Careless Whisper: Never Gonna Dance Again

Father Figure

"Wake up sleepy head!"

"Damn it María what time is it?" Rita groaned with annoyance.

"Only just about 7:00." Rita took one long look at her sister who had on some pink ballet attire from head to toe paired with grey leg warmers.

"Let me guess... Practice?"

"Anyhow mind reader, I didn't peg you for a Wham! fanatic!"

"To be honest there's not a lot you know about me so..."

"So expect the unexpected from you, got it." The sisters exchanged serious glances before bursting into a fit of laughter.

"Would you like to come and watch me rehearse?"

"Sure!" Rita got out of bed and headed straight to the bathroom to carry out her morning routine.

~~~•~~~

"How is it, being part of a company?"

"Well it's exciting for sure but it's tough with everyone is still competing against each other."

"Competition sucks."

"You got that right that, oooh!
Close your eyes I wanna show you something!"

"Okay..." María placed her hands over Rita's face while slowly walking her towards the side entrance of the theatre.

"Now open your eyes." Rita did just that, her eyes meeting a large poster that had 'The Black Swan' printed in bold italics. Below it was a silhouette figure and the words 'Starring María Portman'.

"Oh my gosh... You're THE Swan Queen?"

"Yeah!"

"That's one of the hardest characters to master."

María crossed her arms, looking down at the ground. "The last few weeks of practice have taken a toll on me. But hey this is my big break, a chance for me to get noticed. Let's go inside shall we?"

As they entered, María was greeted with a few pleasant hellos and shady side eyes.
Rita followed her to the changing room where María swapped her old sneakers for pointe shoes.

"Come on Rita you watch from the front. Pretend that you're not here."

"Trust me sis, I won't make a single sound."

Rita sat in one of the red seats, watching her sister take her position on stage at a bar. A tall male figure stood in front of the stage, shouting out instructions for the warm up. After 10 minutes, the bars were pushed to the sides and the dancers got into their starting positions. María gave Rita a quick wink before the music began playing.

In an instant, Rita was mesmerised by her sister's graceful pirouettes and gentle swift movements across the stage.

"Let yourself go, come on!"

Suddenly María's footing faltered, causing her to stop. The older man approached her as they engaged in a brief conversation. Another female dancer who appeared to be the understudy took her place on stage with María watching from the side.

Rita couldn't help but feel somewhat sorry for her older sister, after all this role explores certain themes that forces the dancer out of their comfort zone – whether they like it or not.

The rehearsal went further on for an hour until everyone was instructed to go home and come back again for rehearsal the next day.

Rita headed towards the stairs which led to the backstage area.

"María?"

Rita looked around in confusion but what she saw next left her completely stunned.