I Love You No Matter What

Chapter 10: Hope

"Welcome to Derek Thompson's Performing Arts Company auditions. I'm glad so many of you showed up today. This company is a chance for all different types of people to come together and dance. The audition will start off with showing us your own choreographed piece. We will pick dancers to move on to performing a routine choreographed by yourselves. We are only taking forty of you, so show us everything you got," Derek announces to the eighty dancers.

It is a better turnout than what I thought it would be. I used all my connections to get the word out. The dance studio he bought is very spacious. The eighty dancers have no problem sitting spaced out in the area. All the dancers are diverse. I see different races, heights, and sizes. You won't see that in the American Ballet Company.

Derek comes to sit next to me behind a table in the front of the mirror. A friend of ours, Daphne, is sitting on the other side of Derek. She has been dancing with us for over eight years now. Daphne is your perfect ballerina. Her blonde hair is always in a high bun, her posture is always good, she is very skinny, and she is 5'9.

The first dancer comes up to the table with her CD. She places it in the player and moves back out to the dance floor. I press play when she stands still. Derek, Daphne, and I watch intently and write down observations. We watch all eighty dancers before we send them out of the room.

"What do you think?" Derek asks.

"We have some good talent here," Daphne says. "I don't know how I'm going to narrow it down."

"Definitely. This will be hard," I agree.

"Do you have any that comes to mind? I have at least sixty dancers in mind," Derek says.

"I have the same numbers," I say. Daphne nods. "We'll cut twenty each round."

"Let's go ahead and compare notes," Derek says. He takes both Daphne and I's clipboards. Derek gets out a piece of paper to write down any numbers we have in common. "That leaves us with fifty-five dancers."

"I think number thirty-four should move on. He isn't the best technical dancer, but he knows how to use his face," Daphne suggests.

Derek writes down thirty-four. "What about twelve? She is very powerful in her movement. So is seventy-two. He looks like he won't have any problems picking up the other dancers," I point out to them.

"Checking the other men out? You should be ashamed," Derek teases.

I kiss his cheek. "You have nothing to worry about," I assure.

"I think the last spots should go to eight and five. They are technically flawless. We can work on their expressions," Derek says.

"Your company," Daphne says simply.

Derek holds out his hand to me as he stands up. "Shall we go bring the bad news together?"

I take his hand dramatically. We walk out to the seating area. We to the bulletin board and pin the list. Derek and I quickly move out of their way as the dancers crowd around the bulletin board. Some of them start cheering and others begin to cry. 

Derek and I move back into the studio. "The real fun is just beginning," I say excitedly.

We stand in front of the table when the dancers file back in. "Congratulations! You have made it passed the first cut. The next round will be performing a dance choreographed by you in groups. Get into groups of twelve. There should be five groups," I instruct them. "You will perform your piece in three weeks at an event we have set up for you. This will be your first practice. Every day you will come here to practice at nine o'clock in the morning. We will be here to give advice every day. We are allowing to do whatever style, music, and movements. Don't disappoint us."