Sofía Acosta Makes a Scene: Chapters 14–23

by Emma Otheguy
Fifth-grader Sofía — the daughter of professional ballet dancers who represented Cuba around the world — is embarrassed that she cannot master the steps needed for her part in a small-town New York production of The Nutcracker.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–6, Chapters 7–13, Chapters 14–23, Chapters 24–37
35 words 2 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. fringe
    an ornamental border of short lengths of hanging threads
    I pretend I’m working on one of the real Party Scene dresses, adding bows and lace to the fringe.
  2. resentful
    full of or marked by indignant ill will
    “Mamá, it’s not like that anymore. You know it isn’t,” he says resentfully.
  3. repertoire
    a collection of works that an artist or company can perform
    He’s dancing lead roles. And new repertoire.
  4. muse
    reflect deeply on a subject
    “It would be hard to leave home,” he muses.
  5. defect
    desert in order to join the opposing cause, country, or army
    “You know what they used to call it when dancers left Cuba for other countries?”
    “What?” I ask.
    “Defecting.”
  6. defective
    having a flaw
    “But I won’t think you’re defective. My parents won’t either. And none of the people who come see you dance at ABT will think you’re defective. They’ll just think you’re the best ballet dancer in the world. They’ll shower you with flowers. We’ll yell ‘Bravo!!!’”
  7. weary
    physically and mentally fatigued
    “From the top,” Mrs. Jansen says wearily.
  8. terminal
    station where vehicles load or unload passengers or goods
    By the time the train rolls into Grand Central Terminal, I’ve already forgotten that I’m still getting to know Yolanda and that it was ever weird being alone with her.
  9. gauzy
    so thin as to transmit light
    In one store, I spot a gauzy fabric, just a little bit more purple than periwinkle.
  10. incredulously
    in a disbelieving manner
    “Wait, you used to fight with my mom?” I ask incredulously. “My mom talks about you like you’re a saint!”
  11. practical
    concerned with actual use
    Usually the sewing I do in my room is practical, like fixing Regina’s pointe shoes. But anything really fun I hide—it’s always stuff that I was supposed to donate to church!
  12. calligraphy
    beautiful handwriting
    I decorate them and use calligraphy-like handwriting.
  13. grit
    fortitude and determination
    “I heard from Mrs. Jansen that your friend Stella showed a lot of grit and determination getting into Level Five. Maybe you could talk to her about practicing.”
  14. principal
    main or most important
    Yolanda was a principal ballet dancer and Álvaro has won ballet awards.
  15. backlog
    an accumulation of jobs not done or materials not processed
    My mom’s going to tell me about the backlog, about how Laurita’s grandmother might die in the Dominican Republic, about how Cubans cross the border like everyone else now, about how if my parents hadn’t been ballet dancers and gotten out of Cuba at the exact right moment...
  16. airily
    in a manner that is overly casual or lacking seriousness
    “Like, what could happen to them when they go back?”
    Regina waves her hand airily. “Nothing. Mami’s just paranoid. It’s hard to live in Cuba. Don’t you remember when we visited?”
  17. determined
    characterized by great firmness of purpose
    Luckily, Stella is determined. She must have watched the video a thousand times before. We let Abdul practice his part in front of the tablet while Stella helps Tricia and me.
  18. wispy
    lacking clarity or distinctness
    That evening I sit on the front steps of my house and watch the sky turn wispy and gray.
  19. ornate
    marked by complexity and richness of detail
    The most ornate dress, in a deep crimson, is for Carrie, since she plays Clara.
  20. embroider
    decorate with needlework
    She used her elegant dishes, and her fanciest tablecloth, which was embroidered all over with flowers by my great-aunt Nena in Cuba.
  21. aerial
    existing, living, growing, or operating in the air
    Unable to contain his excitement about an outing with Roberto, Manuel chassés across the room, flowing into a tombé, pas de bourre, warming up with a glissé, and leaping into a perfect sauté with both legs extended in an aerial split.
  22. lanky
    tall and thin and having long slender limbs
    He sizes up Álvaro, taking in his lanky legs and precise posture, then shakes his head.
  23. rapturous
    feeling great delight
    As they walk out the door, Manuel listens rapturously while Roberto tells him about his car in Miami, and how he cleans and waxes it and takes care of it as if it were a precious baby.
  24. sullen
    showing a brooding ill humor
    Regina is talking to Roberto as if she were twenty years old, trying to draw Álvaro, who looks kind of sullen, into the conversation.
  25. transcend
    go beyond the scope or limits of
    “Dance transcends political boundaries.”
  26. assume
    take to be the case or to be true
    When my mom told me she never spoke to Alicia again, I assumed it was because Alicia was so sad to say goodbye to my parents and wanted them to dance with the Ballet Nacional de Cuba forever because—well, I guess I always imagined that Alicia loved my parents, almost like she was another grandmother I never met.
  27. bristle
    react in an offended or angry manner
    “Anyway, there’s no reason my son would want to leave,” Yolanda says, bristling.
  28. choreograph
    compose a sequence of dance steps, often to music
    “Balanchine choreographed Theme and Variations just for Alicia,” Regina says, as if that settles the matter.
  29. exhilarating
    thrilling or invigorating
    I’m in the outfield when Roberto hits a ball in my direction, and I race backward and jump. It’s exhilarating, seeing the white ball almost shining as it zooms across the dark, cold sky.
  30. clobber
    defeat thoroughly and conclusively in a competition or fight
    Then Laurita asks Álvaro if he plays ball, like she’s hoping he’ll be another Roberto who she can clobber in a game.
  31. nonchalantly
    in an unconcerned manner
    “Where ya going?” she asks nonchalantly.
  32. vigorously
    in an energetic manner
    I nod vigorously.
  33. sprig
    a small branch or stem, usually with leaves or flowers
    The bread kind of tastes like nothing, and there are lots of weird green sprigs and crinkles on absolutely everything.
  34. eyesore
    something very ugly and offensive
    Just when I’m about to bite into my imaginary rice cluster, I hear Stella saying to Jayden from our class at school, “My mom says it’s going to be an eyesore.”
  35. prim
    affectedly dainty or refined
    I sit very primly during the ride home. I think about Tricia, and about what the lady said about Modern Manners teaching respect and consideration for others.
Created on Mon Nov 20 13:51:35 EST 2023 (updated Mon Dec 18 11:15:24 EST 2023)

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