A Wedding Tale

Chapter 19: Leave It Onstage

I walked onstage and met Callie Ann in the downstage left corner. We performed our partnering sequence with fast foot work with ease. My hand cupped her face and her hands stayed on my shoulders. I looked into her fear filled eyes as she looked into mine. When she finally told me that my baby had been sent away, I became hysterical. I fell to the floor and she pulled me up. I threw my arms up and cried, before she grabbed my arms and calmed me down.

As we walked off stage left, the Trial members entered stage right. Once everyone was in their place, Callie Ann pulled me to center stage once everyone was set for the trial. I held tightly onto her chilled hands until I heard the cue to start my solo. I took a deep breath. I clutched onto my heart and my stomach as I slowly stepped forward. My arm flowed as it commenced a couru turn. I used up all of the music during my large chassé plié. I piqué developed and swiveled into a turn that took me to the floor. I relied on my right hand as I spread my legs into a wide forth position and pressed my hips up. I pulled my legs together and came to a kneel. I stood up and danced my way towards where Jonatan was standing. My heart raced because I knew that my arabesque turns were coming. After a minute of the pleading dance, I piqued into the turns. Instead of not having enough torque, tonight I floated around six times before I finished. My feet began to cramp as I performed bourree's for four counts of eight, but I had other things to worry about. I kneeled and caught my breath as looked up at Jonatan. I performed my more modern floor work with ease before having to stand up. I let my arms whip me around in several pivots and fouettés. I finished with a fouetté arabesque facing Jonatan, who was now upstage right.

     Jonatan slowly stepped towards me as I coward back in fear. He backed me all the way to the downstage left corner. Once we were at the bottom of the stair case- where Skylar was standing, but our characters had no idea he was there- we began a passionate argument. I did a large develope battement while he mirrored me. I ran into his arms and he picked me up, which began our hardest Pas de Duex.

     I knew that this was difficult for Jonatan because most of it was him lifting me. I could feel him shake as he forced himself through the Pas de Duex. I tried to carry my own weight as much as possible, but most areas I had to rely on him. He pulled my elbows back to where my shoulder blades were touching and weaved his arm through them. As I stood en pointe in fourth position with my chest out, he began pulling me into a back port de bra. Once my head was at his chest, he looked into my eyes before covering my face with his hand and pushing me away. I swiveled down and grabbed the bottom of his legs before pulling myself up on his arms.

     We performed an arabesque promenade with me holding the crease of his elbows behind him. I leaned back and gave him all of my weight for the awful walks forward en pointe. I kept my arms engaged and trusted him as we took large, slow steps to the downstage corner. We performed them without a flaw. On the fourth one, I developed my right leg into a ron de jambe en lair and pulled myself away from him. I walked slowly en pointe around him, grazing my hands on his upper body. His muscles continued to shiver as my hands went over his arms, chest, and back.

     He then grabbed my hips and lifted me into an upside down position before circling on himself. He got a lot of momentum tonight, but I knew that he would not drop me. When he put my down, he flung me into a series of chaîné turns. After four counts, I chasséd into a arabesque. I flung my arms into a high, open fifth, and he grabbed underneath my arms and laid me down on my stomach. I turned myself over onto my back and watched him begin the arabesque chug turns.

     I prayed that he didn't drop his leg and hit me. I felt the breeze from his coat sweep across my face. Once he was done, I found a moment to sit up and grab onto his legs before he picked me up.

     We latched elbows and he carried me on his back before holding me up into an awkward al le seconde lift over his head. I wrapped myself down his body and into a double stage position before he threw me into the arms of Aiden, Max, Dustin, and Rowen.