Featured Quinceañera: Kayla Danielle Regalado Date: November 27, 2009 Reception and Dance: Unique Ballroom San Antonio, Texas Photographer: Ken Abernathy nelvastudio.com 210-340-8408 Quince: Did you always know that you would celebrate Kayla’s XV with a quinceañera fiesta? ¿Siempre sabían que Kayla tendría una fiesta de quinceañera? Answer: Most certainly. From the day Kayla was born, my late brother Adrian whispered in her ear, “I can’t wait for your Quinceañera.” Sin duda alguna. Desde el día en que nació Kayla, mi difunto hermano Adrián le susurró al oído: "No puedo
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esperar para tu Quinceañera". Q: How old was Kayla when you began planning her quinceañera fiesta? ¿Que edad tenia Kayla cuando comenzaron a planificar su fiesta de quinceañera? A: Kayla had just turned 14 years old. In fact the planning began the weekend after her 14th birthday. My Mom who lives in California was in town and we thought this would be the best opportunity to spend quality time with Grandma and allow her the opportunity to see Kayla try on quince gowns. As it turned out, it was the best idea ever. “Kayla acababa de cumplir 14 años de edad. De hecho, la planificación se inició el fin de semana después de su cumpleaños. Mi mamá que vive en California estaba en la ciudad y pensamos que esta sería la mejor oportunidad para pasar tiempo de calidad con la
abuelita y permitirle la oportunidad de ver a Kayla probar de vestidos de quinceañera. Al final resultó ser una gran idea.” Q: Most quinceañeras are held on Saturdays. Why did you decide to hold Kayla’s quinceañera on a Friday? La mayoría de las fiestas de quince años se celebran los sábados. ¿Por qué decidieron celebrar la quinceañera de Kayla en un viernes? A: It was important for us to accommodate our family members who were traveling from out of town. We wanted to ensure they had the extra day of travel, since it was a holiday weekend. Era importante para nosotros complacer a nuestros miembros de la familia que viajaban desde otras ciudades. Queríamos asegurarnos de que tenían un día adicional para viajar, ya que fue en un fin de semana festivo.
Q: How did you make the decision to hire an event planner? What was the experience like? ¿Cómo tomaron la decisión de contratar a un organizador de eventos? ¿Cuál fue la experiencia? A: In 2009 I was traveling on business 2 weeks out of the month and felt the need for assistance with the planning. So, I went directly to Nelva of Nelva Studio for the event planning after witnessing her professionalism. The experience speaks for itself. On the day of the event, Rudy and I were busy greeting family and friends and Nelva’s family was busy working and keeping an eye on things to ensure everything fell in to place. En 2009 yo estaba viajando por cuestión de negocios 2 semanas al mes y sentía la necesidad de asistencia con la planificación. Por lo tanto, me fui directamente a Nelva de Nelva Estudio para la planificación de eventos después de presenciar su profesionalismo. La experiencia habla por sí mismo. En el día del evento, Rudy y yo estábamos ocupados saludando a la familia y los amigos mientras tanto Nelva y su familia ocupados trabajando y manteniendo todo lo demás para asegurar de
que todo funcionara correctamente. Q: Kayla, how involved were you in the planning and decision-making process of the quinceañera? Kayla, ¿cuánta participación tuviste en la planificación y toma de decisiones de tu fiesta de quince? A: I was very much involved. I wanted to make sure I was able to help my Mom plan this special event. Yo estaba muy involucrado. Yo quería asegurarme de poder ayudar a mi mamá planear este evento tan especial.
Q: What was the most difficult part of the planning process? ¿Cuál fue la parte más difícil del proceso de planificar la quinceañera? A: Choosing a dress and accessories were the most difficult part of the planning process. I must have changed my mind about the dress at least seven times. Elegir el vestido y los accesorios eran la parte más difícil del proceso. Debo de haber cambiado de opinión sobre el vestido por lo menos siete veces. Q: What was the easiest part of the planning process? ¿Cuál fue la parte más fácil del proceso de planificar la quinceañera? A: The easiest part of the planning was choosing a song for the fatherdaughter dance. I knew from the moment I heard the song, this would be the song for us to dance to. La parte más fácil del proceso fue escoger una canción para el baile de padre e hija. Yo supe desde el momento en que escuché la canción, ésta sería la canción para nuestro baile.
