Ballet Beauty

This is a portrait taken of my mother, Cynthia Mays Nicosia, in the late 1950s when she was in her early 20s and studying dance at the Metropolitan School of Ballet in Manhattan. She was working part time at the New York City Public Library on 42nd Street and living at the Brandon Residence For Women up on 85th Street near Riverside Drive, which was run by Volunteers of America. She paid $17 a week for room and board, which included breakfast and supper. However, because she was usually training late into the evening at ballet school, she would often miss the dinner.

In 1961, just a couple years after this photo was taken, my mom dashed off to Rome to see about a dancing job. She ended up not getting the gig, but she decided to make the most of her time in Italy. She took a tour of the city called “Rome By Night.” My dad, Giorgio Nicosia, was the guide. Cynthia and Giorgio first exchanged words at the fountain of Trevi. At the end of the tour, he dropped off all the other passengers first and then took my mom back to her hotel, where he asked her out. They had about three dates before she had to … //READ MORE