Passion and Pain (Dancers and Divas) (18 page)

Twenty-four

It was the week of the showcases and everyone was feeling the pressure. Elena wanted to make a good impression and prove to her teachers that she could perform to expectations. It was the start of her high school career and she didn’t want to disappoint them or herself. She had two huge showcases
-
one for dancing and of course
Romeo and Juliet.

First up was the dance showcase and Elena was warming up backstage. She had both contemporary and hip hop on tonight and she didn’t want to make a mistake in either. She stood in her multi-colored
one-piece Lycra suit
, ready for the contemporary group performance.

“Oh Anya, I’m so nervous. I don’t want to mess up that
attitude
turn I keep missing,” Elena said, shaking her limbs to keep loose and warm.

“
You’ve
practiced, you’re ready. Just visualize yourself performing the move perfectly and start breathing deeply so you can relax.”

“How can you be so calm?”

“What’s there to be stressed about? I’m doing what I was born to do. I couldn’t think of anything more normal.”

Elena looked at her puzzled. What could she say to that?

“Places
,
everyone.”

It was time. Elena took Anya’s advice and visualized a flawless performance. She went on stage with confidence
and danced with every inch of her body, leaving nothing of herself backstage. She
was relieved that by the end there no major errors in the performance. One down, two to go.

Anya and Elena went back into the chang
ing
rooms to dress for their duo performance. Costumes fixed and make-up done, Elena smiled at Anya.
“Ready for our lyrical?”

Anya shrugged her shoulders.

“Talking helps me relax,” Elena said. Anya nodded. Did
n’
t
she
even get excited?

“Anya, Elena, ready?” the stage manager called out as they moved to the stage wing. Elena shut her eyes and searched for the emotion she was portraying
-
betrayal. If she felt it, her body would reflect it. Elena put everything she had into the performance, twisting and stretching her body to show her tormented soul. It was only three minutes, but Elena felt drained at the end. Thankfully, the audience cheered loudly and she felt satisfied she had done her best. As she took her bow, she scanned the audience and spotted Veronika clapping enthusiastically. She wandered if Jay was also there, watching.

Running off the stage to the wings, she bumped into Sebastien.

“I’m up next
-
the intermediate hip hop group,” he said.

“Oh, look at the tough guy,” Elena said as she pinched his cheeks.

“Very funny,” Sebastien said as he pushed her hands away. “Go
away,
you’re making me lose my concentration. I’m trying to get into my
gangsta
mode.”

Elena
tickled him
in the stomach.

“Hey Elena, time to get ready,” Darius said.

“Coming!”
She was high on adrenalin by now.

While Sebastien performed, she changed into her hip hop gear
-
blue loose track pants, fitted white top and a cap. She would have liked to watch Sebastien, but they were on next so there wasn’t much time.

“Ready to go, Elena?” Darius asked her, inspecting her outfit and adjusting her cap.

“You bet!” Elena was looking forward to performing her lyrical solo as part of the advanced group’s performance. She wasn’t in the crew yet, but this was definitely a good start.

Sebastien high-fived
her
as he came off stage and she ran on into her starting position. She felt comfortable and confident as she danced and flipped her way through the
routine
. When it got to her brief solo part, she thought she should make the most of it and played it up to the audience, enjoying her twenty seconds of fame. Five minutes later and it was all over. One year of work and it was over.

As she came to the stage wing, Sebastien was there waiting.

“Here they are, the competing crew team,” she said to him as she stayed back to watch.

As always, the
crew were
the finale and performed the routine they were to use in the competition next week.

Elena watched transfixed, holding her breath as they managed some risky acrobatics.

“One day that will be me, Seb.”

“I’m sure it will be,” he said, squeezing her shoulder. “Oh you’re all sweaty. Gross.”

That set Elena off and she took her drenched shirt and wiped it all over Sebastien.

“
Oy
, you two.
Stop fooling around. Time for the final bow,” the stage manager said.

Elena wiped herself down quickly and followed the other students onto the stage. One showcase down, one to go!

Elena, Anya and Sebastien caught up with Veronika after the showcase.

“Nice work!” Veronika said. “I loved your duo!”

“That’s all Anya,” Elena said.

“Your idea, I just did what I always do,” Anya replied with a shrug.

“Isn’t this a pretty picture?” Letitia said as she pranced towards them, arms folded, heels clicking against the floor.

“
Letitia!
I didn’t know you were a fan!” Elena said.

“I wanted to see Sebastien do his thing,” she said as she walked past Elena to give Sebastien a hug. “Well done Sebastien. You can really move!”

“Um, thanks,” he said. He knitted his brows in surprise and gave her a stiff, light pat on the back.

“Are you always
i
n heat?
”
Elena said.

Letitia looked at her and smirked. “Jealous?”

Elena crossed her arms. “Must be tough watching people do something you
can’t.
”

“What? Dance?
As if?
” she said. “Why would I want to be a dancer? I can dance, I‘m just not going to waste my time training to do it. There’s no fame or fortune in it.”

“That’s not true!”

“Name me one famous dancer.”

“Anna
Pavlova
.”

