Once in a lifetime.

⚠️26

July

"Okay people, get to the barre." My Madame yelled from the piano. "We're going to start with the point warm-up and then we will move into the Swan Lake Act 111 with the pas de Deux." Her eyes fund Jarred and I. "I am going to assume that you have been doing your best in your spare time to work on this pas de Deux." She slammed her cane into the ground.

The music began and I plie and rise up into releve bring my arm slowly out next to me.

"Shape your feet! And WRAP, EXTEND. Martha butt in. Now, demi, demi, half Tondu in, and plie. Beth, where are your eyes? Thank you."

We've done this warm up a million times, we have heard the critics, yet our teacher still manages to find more. Its expected, because we are expected to be flawless.

"AND UP. Hold, don't come down. Sidney, did you break, I didn't think so. Juliet breathe. Amber head up. And come down, that was very good boys. Girls, you need to work on balancing on point, and also making it look effortless. You may relax."

On command everyone's bodies become more flopped and less upright. "No person is going to come to a ballet to watch a ballerina flop around like a wet mop! You must do the moves flawlessly and make them believe that they could take your place."

She does a back attitude and we all watch her, the fact that she's been around for probably forever and can still do a back attitude is mind-blowing.

She comes down, plies and we all clap politely. "Now, I want the girls who are playing as boys to go to the right side of the room and begin going over the routine. The girls I'd like in center. Juliet and Jarred stretch in the back, you'll be last. First Amber and Daniel, center. In that order, go-go."

We rush to our designated spots and then scurry out of the way,
"Hey, Juliet," Jared said when I found him.

"Hey." I smiled politely.

"Have you been practicing?"

I don't want to talk to him but I am not going to be rude to the person I'm about to dance with. "Honestly I don't know how she expects us to practice on our own, it's a pas de Deux, that means two people." I try to gracefully sit on the ground but I end up flopping.

Jared laughs. "Yeah, that's what I was thinking." He joins me sitting was more graceful than I just did. "I think Madam is an amazing teacher but sometimes she talks crazy."
I bring my feet together and start screeching my hip flexors. "Seriously."

Amber goes into releve, grabbing Daniel's hand for support, she then turns and Daniel grabs her by the waist and pulls her into him, her feet swinging behind her, back towards his head.

It's a very hard move and takes a lot of support from the guy and a lot of trust from the girl. Just because her body isn't that far off the ground doesn't me that it's not dangerous, if he were to drop her, or happened to not grab her in time, her face would be flat on the floor, I know. Its happened to me.

"Like explain to me how I am supposed to 'practice' that on my own?" I motion towards Amber and Daniel.

"You have a brother, don't you?"

I look at him sideways and laugh, "That comment proves you're an only child." He smiles, "You think I trust my brother to do that with me? I barley trust him to lift me on his shoulders in the pool." Jared laughed with me. This is both weird and nice. Things felt like they could have gone back to normal in that moment, that was until Madame caught us.

"Jared and Juliet, you are being disrespectful, if I hear you talking again you will be in serious trouble. Is that understood?"

We bow our head in unison, this is what Madam expects of us when she scolds us, "Yes Madam." We say.