If I don't accept this, I'll be letting everyone here down. I'll be letting Josh down. I've already done that enough for one lifetime. I haul my bags out of the car and slam the trunk shut. Unsure of where to go next, I head into the theater.
The first person I see is Henderson, the guy from auditions. "Oh, number seventy-two. You're here. Welcome. Are you ready to get started?"
He's all business. Okay, that's the tone. I can certainly match it.
"Where can I put my stuff? Do I need to change?" I look down at my ripped jeans and tank top.
"Prolly. Dressing rooms are back that way." He nods toward the stage. "You can use a room there. You can chuck your bags there for the moment. Jasmine is banged up and groggy, but she might be able to get you started. If not, Levi can help. At least show you some basics and figure out what you can do. And you remember Kori from auditions? She'll be working with you on choreography. We figure we'll supplement the aerial tricks that Jasmine was going to do with some of your dance skills."
I think this is the most I've ever heard Henderson say at one time.
Five minutes later, I'm standing in the barn—the only rehearsal space other than the actual stage with a ceiling high enough for this—clad in leggings and my tank top, feet bare, and thinking that I might want to puke. It's not that I'm afraid of heights. It's more that I'm afraid of falling.
There's definitely the potential to fall.
The metaphorical falling.
"We're going to have to perform without a mat, so once you learn it, we're taking the mats away," Kori announces. She's not even waiting to rip the Band-Aid off.
"Don't worry, honey. It seems a lot worse than it is," Levi adds. He's playing the role of Philip in the show, and I'll have most of my scenes with him. "You don't even really have to do anything. I mean you don't have to fly if you don't want to."
"If you can get a little off the ground, that'd be great. Ready to try?" The bandaged hand indicates this is Jasmine. "We're just using a silk hammock and the lyra hoop for this show. Have you ever used either?"
I shake my head.
She points to the large loop of fabric hanging down from a rope and carabiner. It's about three feet or so off the ground.
"Let's warm you up. You're going to be sore as it is, so we should minimize that," Kori says. "Levi, can you show her your stretching routine?"
Levi begins walking me through a bunch of yoga stretches that I'm quite familiar with. It feels good to be limbering up. Because of my muscle bulk, I'm not the most flexible dancer in the world, but compared to the average person, I'm pretty stretchy. My joints pop and crack, and I resist the urge to groan into some of the deeper stretches.
Let's face it, compared to the average person, I'm not bulky either, but the world of ballet is far from average.
"You look good. You're going to have beautiful lines, I can tell," Jasmine says. I look over to her, and I swear she's crying. I glance at Levi, who just shakes his head.
"Stay focused," he whispers. "We have a lot to do."
I'm used to dancing for several hours at a clip with only small breaks. But after ninety minutes with the silk hammock, I want to die. Mostly, my arms want to die. I'm not sure I'll ever be able to lift them again. I should have taken Josh up on his offer to carry my bags to my room because there's no way I'm hauling those puppies now.
On the other hand, I can go upside down and do a few other tricks with some relative grace. I didn't fall and break my neck. I did, however, manage to give myself the mother of all wedgies with the large swath of fabric as I attempted to slide down into a split. I think my clothing is now inside my body. This could impact my ability to have kids someday.Ouch. Still, it's a lot harder than I'd expected, but I'm doing it. I'm sure it's nothing compared to what Jasmine could do, but I don't feel terrible about myself.
That's a start for me.
Chapter 6: Josh
She looks good.
I thought she was beautiful when we were teens but being an adult suits her better. Her posture is impeccable, but I'd expect nothing less from someone who gave up everything else in life for ballet.
Why is she here?
She never wanted to be an actor. Only ever a dancer. A ballerina. A principal ballerina, to be exact.
What happened?
I don't know tons about dance, but she seems good. Or at least she was. Maybe she's injured in some way. But if that were the case, would she take a role she knew would be physically demanding? Not to mention, she's the understudy for the lead inAn American in Paris.
I shake my head and rake my fingers through my hair. No, I shouldn't be thinking about her like this.
