Fifteen

Chapter 29: D.A.N.C.E.

Sophia Kate sat on the floor in the large dance room behind the theatre with Aria and 18 other dancers. The current Senior Dance Officer for the Texas U Dancers was instructing them on the day's events. She looked strong and focused.

Sophia Kate had been mesmerized with Alexia Washington since witnessing her sophomore hip-hop routine to Beyoncé's Upgrade U. "This is a show, first and foremost. We are going to open up to the group routine you just learned and you will be scored by myself and the other officers," she said pointing at the two girls and guys behind her.

They were all seniors and graduating in the fall. It was the main reason why Madame Boudreaux was considering picking one officer from those auditioning today. There had never been a freshman or sophomore officer, but desperate times clearly called for desperate measures.

"There are costumes for the group routine in the dressing room," she pointed behind them. "There are various sizes in there, so find what works for you. After the group routine you will go into your solo. Each person will do a solo, however the genre will be chosen by Madame Boudreaux herself."

Sophia Kate could feel Aria tense up beside her. "I thought we were doing one group dance and one solo of our choice." A guy spoke up from the back. The panic in his voice was evident. "That was the original plan and what was stated in your packet, but things came up and changed." She said coolly as if it weren't a big deal.

"You will do a solo of Madame Boudreaux's choosing in the order assigned." Sophia Kate didn't realize what was causing her pain until she looked down and saw Aria squeezing her hand for dear life. She patted her hand to calm her and relieve the pressure.

"Once your solos are done, you'll line up and answer some questions for the judges," she continued. "Afterwards, you'll find out in front of everyone whether you will be joining the exquisite and erudite Texas U Dancers." Some of the dancers cheered, while others shook with nerves. "I don't know if I can –" Sophia Kate stopped Aria before she could finish.

"We can and we will! This isn't new to us, A. You used to do impromptu singing and dancing at camp – just think about it like that. We've got this." Man, I hope I'm right. What if she picks a genre I'm not good at? Her face must have given away something, because she felt Aria gently squeeze her hand. "We're going to be okay, Sophia Kate! Whatever happens, we'll be fine."

"Welcome Warriors to the Texas U Dancers tryout!" The introduction was met with loud applause by the current and former dancers. "My name is Alexia Washington and I will be your host for tonight. We are excited not only to welcome new blood to the team, but because of what this year marks. This is the 20th year of Texas U's transformation in the dance field under the notorious leadership of Madame Boudreaux. This will be one of the toughest auditions in the history of this company, but it will be worth it. I hope you all are ready to witness the beauty and art that is dance."

She was gone as quickly as she appeared and the entire auditorium went black. At first the only thing they could hear was the bass building and the large, velvet curtains pulling back. 'Pillow Talk' by Zayn Malik began to play. The lights flashed and the show had finally begun.

What seemed like forever was gone in an instant. They had all performed as though their life depended on it. "OH MY GOODNESS!!!" Aria screamed as they made their way to the dressing room! "Can you believe that just happened?" A dancer hollered from behind her. "Y'all we just performed on Madame Boudreaux's stage!" Sophia Kate smiled excitedly.

"Yes, you all did a great job!" Kevin Harris, one of the officers, joined them. "It's time to get changed and ready for your solo. There are envelopes with your names, number and genre on them. Everyone scurried off to find their individual envelopes and with each opening sound came shrieks of joy or apprehension.

"I'm so glad I'm not going first," Sophia Kate whispered as she handed Aria her envelope. "True," Aria chuckled, "but you're going second." She said pointing to her sheet. "Oh wow, you got hip hop!" She smiled genuinely. "That's awesome, SK!" Sophia Kate stared at her in disbelief. "Can you open yours up already? What are you waiting for?"

Truthfully, Aria didn't know. She already knew she wasn't going first. The same guy that so nervously inquired about the solos already took that unfortunate spot of first place. "I don't know, honestly. I guess I just wish everything wasn't happening so fast. Everything, Sophia Kate, has just taken off at lightning speed. I mean, last night with Stefan and Caleb, this morning with Caleb and then this entire process of tryouts. Everything is just acting like an episode of The Flash and I just want it to slow down."

Sophia Kate knew she had a point. Everything seemed to be on hyper speed for the past two days, but she appreciated the newfound pace. "This is college, A. It's nothing like we've ever experienced and that's not necessarily a bad thing." She pointed to the unopened envelope with a smile. "Let's see if you get to do a ballet number that will blow the judges' minds."

Aria chuckled as she finally opened her envelope. "Yes!" She smiled enthusiastically. "Number 20, baby!" They laughed in union as she turned her card around. "Jazz." It came out in a whisper and Sophia Kate was prepared to do damage control, but her name was called by one of the officers. The lack of worry on Aria's face frightened her, but she didn't have time to figure things out with her friend. "You're going to do great," Aria smiled as she walked Sophia Kate to the dressing rooms.

They had dressed in record time to be ready for each other's performance. "Thanks, love bug! I'm excited for you to see it." She had a mischievous hint to her tone. "What does that mean?" Sophia Kate smiled. "You'll see." As the applause from the audience grew as Asa, the boy with the nervous inquiry, made his way off the stage. Aria said a silent prayer for her friend. The officers all sat in the front row of the auditorium while the judges' seats remained empty.

There was still no sign of Madame Boudreaux according to the other dancers and Aria was happy about that. She was a very private person, so there were hardly any pictures of her online. Of the ones taken there were none without her signature oversized glasses.

There were various pieces on her, but no one managed to ever capture her on film without her mask. Her dancers knew what she looked like though and many blog sites stated her presence was always known.

"Our second dancer," Alexis began, "is a freshman from Sadler, Texas." Aria noticed the large projector on the side of the stage that currently showed a picture of Sophia Kate with some type of stats beside it. As the beat to Bad and Boujee by Migos began to play, Aria couldn't help but smile from the sidelines. Sophia Kate was in her element and everyone could tell.

***PLAY VIDEO***

The other dancers on the side of the stage were enamored almost as much as those in the audience. Sophia Kate understood the beauty in hip-hop music and dance. She explored and mastered everything from break dancing, locking, liquid and digits, and twerking. Aria was proud of her dear friend and hoped that everyone could see just how amazing and essential she would be to the team.