Part II: Mt. Kisco Childcare Kids Doing Their Thing

The kids at Mt. Kisco Childcare are always up to something, and here's part two with Joey and Victoria.

The Fox Lane Middle School actor continues to rise.

The pursuit of proficiency in the world of theater can definitely put an actor on the spot. So can life and Joey Cicchelli knows from both. This means he's well aware that sometimes he needs to chill his pores to be successful on either front. "He gets into a lavender bath. We go through the script line by line, and this lets him take it down a notch," said his mom Vanessa Amato. Maybe not conducive to Lee Strasberg's liking, but certainly in the ballpark for the type of digressions actors take to get it done.

“That's his method,” Amato clarifies.

Oliver, The 25th Annual Spelling Bee and a host of other successful performances in our area, the 11 year old has no need to be shy about submerging to rise to the level that his game takes him. "He has such a natural ability," said Mom. "He just reacts so well to his surroundings and the other actors."

At the same time, he doesn’t only reserve those skills for the stage, and no one knows that better than Vanessa. “That’s where the problem is. He’s very dramatic, and it’s hard to tell when he’s actually feeling something or putting on an act,” she said.

All the world, of course, but while some acknowledgement must go to mom's inclinations as a singer, she counters the assertion that she gets a the credit. “Not really," she said matter of fact.

Shyness hasn’t been passed down either. "I was always too afraid to get up in front of an audience,” said the Mt. Kisco Childcare Toddler Teacher. “So I live vicariously through him.”

Any jealousy is pretty much contained too. “He makes me proud because he took it to a level that I never could,” said Vanessa.

And his heart is a roar for the next role. “He just got the part of the Lion in The Wizard of Oz at Westmoreland,” she said.

Looking forward, Amato hopes Joey will be open to working with a manager who specializes in child actors this summer. Always developing, maybe the end result will pay some dividends for a mom who is everywhere for her son’s passion. “We’re praying he gets a great acting job in the future so he can support me,” Amato jokes in conclusion.

Victoria wears it well.

Victoria showed up at the center today looking pretty stylin' in the outfit pictured below. Black boots, skirt to match and in the pink on top, she took the nod from her mother this morning nonetheless. “You look adorable and cute,” Victoria relayed her mom’s approval. But despite the flash she so effortlessly sported, Victoria knows that being practical sets fashion sense apart.

“If you’re going somewhere fun, you have to wear something fun. If you’re on a sleep over, you wear something that is cozy, and if you go on a playdate, you wear something that lets you play,” said Victoria.

Of course, Victoria can easily spot a get up that’s a little stale and stuck in the past. “That… Noooo,” she passed judgement.

My blue flannel shirt, beat up sneakers and dated dockers were the victims and fell prey with a knowing look and playful inflection.

The slight definitely gets a pass. That's as long as she is all about finishing off the bumps and sets that come her way at Volleyball practice. “I’m learning how to spike,” she rises to the occasion.

On the way down, Victoria sets her sights high off the hard wood too. “Gymnastics makes you feel like a bird,” she asserts.

Free as one still doesn’t quite say it on the flip side. “Magical,” she describes all the turns and flying twists she does in practice or in the basement.

There’s no tumult, though, when it comes to her best friend Sienna who she met at the center as an infant. “She makes me laugh, and if I’m sad, she makes me happy,” said the third grader.

That’s even the case when it’s four o’clock in the morning, and the sun is coming up. “We stay up that late on sleepovers,” Victoria revealed.

Dresses, dolls, gymnastics and friends surely get themselves on the docket, but boys—probably not. “Oh, yes.” Victoria’s eyes lights up and leave no doubt.

A little dimmer the twinkle when the conversation turns to her brother Matthew but still plenty bright. “He’s a very nice boy,” she said proudly.

The kindness and caring apparently goes a long enough way for Victoria to overlook Matthew’s snipes, snails and puppy dog tails. “He tackles me,” she expresses little concern.

Up the hall, dad’s rough and tumble is more agreeable. “He throws me on the couch, flips me upside down and calls me a monkey,” Victoria chirps with a smile.

But dad isn’t the only one who provides a soft landing. “My mom gives me a lot of hugs and kisses and protects me.” Victoria is certain.

Providing plenty of cover, Victoria wears it well—no matter the outfit.

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