What it's like to be a Cherry Blossom

Chapter 6: Ballet Class

I've never seen a ballet classroom as big as this one. I'm pretty sure it was the size of a castle's ballroom. The classroom had a part-spring floor, equipped with mirrors, a ballet barre and according to the map, a in-built sound system. Perfect for classes, rehearsals and auditions.

The other side of the room was pretty much a window. I could see the whole city from here, and I absolutely loved it. I had come in early, so I decided to change into my ballet clothing.

When I came out, two girls were leaning on one of the windows, already dressed with the appropriate attire. One of them was strawberry-blonde and the other was brunette, who happened to be a bit taller than the other ballerina. Both girls stared at me when the heard me come out of the changing room. The strawberry-blonde ballerina sashayed towards me, followed by the taller brunette. Both stopped in front of me, glaring.

"Sophie, I believe that this is the girl who was dancing at the theater the other day." Said the strawberry-blonde ballerina.

"OMG, you're right Colette! But I expected her to be prettier." Said Sophie.

"I know," Colette said, rolling her eyes. "You know, petite amie, you can't dance on stage if you aren't the best. That stunt you did, letting everyone see how you dance, showed us all what you are capable of. You aren't even close to the level of ballet that HCSA expects you to have. Yet, you're here. Did you beg the school board to let you enter?"

"What's your problem? You and I don't even know each other." I spat, clearly this girl was trying to pick a fight.

"The name is Colette Mercier. I've been attending HCSA since six grade. I am the best ballerina in our generation, followed by Sophie Thomas, one of my best friends," she said, pointing at the brunette. "I'm not gonna let some new student take my place as the best, because clearly since the day you danced in front of everyone, you act oh-so-high-and-mighty, just because a bunch of people enjoyed your performance with Maiko. You think you can beat me and Sophie, but believe me, petite amie, you can't and you won't. So stop trying or there will be consequences."

And as she finished her "speech", the door opened, reveling all the other ballerinas and danseurs (guy ballerinas). Happily, they entered, all of them unaware of the discussion between Colette and I. Colette glared at me, and turned on her heel and left, followed by her best friend, Sophie. I walked the other way, spotting Mai.

"Hey Mai."

"Hello Grace. Why so serious?" She asked, making a silly face.

"Do you know anything about Colette Mercier and Sophie Thomas?"

"What? Why would you ask that?"

"I came in early, and after I changed, Colette and Sophie were here. Let's just say that we didn't like each other, especially Colette."

"Oh. Well, there is a few minutes before class starts, so I'll tell you what I know about them, but you have to tell me after class finishes what they said to you."

"Okay. So, mind giving me some intel?"

"Colette Mercier. She is what you call "the popular girl". She has been one of the best ballerinas since she began to attend HCSA. What builds up more to her ego is being French. Well, more like French-American, her mother is from San Francisco, and she's a fashion designer. This opens opportunities to Colette as a model, so that also feeds her big ego. Her father is French, and is also a model and a ballerina, and is now modeling for his wife. She's mean to everyone, especially those who she envies." 

"Ugh, talk about rich and snobby." I said, rolling my eyes.

Maiko giggled. "Sophie Thomas, as you might have seen, is Colette's bestie. They've known each other for years, and also enrolled to HCSA in six grade. One of the best ballerinas here, and is not afraid to hurt people. You might even say she's worse than Colette. Her family sell engagement rings, and are completely American. Whatever she wants, she gets. People call her the "American Princess", and rightfully so."

The door opened once again, but this time revealing the teacher. Short, but petite. Platinum blonde hair that reached her shoulders, and grey eyes like an ocean during a storm. It was the one and only Silver Swan, the Jasmine Chandler, one of the best (retired) ballerinas in the whole world.

"Good afternoon class," she said happily. "I'm Jasmine Chandler, your ballet teacher. Some of you might recognize me as the so-called "Silver Swan" in the ballet world. I insist you call me Miss Jasmine or just Jasmine if I give you permission. It will be an honor to help all of you grow into beautiful ballerinas, both boys and girls. Now, let's start with some stretching experiences to warm up. Shall we?"

***

Maiko flew in the air like bird, and landed as a flower petal when she finished her Grande Jeté. All eyes were on the tiny red-head ballerina, as she cast a spell to the entire group. She bowed towards our teacher, meaning she had ended her routine and ready to hear feed back, but before our teacher could say anything, everyone applauded.

"Wonderful Maiko! You have a spectacular ability for jumps and steps. And you landed the Grande Jeté with no problem! Few dancers are able to do this. But, because you use these too much as an advantage, you lose stamina, losing a bit of the magic in your routine. We'll work on increasing your stamina, and I believe you would do perfectly with the Pas de Duex and the Allegro planned." Miss Jasmine said, earning a smile from Maiko.

"Colette Mercier, you're up," she said, waiting for Colette to appear.

"Hello Miss Jasmine. I'm ready," she said, getting into position. Miss Jasmine hit play.

I'll admit, this girl was talented. Everyone would watch her carefully, mesmerized by her routine. I didn't want to admit she had more experience than me, but she was nothing compared to Mai. The first half of the routine was incredible, yet the second one seemed to fall. Though she did the movements with ease, Colette made them seem forced. Err- wrong word. She made them look rough. Nothing like the song she was dancing to.
As she landed a Pirouette, immediately followed by a Sissonne, which she fumbled a little. She saved it by doing a Croise Derrière, and the song ended. She bowed expecting a round of applause, but the group hesitated. They eventually clapped, waiting for the teacher to speak.

"Colette, your routine was beautiful. I can see you have a lot of experience, your movements trick the audience to believe it is easy, but it was not as graceful as I had expected. I've seen you dance before, young lady. You weren't on your A-game, you seemed distracted. Also, you used too much energy during the first half, making the second half seem sloppy. We'll work on concentration and planning the routine," she said, clearly not holding back. The dance world is strict, and you have to correct mistakes you make while dancing. Colette nodded, and walked towards Sophie, who seemed concerned.

"Next up, Grace De Rege. Oh, you are the other girl who danced on stage the other day. I quite enjoyed your performance. Let's see how you do today. Ready?"