“She’s a ballerina, and I’m pretty sure you don’t qualify.”

Elena moved her mouth around in concentration.  Her face lit up. “Justin Timberlake, Usher.”

“
They were both
singer
s
and performer
s
who
w
ere
known for
their
choreography and dance skills.
Still not you.”

Elena shook her head in frustration. “It’s not all about money you know.”

“Whatever you tell yourself,” Letitia said as she strutted away confidently, turning back to wink at Sebastien.

Elena shook her head. So what if dancers never really made it big outside of ballet? That didn’t mean she couldn’t have a career as a dancer.

“El, don’t let her get to you. Fame and success are two different things,” Veronika said. “As long as you do what you love, you will make it.”

“Then why does she make me feel like
it’s
so second rate to be a dancer
?
”

“Because if she didn’t, she would have to be jealous of you.”

“Yeah, right.
She’ll be begging for my friendship as she walks down the red carpet at the Grammy Awards.”  Elena shook her head. “Let’s get out of here!”

“Yeah, we should be celebrating!” Sebastien said.

“Oh Sebastien, will
you
show us how you shake your
thang
?
” Elena said in a high pitched voice, batting her eyelids. “I want you
sooooo
bad.”

“Take me now!” Veronika said, swaying her hips as she walked ahead of him. 

He shoved them both playfully. “It’s not my fault she keeps bothering me. Anya, help me out here.”

To everyone’s surprised, Anya turned round and made kissing sounds. Elena pointed at Sebastien, laughing hard as they left the hall.

With dance out of the way, Elena could put all her concentration into
Romeo and Juliet
. The cast w
as
in the chang
ing
room getting ready, and for some reason, Frankie thought it was important for her to be there fussing over Leon.

“Frankie, you
r
being here is really distracting. Leon and I need to go over a couple of things. Do you mind waiting with the audience?”

Frankie was livid. “He’s my boyfriend. I’ll be with him whenever I want to.”

Elena rolled her eyes. She so needed a life.

“Would you want me to be backstage when you’re getting ready for your performance?” Elena said.

“No way.”

“Well…”

“Fine!” she said. She then gave Leon a long lingering kiss. “See you later, honey.” She glared at Elena and left.

“Leon, I gather you haven’t had that conversation with her? She’s becoming a nightmare!”

“A couple more days for these showcases to be over and I’m sure she will be back to normal.”

“Whatever. As long it doesn’t become my problem. I didn’t do anything,” Elena said. Why did Frankie have to take it out on her?  Leon kissed her
,
not the other way around.

“Can we go over this part really quickly?” she said.

“Sure.”

With Frankie gone, Elena felt the atmosphere lighten. She was getting energy from the excitement of all the other cast members as they warmed up their voices and helped each other get ready for their first Shakespeare play.

“First scene everyone.
Let’s get on stage,” the stage manager said.

This was it. Elena clapped her hands excitedly. “It’s going to be great,” she told Leon as she held his hands and looked directly at him. Off they went.

When they reached the lovers’ scene where Leon kissed her previously, Elena felt a knot in her stomach. She really hoped that Leon would not put her on the spot again. He didn’t. He missed a few lines but he behaved and stuck to the rehearsal plan.
Thank God!
There were also one or two slight technical problems with the daggers during the fight scene, but apart from that, it all went smoothly.

Again, the biased audience cheered, and this time, Elena could hear her group of friends cheering loudly for her. Veronika, Sebastien and Anya were together near the front and Darius was sitting in the back corner. Frankie was standing and screaming excitedly for Leon. It was done, over. She
’d
accomplished her first Shakespeare play.

“Great job guys,” Sebastien said to Elena and Leon at the end of the play. He gave her a quick hug. “You both looked awesome!”

Elena was relieved he wasn’t making an issue of the kiss or giving Leon grief.

“Thanks Sebastien. I’m glad you came to watch,” she said.

“As if I wouldn’t!”

“Your turn in two nights.”

“Coming to watch?”

“Of course!
Has Frankie still got her role?”

“Yes I do,” Frankie said as she came to grab Leon. “Why wouldn’t I?”

“It was just a joke, Frankie,” Elena said. “I heard that Letitia keeps trying to take your part and I wanted to make sure she didn’t in the end
—
it’s your part!”

“That’s really none of your business now
,
is it?”

Elena was taken aback. “Frankie, I’m sorry, I really didn’t mean to offend you. You know me.”

“Apparently not as well as I thought,” Frankie said with venom and pulled Leon away. Leon looked back at them, surprised.

Elena furrowed her brows. What had happened to her bubbly, vivacious friend?

“Don’t worry
,
Elena. It’s not you. Something’s gotten into Frankie and she
’
s taking it out on you,” Sebastien said.

“It still hurts.”

“I know,” he said, enveloping her in the big warm Sebastien hug that she loved.

Elena’s mother coughed loudly as she approached. Elena pulled away and gave her mom a bigger hug.

“Mom!
You came! How did you get out of work?”

“I am so proud of you,” she said as she held her at arm’s length and looked at her. “You’ve worked so hard and it really shows.”