Mom's Dance Recital
a JONAS tv show fanfic by phoebenpiper
Author's Note: I went to my friend Angie's recital last week and spent the whole evening entranced by the dancing, the music, the costumes, and even Angie's blueberry cardamon muffins. However, I noticed the guys in the audience seemed otherwise preoccupied, so that inspired me to write this story. Enjoy!
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Attending his mother's ethnomusic dance recital was the LAST way Joe had wanted to spend his Saturday night.
"BOR-ING!" he'd complained when Mr. Lucas had first suggested that they go. Who wanted to sit around for three hours and watch Mom-aged people dancing weird dances to weird music? Certainly not him!
He'd be partially swayed by Nick's argument that their mother always supported them in all their endeavors and the LEAST they could do was attend one lousy recital, but he still wasn't ready to give up his Saturday night. But Mom's no-nonsense "You're going" sealed his attendance, along with the rest of the family's.
Joe's attitude, however, completely changed as soon as the dancing started. And unlike certain members of his family, Joe was eager to admit when he was wrong. And boy, had he been wrong! While there were a few Mom-aged dancers, the majority of them were young and lithe, wearing revealing costumes and shimmying in mesmerizing ways through their exotic belly dances and Bollywood-like routines. Joe was so transfixed that he was a bit disappointed when the lights came up for intermission because it meant the recital was already half over.
As he and Stella started out towards the lobby for some refreshments, Joe gushed, "Wow! Wasn't that amazing?!"
"I know!" Stella said excitedly. "This is like a fashion paradise. I don't think I've ever seen so many beads and sequins and glitter together in one place! And those colors -- the Indians really know how to put on a bright performance. Not to mention the gorgeous fabric on the Chinese fan -- did you see that way it was dyed so beautifully from black to light blue, like you were watching the sky turn from midnight to dawn! And...."
Joe tuned out the rest of Stella's fabric talk, merely nodding at periodic intervals. He should've known better than to talk to a GIRL about this recital. The first chance he got, he hurried away from his best friend and over to his older brother.
"So Kev, can you believe how awesome this recital is?"
"I know!" Kevin said, nodding with enthusiasm. "That Flamenco music was incredible! The way the guitarist rolled his hands down the strings to make it sound almost harp-like -- I've never seen that before! I totally need to learn to do that. Oh, there's the guitarist now -- I gotta go talk to him!" And Kevin hurried off.
Joe frowned – that certainly hadn't gone as he'd hoped. 'Maybe I'll have better luck talking to Nick,' he thought, looking around for his younger brother. When he finally found him, Nick greeted him with, "Aren't you glad you came? Isn't this great?"
Joe smiled -- FINALLY someone that he could discuss things with. "Well...YEAH! It's so totally cool!"
"Yeah," Nick said, grinning. "That drummer is phenomenal. And the rhythms they were using for some of those dances! Did you notice in that one number how they kept switching from 5-8 to 7-8 every other measure? It makes me want to go home and immediately write a song...maybe even something in a pentatonic scale!" And Nick was gone. Not physically, but his mind had clearly left this sphere and had traveled to wherever he went to write music.
Not that Joe missed him that much, since Nick clearly hadn't been watching the same show as him. Joe mindlessly wandered off, his buzz all but killed, and soon found himself at the refreshments table, practically crashing into his littlest brother.
"Hey, Frankie," Joe said somberly, all his enthusiasm for the recital now gone. "How're YOU liking the recital so far?"
"I'm liking these weird blueberry muffins," Frankie said, glancing warily around the lobby and then up at his brother before stuffing another mini muffin into his mouth and several more into his jacket pockets.
Joe sighed and grabbed a muffin himself. He might as well eat, since he had no one to talk to.
"Hey, Joe," Mr. Lucas said, patting his son on the back as he walked up. "Your mom's really happy that you came tonight, you know. I hope you're...surviving." He smiled and elbowed Joe meaningfully.
Joe nodded dejectedly. "Yeah, it's all good," he sighed. His hope of ever discussing his real interest in the recital had been dashed so many times that he no longer even risked getting excited.
But then Mr. Lucas leaned over and whispered confidentially in his son's ear, "Don't tell your mother, but I couldn't take my eyes off some of those girls. Hubba hubba, if you get my meaning," he said, winking.
FINALLY! Joe gushed, "That girl with the red sequins!"
"And the tassels!" Dad added with a grin.
Joe nodded enthusiastically, glad he wasn't the only one enjoying the concert for what it was -- a total Hottie-Fest! He was thrilled to finally to have someone to share it with...even if it was just his dad.
But now Joe knew who he was going to sit next to at his mom's NEXT recital!
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THE END