  I just wish I could have gotten a current photo of her fine self for this entry...

Comments

[Anandi]

Great post! I wish I had gone to see her when she came to my town last month - I just didn't know enough about her music to be sure I wanted to pay $50. But it sounds like it was a great show!

And yeah, I totally believe people should be proud and happy to be pregnant and not have to worry about the repercussions of the work people finding out too soon, etc. We still have a long way to go there...