Ballet Shoes: Next Gen

IX

Final chapter of the trilogy y'all! Let's get right into it!

Character Pronouns: Tierra (she/her) , Callum (he/him) , Kathy (they/them) , Mx. Genesis (xey/xem) , Axel (he/him)

Key: TwinkleToes(Dad)🩰 - Ben

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Third Person's P.O.V.

Seven weeks later, the rehearsal period was over. Everyone had perfected or nearly-perfected their pieces, all costumes had been made and practiced in and the excitement for the production was at an all time high. Opening night was tomorrow after all.

"That's it for rehearsal today," Mistress Keisha announced, "Now I want all of you to head home and get a proper night's rest. You'll need all your energy for opening night tomorrow and subsequently the next two weeks worth of shows. Please ensure that you are here by call time and do not give the theater staff any trouble. Do I make myself clear?"

A chorus of, "Yes Mistress Keisha," echoed in the theater space.

"Good."

With that, the work day was done. All the ballet dancers went to return their costumes to the wardrobe mistresses and remove their makeup. Simultaneously, the stage manager and stage hands struck the set and made sure all props were accounted for. Both processes took a while since the production was just that big. Once it was done however, everyone started clearing out of the theater to head home. All but Kenny anyway.

The brunette stayed behind until almost everyone was long gone. He was sat in his with his hands on the steering wheel. Tapping his fingers against it in an attempt to self soothe. His anxiety was through the roof as the realization that his first ballet was tomorrow night finally hit him. Honestly, Kenny didn't want tomorrow to come yet. It seemed like it was his first day in Boston Ballet just yesterday and now he was going to officially make his debut as a professional ballet dancer. It was very nerve-wracking.

Kenny's phone buzzed from the passenger seat. He turned his head to look at it as the screen lit up. He squinted at the notification displayed before reaching over and picking up his cellular device. Kenny unlocked it and saw that he received a message from his dad. He smiled as he read it and saw the attached image of his family holding up their front row tickets for tomorrow.

TwinkleToes(Dad)🩰: See you onstage tomorrow buddy 💕

-page break-

The next day, Kenny arrived at the theatre a couple hours before call time. He wasn't the only one there that early though. Several of the stage hands, lighting technicians, wardrobe mistresses, makeup artists and a few older dancers were dotted about. That made Kenny feel a little less anxious as he wasn't the only performer to show up this early.

"You're Kenny right?" a girl asked as Kenny was lacing up his blue pointe shoes to match with his costume.

"Yeah, that's me," Kenny answered.

"I'm Tierra by the way," she introduced, "Just wanted to say you'll do great tonight as Princess Florine. The Bluebird Pas de deux has always been my favourite part of The Sleeping Beauty."

"Thanks," Kenny said smiling a bit, "You'll do great in your part as well. You got the Lilac fairy right?"

"Correct," Tierra confirmed.

The two chatted for a bit before going to warm up separately. More and more dancers showing up as time ticked on. It wasn't long before the rush to get into costumes and set the stage began. Given that Kenny wasn't on until the third act, he didn't have people fussing over him currently. Instead he was the one fussing over his friends as they got ready to be bridesmaids, pages and other background characters in the group dances.