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Q: How did you decide on the color and design of the gown? ¿Cómo decidieron sobre el color y el diseño del vestido? A: Thanks to Nelva’s daughter at Nelva Studio, she helped me decide on a dress and she added all the crystals to the dress, to include my birth stone color and still remaining within the budget. I was extremely pleased with the outcome of the gown. Gracias a la hija de Nelva en Nelva Studio, ella me ayudó a decidir sobre un vestido y agregó todos los cristales al vestido, los cuales correspondieron al color de la piedra del mes de mi nacimiento y aún permaneciendo dentro del presupuesto. Quede muy contenta con el resultado del vestido. Q: Kayla, how did you decide who would participate in your court of honor? Kayla ¿Cómo decidiste quienes participarían en tu corte de honor? A: Family has always had an important meaning to me, so without a second thought I knew I wanted my cousins (girls) to stand in my quinceañera. It was also important for me to include my brother Kyle in as much detail of my quince as possible, therefore, coming up with the idea of a portrait of us
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both was exciting. Familia siempre ha tenido un significado importante para mí, así que sin pensarlo dos veces yo sabía que quería que mis primas participaran en mi fiesta de quinceañera. También era importante para mí incluir a mi hermano Kyle en los detalles de mi quinceañera, por lo tanto, dar con la idea de un retrato de nosotros dos fue muy emocionante. Q: Your damas were not only escorted into the ballroom by their fathers but they danced together during Kayla’s dance with her father. BRILLIANT! Who came up with the idea?
Tus damas de honor no sólo fueron acompañadas al salón de baile por sus padres, sino que bailaron juntos durante la danza de Kayla con su padre. ¡BRILLANTE! ¿De quién fue la idea? A: My mom felt it was best to have my damas escorted by their Dads or Granddads. This is a special moment for them as well and a memory to cherish always. Mi mamá sentía que era mejor que mis damas de honor fueran acompañadas por sus papás o abuelos. Este es un momento especial para ellas también y un recuerdo para siempre recordar.
Q: What was the name of the song you chose for the father-daughter dance? ¿Cuál era el nombre de la canción que eligieron para el baile de padre e hija? A: “It won’t be like this for long”, by Darius Rucker Q: In the ballroom Kayla changed tiaras and jewelry. What did this symbolize? En el salón de baile Kayla cambió tiaras y joyas. ¿Qué simboliza esto? A: This was a symbol of moving on and becoming a young lady. This was a gift from my uncles, Ed Garza and Rafael Fourquete, who designed and customized the jewelry especially for my quinceañera. Este es un símbolo de continuar y convertirse en una señorita. Este fue un regalo de mis tíos, Ed Garza y Rafael Fourquete, quienes diseñaron y personalizaron las joyas especialmente para mi quinceañera.
Q: Kayla, you changed dresses during the middle of the night’s festivities. Why the change into a cute short pink dress?
Kayla, cambiaste de vestidos durante las festividades de la noche. ¿Por qué el cambio a un lindo vestido rosa corto? A: I had promised my parents I would wear a traditional white gown for the church service and presentation at the hall. It was my Uncle’s idea (John Damian) for me to change into a pink dress as a symbol of my becoming a young lady. My Uncle John designed the dress and had it customized for me. My Tia, Jo Ann Rogers, gave me the beautiful gold high heel shoes to wear with the dress. Les había prometido a mis padres que me pondría un vestido blanco tradicional para el servicio de la iglesia y la presentación en el salón. Fue idea de mi tío (John Damián) que yo me cambiara a un vestido de color rosa como símbolo de convertirme en una señorita. Mi Tío John diseñó el vestido y lo personalizo para mí. Mi tía, Jo Ann Rogers, me dio los hermosos zapatos dorados de tacón alto para lucir con el vestido. Q: You had some very unique dancers and dance groups during the night. Can
you tell us a bit about them? Tenías unos bailarines y grupos de danza muy particulares durante la noche. ¿Puedes contarnos un poco acerca de ellos? A: My hairdresser overheard me singing to a“Cher”CD one day, so he decided to surprise me with a drag show. I cried with joy as I watched and enjoyed the show. The dance crew dancers attend school with me and wanted to perform for me at my quinceañera as a gift. Un día mi estilista me oyó cantar un CD de "Cher", por lo que decidió sorprenderme con un show de drag. Lloré de alegría cuando miré y disfrute del espectáculo. Los bailarines de danza asisten a la escuela conmigo y querían realizar una presentación como regalo de quinceañera. Q: Kayla, in the photos of your Quince we can see that you became very emotional during the church service. What was it that brought you to tears? Kayla, en las fotos de tu quince, podemos ver que te emocionaste durante el servicio religioso. ¿Qué fue lo que te hizo llorar?
