Ballet dancing is arduous, strenuous activity. Students are engaged in physical training that rivals the training Olympic athletes undergo. At the same time, they strive for physical perfection not for the prowess alone but as a way of achieving the means necessary to express the pure nature of their art.
George Balanchine
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Beth stared into the mirror almost hypnotized by the exhaustion the exuded from her frame. As a ballet dancer, especially one being groomed into the next prima, nothing less than perfection could be accepted. She straightened her shoulders and shoved every flaw she could see into the fire burning in her belly. It had been a long time since she felt passion for ballet, but being so close to achieving her mother's dreams of how her life would turn out she found any scrap to fuel her desire to succeed.
She stretched at the barre before going over to the lone stereo and pressing play. The music began to ebb and flow through the room as her feet naturally went into first position. She began to artfully execute each step of her audition that she was rehearsing. The crescendo of the music was beautifully timed with a series of pirouettes.
She repeated the dance a few more times. She began feeling confident especially with each step she took. She had just reached the overture when the music halted. She spun to see the artistic director of the company standing at the stereo.
"Your feet were sickled on that last chassé Miss Greene. You'll never make prima let alone principal with feet like that." Phillip Blake drawled.
Beth almost cringed. It was very rare to have one on one time with him unless you were a soloist. She could see where he earned the nickname the Governor from more than one dancer. She had learned from the rumors not to dispute any of his critics.
"I'm sorry sir. I'll be sure to fix it." Beth promised him quietly. She didn't make eye contact with him. She wasn't purposefully acting demure, but this close to auditions she couldn't risk getting on his bad side.
"I sincerely hope that you do. But alas, Amy was out today gathering things for the company gala so she was unable to deliver this letter to you." Phillip handed her a small envelope, but from the postage she could tell it was from home.
"Thank you for bringing it to me sir." Beth was nervous as to what her father would send in a letter that he couldn't tell her over the phone.
"If you truly want to thank me polish this routine and perform in studio A for me and some board members Friday morning before rehearsals." Phillip told her before exiting the room.
Even though he had worded it in such a polite way Beth detected the steel laying underneath the innocent request. It felt like acid was churning in her gut. She had two days to perfect this solo piece.
She almost chucked the letter and went back to practicing non-stop, but her curiosity got the better of her.
She ripped the letter open reading her father's familiar scrawl. Although she almost wished she hadn't. The letter was unremarkable really, aside from the fact her father was cutting his assistance to her in almost half. She didn't want to sound like a snotty or privileged princess. She understood the help he was providing her brother superseded this and plenty of dancers in her position worked part time jobs and danced.
She squared her shoulders. She was going to perfect this solo and find a job. She was Beth Greene and nothing would stop her. That was the mantra she repeated in her head.
Beth felt her entire body drop into the chair. The local diner was one of the few places she could read the job postings in the newspaper and knew she wouldn't run into anyone from the company. Some of the people were incredibly callous and would use anything as ammunition to secure their spots over someone else's spot.
She immediately crossed off any ads requesting day shift. She wouldn't be able to swing those with her classes and rehearsals. She began to feel dejected at the amount of red x's lining the newspaper. Rejection was a natural part of dance, but it still stung when she realized her limited options.
She flipped to the second page and in the bottom right corner was a small ad for Dixon Ink. She almost wrote the ad off since it was in a tattoo parlor, but they were looking for someone to clean the store when it closed. The days worked perfect for her schedule.
She pulled out her phone and dialed the number listed on the ad.
"Dixon Ink, this is Daryl talking. You needing to book an appointment or check on one?" This rough voice filled Beth's ears.
She felt her cheeks redden when her mind began making musical comparisons.
"Uh, neither. My name is Beth Greene and I had a question about the ad you guys posted in the tribune for the cleaning job." Beth chewed on her lip as she doodled around the ad.
She heard muffled talking and cursing in the background. She swallowed her giggle as it reminded her of Maggie and Shawn and their antics.
"Can you come in at 9:45 for an interview?" Daryl asked.
Beth checked the time and it gave her about twenty minutes.
"I'll be there." Beth smiled as she memorized the direction Daryl gave her. She was going to nail this interview just like she was going to nail this audition.
The clock on her phone read 9:40 as she rounded the corner. She knew she couldn't trust most people in the company however she knew Tara had a shift at a bar one street over and could possibly give her a ride home. She sent the text and the response was an immediate yes. She smiled at Tara's kindness. She was one of the few in the company she trusted.
