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Post by Professor Vanessa LeGuin on Apr 5, 2012 13:53:20 GMT -4
Vanessa sat on the floor of the dance studio putting her worn out pointe ballet shoes on over her wrapped up feet. She slowly wrapped the ribbons around her ankles, securing the shoes to her feet. She stood up and began stretching, bending her feet and her ankles and her legs and loosening up. An injury was any dancer's biggest fear and Vanessa would not take any chances.
As she warmed up, she looked at the clock, which confirmed that she still had a bit of time before her student showed up for a one on one lesson. She had never been fond of one on one lessons unless it was one of her favorite students but she got paid overtime for making these kids look good and so she grinned and bared it every time. Today was one of those days. Nonetheless Vanessa finished stretching and plugged her iPod into the sound system, putting on "The Sleeping Beauty Suite" and getting lost in the tunes. She danced around the room, following the peaks and valleys of the music and feeling every emotion within her.
She was so engrossed that she was unaware of how long she had been dancing. She had danced for a good twenty-five minutes straight and as she struck the final pose of one of the faster pieces, she finally broke from her trance, tired, thirsty, skin gleaming in a fine layer of sweat. She walked over to the sound system and paused her music before walking over to her duffle bag, pulling out one of her many reusable water bottles. She sat down and began drinking and dabbing herself with a towel. Just than the door opened and Vanessa knew her fun was over and it was time for the work to begin.
Vanessa sighed and continued relaxing, waiting for the girl to get her attention. Only than would she move and get into teacher mode. She was not yet ready to begin working and being a "responsible faculty member" just yet and she wanted to hold onto her exciting moment as long as she could. And so she sat, back to the door, drinking and relaxing a bit, ignoring the pupil and the world for the time being.
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Post by Ariel Adamaris on Apr 5, 2012 14:19:17 GMT -4
Ariel walked in with her rhinestone earbuds in, ignoring the world. She sat on the floor in her purple cross front leotard and tights with her her favorite green legwarmers. They were her mothers, and one of the few things she owned from her. They had tiny sequins sewn into them randomly that made them look like fins. Ariel's hair was back in a large frizzy curly braid that flowed down her back. Slowly she stretched out her legs. First her right then her left. Then she put on her pointe toe shoes, which were also green. She had started pointe a year or so before and had been taught by her sister. She still was not confident in it though. She'd been dancing since she could walk but she still knew she had a long way to go. Thus the extra help.
She'd asked to have extra help with Miss LeGuin once a week since the beginning of the school year. Her father had decided there would be a large recital of her and her sisters. This would be her debut on pointe for the New York City elite, and the world. She was very nervous. She'd been practicing for months and just couldn't seem to get it right. There was always something missing, and sometimes it wasn't even a step out of place. It was just something. She continued to stretch and then went to the barre and continued plaintively. It always hurt standing for the first time in pointe shoes. After the first few minutes she could ignore the pain. The first time she had cried. She looked over her shoulder and saw Miss LeGuin with her back to the door and jumped slightly. She pulled out her earbuds and looked towards her teacher. Slowly she walked toward her. She scared Ariel. She wasn't evil, there was just something that bothered her. She tapped her on the shoulder timidly "I'm sorry I did not see you there, I was... distracted." She curtsied to her teacher with a smile. She hoped she would not be chastised.
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Post by Professor Vanessa LeGuin on Apr 5, 2012 15:57:20 GMT -4
Vanessa internally sighed at this girl's getup. Green pointe shoes and leg warmers and gems everywhere. What had ballet come to when rich children felt the need to ruin the purity of it with frill. But what she said to the girl, Ariel, was "It's fine. We all get a bit distracted sometimes and as I lost track of time, obviously I am among that statement. Anyway, once you have finished warming up shall we begin?"
Vanessa had been working with this girl for months and had seen little improvement. The steps were there but there for the most part but they seemed safe and thoughtful, as if the girl was thinking about the moves in the hopes of perfecting them and leaving the emotions needed for a true performance behind on the back burner. On top of that, the pain of the pointe shoes could quite often be found on this girl's face. Her feet were still young and unscarred by the years of true dance. Her feet were not used to it and although she had supposedly been dancing pointe for a year, she still did not take the proper proportions and her shoes never looked quite broken in enough not to injure the feet. Vanessa knew all to well what could happen if proper precautions weren't made but she knew students rarely listened to her on these points. SO she left them to get hurt in the hopes that her words of wisdom would eventually sink in.