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A: I was overwhelmed with emotion as I was praising God in my heart and being thankful for this special day and praying for my Uncle Adrian’s soul, as I knew he was there in spirit. Me sentí abrumada por la emoción cuando estaba alabando a Dios en mi corazón y dando gracias por este día tan especial y orando por el alma de mi tío Adrián, ya que sabía que estaba allí en espíritu. Q: As parents, what is your fondest memory of Kayla’s quinceañera? Como padres ¿cuál es su mejor recuerdo de la quinceañera de Kayla? A: Our fondest memory is watching Kayla socialize amongst all our family and friends and knowing that she was now a young lady and greeting everyone with much dignity and respect; this is how our children were raised and it goes to show all our hard work reflected. Nuestro mejor recuerdo es ver Kayla socializar entre todos nuestros familiares y amigos, y sabiendo que ahora era una mujer joven y salu-
dando a todos con mucha dignidad y respeto; así es como nuestros hijos fueron criados y todo nuestro duro labor se ve reflejado. Q: Kayla, what was the best part of your quinceañera experience? ¿Kayla, que fue la mejor parte de tu experiencia de tu fiesta de quinceañera?
of my special day, so I would have to say waking up and preparing for the long day ahead, which turned out to be a memorable day. No puedo señalar una sola parte particular de mi día tan especial, así que tendría que decir que despertar y prepararme para el largo día por delante, que resultó ser un día memorable.
A: I can’t single out a particular part
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Kayla’s life now …. Kayla, it’s been two and a half years since your Quince so we wanted to know a little more about what’s going on in your life right now. Please tell us a little more about the Lassos team that you participate on in High School. Q: What exactly is the Lassos team? Is it a long standing tradition? A: Lassos is a roping team and dance team, all in one. We learn roping tricks and dance routines with the rope. We also learn dance routines from hip hop, pom pom, high kicks and lyrical. Lassos is a tradition at our high school since 1932. Lassos is a sisterhood alumni. Q: How many girls tried out for the team when you did? A: Approximately 50-60 girls tried out. Q: Do you have to try out every year? A: Try outs are annual. My schedule becomes crazy, as we learn new dance and rope routines for try outs. The panel of judges is comprised of dance teachers from out of town high schools and universities. Q: Where do your performances take place? A: Lassos and dance team perform at all varsity football, basketball and pep rallies. And special thanks to our teacher and mentor, Niki Howell, for her encouragement and leadership for teaching us not only about dance, but volunteer work. We have volunteered at numerous non-profit organization events throughout the city of San Antonio. Q: Are there any grand performances coming your way soon? A: Lassos and dance team recently competed in Austin, TX and UTSA against numerous high schools throughout the
state of Texas. Lassos and dance team brought home awards for Grand champions and Sweepstakes. We will also be participating in the Fiesta Flambeau night parade on April 28th. As we come the end of another school year, we will be off for summer vacation for about 3 weeks, we are then off to summer camp. Q: How much practice is involved? A: We practice approximately 2-4 four hours daily. Our first class of the day is Lassos and dance team. Then most of the girls have an additional lyrical dance class as part of the Arts at our high school. After school as an additional 1-2 hours of dance and rope practice. Q: Besides the Lasso team, what other activities or hobbies do you like to do? A: It’s hard for most people to believe, but I enjoy skeet shooting with my dad and brother, Kyle. I also enjoy riding the 4 wheeler at my parent’s friend’s ranch during dove hunting season. And of course, what girl does not like shopping. I enjoy shopping with my Mom, Tia Jo and cousin Klarissa. Q: Have you started thinking about college yet? What school would you like to attend? A: I have thought about college since junior high school. I am hoping to get accepted at Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas or perhaps stay close to home and attend Our Lady of the Lake University. I hope to major in special education with a minor in child psychology. Everyone here at Quince magazine wishes Kayla much success in school, in her next steps as a young woman and wherever life may lead her!
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