June Omura: Dancing Through Motherhood
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Day job: At 43, the only parent in the acclaimed Mark Morris Dance Group
24/7: Lives outside of New York City with husband Bill, 4-year-old twin girls, and 1-year-old son
Has danced in: 20 countries and 40 states, before two queens and one U.S. president
Pet peeve: Late buses
Dream job: Has it
I am always rushing! I love being at work and I love being with my family. But those in-between moments, those are the hardest.
There's not much time for sleeping. I don't get to bed until 11:30 because of course that damn Jon Stewart is on at 11, and I love him. My little guy wakes up at 6.
The TV thing. I started letting them watch so that I could take a shower. And now, every morning: "When are you going to take your shower?"
Half of my life is pumping. I use Pump In Style.
I don't have much pride or modesty left. A dancing mom! We have a co-ed dressing room and several dancers do imitations of what my pump sounds like. They try to figure out, is it three-quarter time?
In my bag: The New Yorker and some old Science Times sections. Blistex. A gift card from Gymboree.
The first time they saw me dance in The Hard Nut [Morris's version of The Nutcracker] my girls both said, "Mama, you were really good!" And they jumped into my arms and would not let go.
I think I'm a better mom than I feared was possible for me.
If they like dancing enough to work at it, and they work at it enough to be good at it, then great. I admit I've already introduced the idea that their grandparents and their aunt are doctors.
The indispensable toy? The Skwish from Manhattan Toy. It's easy for a baby to hold. A favorite.
Barefoot dancers can get fissures in the skin, which can really impede your dancing. My dermatologist mother gave me Keralyt. Applying that has kept me from getting splits in the last couple of years.
I don't think I've ever visited a Web site in my life.
Hot chocolate in the morning, a packet of Swiss Miss. Ice cream every night. Breyers light mint chocolate chip. I don't do caffeine.
I felt important as a child because my mom was a doctor, a wonderful job that she loved.
I choked up at the girls' first ballet class. So sweet and serious, trying to learn what Mommy does.
Parenting book: Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child. It's all about the naps for us, which dovetails well with my rehearsal schedule.
I couldn't live without my black fleece vest from Old Navy, which I wear every day. It has lots of little pockets so I don't have to carry a purse.
At four months pregnant I danced an arduous duet as a virginal girl — with a protruding stomach!
It takes so much physically to be a mom. It keeps me in good shape so I can keep dancing.