Vanessa stood up, took one last sip of her water bottle, draining it of its contents as she did, and threw it in her bag before standing to wake up her legs a bit. This would be a long rehearsal and she wanted to keel the blood flowing so as to prevent some of the aches she would inevitably feel in the morning. After a few turns and jumps, beginner work really, she walked over to the sound system before turning to Ariel. Ipod in hand she asked, "So, what shall we rehearse today? And refresh my memory, what song are you working on?"
Vanessa had grown quite used to acting sweet and loving for her students while her mind buzzed with insults and hatred. She had grown so accustomed that it just came to her now without thinking about it. Her sweetness emanated to the child while her mind stated the stupidity on and on. Once the music would play though, she hoped to be lost in the tune and the dance. Sadly, she knew she probably wouldn't be so lucky. But she could hope.
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Post by Ariel Adamaris on Oct 9, 2012 19:52:45 GMT -4
Ariel slowly began to stretch. "I am doing the song I learned from You." She put her leg up on the barre and stretched. Vanessa gave her the wigs. There was something about her eyes that just wasn't quite right. She switched legs. "You and I were going to work on the choreography today. We had just started."
She tried to smile even though she was uncomfortable. "I've been practicing really hard. And doing strengthening so that I will be better." Her legs had become toned and strong like the rest of her body. She knew she had to be strong in order to do pointe.
She walked gracefully over to the sound system and plugged in her ipod and flipped to the song. "It's for my Dad." She wasn't the hugest country person but she liked this one. It also said a lot about her relationship with her father, who was after all, the one putting on the concert. She did always want her father to be happy. She wasn't always good at that. Especially lately.
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Post by Professor Vanessa LeGuin on Sept 8, 2013 21:38:14 GMT -4
Vanessa heard the song come on and internally groaned. Now she remembered why she had blocked the song from her memory. Vanessa was a bit of a purist and the idea of a ballerina dancing to country just made her die a little inside. Yes some songs did have the right feel and COULD be used to a pointe routine but that fact did not make Vanessa feel any better about the situation.
But Vanessa was being paid quite nicely to try to whip this girl into shape and have a dance ready for 'her daddy' with whatever song 'daddy' had wanted Vanessa to use for Ariel. Vanessa loved money and would never refuse a nice bonus and so she bit back her thoughts and put a smile back on her face as she turned to face Ariel once more.
Ok. Let's begin with turns and see how well you have progressed. Let us start with your basic pirouettes. First turning into the working foot across the floor then turning away from the working foot back across the floor. BEGIN!
Vanessa watched with a bit of distaste. Yes Ariel had been getting better but not fast enough to please her father. Vanessa liked her fat pay checks and didn't want to see these go away. But if she wanted them to stay she needed to turn Ariel into a perfect ballerina. Vanessa didn't know if this would ever be possible but she would keep pushing the girl in the hopes that she would be proven wrong. And HELL did Vanessa hope she was wrong.
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Post by Ariel Adamaris on Oct 3, 2013 21:22:39 GMT -4
Ariel moved away from the sound system and went to one corner of the room. She looked at Professor LeGuin and bit her lip. The Professor always made her feel creeped. Something was not right. She liked to blame it on her nerves from performing for this beautiful dancer. She got in position and began to do turns with growing confidence.
She lost herself in the music giving herself over to the dance. She knew her feet and legs would ache but for now she loved how it felt turning across the floor. She could forget everything around her and just focus on the music.
She turned once or twice on the wrong foot and knew she would be told about it. She would continue to turn and give it her all. Sweat was forming on her brow. She did not want to disappoint her father or Professor LeGuin. She looked at herself in the mirror as she stopped for a second and sighed. Then she looked and Professor LeGuin. "Professor LeGuin, am I getting any better? Or is this all just useless?"
She took a sip of water and knew she needed to stop for a second. Her stamina was getting better but not ballerina level. She did not know if she would ever be.
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