Beth arrived at the door and pulled the straps to her dance bag tighter and attempted to stand straighter. She knew her outfit wasn't quite interview ready, but she hoped since it was a cleaning job in a tattoo shop they didn't mind her yoga pants and loose red and white striped shirt. The only thing different from her rehearsal is that she swapped her ballet shoes for white beat up converse. It was too late to change and she was going to work with what she had. She pushed through her anxiety and walked in.
The first distinct thing she could say about the place was that it was immaculate. She wasn't sure why they would even need a cleaner when these men seemed sufficient enough to clean it themselves.
"Who the hell are you?" A man with an exaggerated handle bar mustache asked her.
She kept the mantra in her mind that she was going to succeed and she was going to get this job.
"I'm Beth Greene. I have an interview for the cleaning position." She tried to project confidence in her voice and avoid looking nervous.
"Daryl, the girl is here and she looks like a real doe." The man hollered towards someone in the back.
Beth had to hold back a gasp when the other man who she assumed was Daryl came out. He was easily one of the most handsome men she had ever seen. She scolded herself and reminded herself she needed to remain professional.
"Don't gotta be so loud Axel. You a runaway?" Daryl asked without any introduction just pointing to her dance bag.
"No, I had practice earlier and haven't had time to go home and drop it off." Beth figured honesty would be the best policy. She needed to be upfront about the dancing just in case they had a rehearsal run late or something else
Daryl seemed to nod his head at her statement. "What's a girl like you wanting to work third shift at a tattoo parlor for?"
Beth figured it was a fair question. She seemed to stick out like a sore thumb in the studio. She could see the tattoos peeking out on Daryl's shoulder and Axel's arms were covered in a sleeve of tattoos. She probably looked closer to a porcelain china doll.
"This is the only place hiring that works with my schedule since I dance." Beth hoped her honesty would not cost her the job.
Daryl's eyes seem to widen in surprise and Axel had a weird grin on his face.
"I'd like to see some of your dancing" Axel said as his grin seemed to grow.
"I can show you some now. Just let me change my shoes." Beth didn't mind showing them, she didn't understand why Daryl's ears were turning red and Axel seemed to giddy with her response.
She laced up her pointe shoes and did a few stretches. It was a little awkward without music but she managed to get a few steps of her routine out to show them. After her last pirouette she turned and looked at both of the guys, Daryl looked in awe while Axel looked disappointed.
"You're very talented." Daryl told her softly.
Beth was concerned because something in his voice sounded like he may not hire her.
"That is why I need this job. I need money for classes and extras before I become a prima. I need this so I can dance." Beth hoped her voice did not reek of desperation, but that was where she was at mentally.
"Okay, you got the job. We'll go over the details and the schedule." Daryl told her.
Beth had to restrain herself from throwing her arms around Daryl and thanking him. Things were looking up for her.
Beth was nervous. She had gotten the job and now she just needed to perform for Phillip and some of the board members. She felt as though she were going to be sick. It wasn't that she felt unprepared, but when one person held so many cards to the only future you prepared for it was enough to create anxiety. She watched as Phillip took a seat between Deanna and Milton. She knew these three were what ran this studio.
Two minutes and fifty seconds. The length of Requiem K. 626 and the music she had selected to dance to.
The reality is that two minutes and fifty seconds is not that long. Fleeting really, but that time seemed to drag as Beth pour her heart into each step. She could not screw this up.
She made sure her final arabesque had excellent extension and held the position for twenty seconds after the music ended. She turned and placed her feet into first position.
"Thank you so much Miss Greene. You're dismissed." Phillip shooed her out of the room.
Phillip turned to his guests with a smug smile on his face after Beth Greene's performance. He had been looking for the perfect talent to eliminate multiple threats within Woodbury Ballet Company.
"I told you we have found our new star. It's time to be rid of Andrea and bring in a new era of dancing with Miss Greene." Phillip told Deanna and Milton.
As much as he hated it, he needed a majority of the board to side with him and they had the largest influence.
"She is a rare talent. We can meet for lunch later and discuss how you will implement this plan of yours." Deanna told him before grabbing her things and exiting the small rehearsal space.
"Are you sure this is smart to target both Michonne and Andrea?" Milton asked quietly.
"Miss Greene will be an effective tool in tearing both ladies down." Phillip told him confidently.
Things were going to go his way after all. The plan was flawless they had just needed a dancer with star quality. The quality exuded from Beth Greene and he was going to use every drop of it to succeed.