AN: To everyone, it is with a heavy heart that I announce the passing of my grandfather last Wednesday at exactly 4 am. He was 89 years old. Though he was severely weakened by his stroke a few years back, I admired him because he could still walk around despite being half paralyzed and tend to his gardens. I will remember him particularly for his life as a guerilla soldier in World War 2 where he lost much of his hearing but remained courageous and honorable long after the war had ended. Despite his quiet demeanor, he was a good person to all of his grandchildren and I am sure that he has found eternal peace.
To everyone who helped me pray, I thank you for your sympathy...
IN MEMORIAM: To my loving grandfather, Remedio Planco Dumdum. Rest easy, soldier.
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"He who cannot dance puts the blame on the floor."
--Hindu proverb
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"Makiko! Do you want these posters to go here?"
Without looking up from the sheets of Labanotations*, the eighteen-year-old replied, "That's okay! Put them over by the table. We'll post them out later."
"Makiko, when can we start distributing the flyers?"
"Right now, if you're going out," she called back, still studying the diagrams with careful concentration.
The studio was unusually busy in the days that followed Makiko's announcement. Amidst ballet classes and rehearsals, the older students went about making preparations for the school-to-school tour. The little children studying at the studio were already being rehearsed for their parts in The Nutcracker either by Madamoiselle Cardin or the more advanced dancers.
Already, every dancer was practicing their own choreographed numbers, constantly adding new steps or approaching others for help. But instead of solos, Makiko insisted that they would all perform in groups or with a partner. This would add more impact, according to her, and they would be able to watch out for each other and work better that way.
However, everyone else insisted that SHE dance a solo to impress the students and she had no choice but to give in. So here she was, studying the notations for her solo performance while everyone else bustled around her, demonstrating steps, finalizing the lay-out for their nth batch of posters while others ran out the door, clutching bundles of flyers to their chests that they were to distribute throughout Kanagawa.
Hopefully, they would get a fully-packed auditorium in at least two schools when they performed.
~*~*~
Wednesay afternoon, Sumire walked out of her English class, stopping to read the what was posted on the bulletin board. As she scanned the notices, someone tapped her on the shoulder and she spun around to find her best friend, Melina Couros smiling at her.
"Oi, bruha*! Whatcha looking at?" Melina asked, flipping her layered hair over her shoulder.
Sumire smirked. "Lokaret*!" She retorted. "Pass your peepers over to the bulletin board and help me find something interesting before our next class."
"But of course, girlfriend."
They continued scanning the bulletin board in silence, their eyes skimming over announcements from yesterday, from different clubs and so on and so forth, unaware that a small crowd had gathered around them to read as well.
A glossy poster caught Melina's eye and she nudged her best friend. "Grabe, wow! Galing!**" She exclaimed, slipping back into her native tongue like she always did when she was excited.
Sumire looked over to where Melina was staring and gasped in surprise at what the poster displayed.
"The Charlotte Cardin Dance Studio presents: 'These Shoes are Made for Dancing' (An afternoon of jazz shoes, pointe shoes, and sneakers). With a special solo performance by principal ballerina, Tsukiyama Makiko," Melina read aloud, grinning ear-to-ear.
Sumire stopped short and turned to her friend, not believing her ears. "Mel, say that again? WHO is giving the solo performance?" She asked, her eyes wide.
"Tsukiyama Makiko," Melina repeated. "Why?"
Makiko! That was her! The girl Mitsui was talking about! Sumire's eyes lit up and she literally dragged Melina away from the bulletin boards, running towards the stairs that lead to the senior's floor.
"Hoy! What's wrong with you? Why are you in such a hurry?" Melina panted as she hung onto Sumire for dear life with one hand while clutching their bags with the other. Dammit, but Sumire could run really fast when she wanted to!
"I have to tell Kenji-kun and Toru-kun!" Sumire replied breathlessly, zipping through the hall at breakneck speed. "Anyway we have ten minutes before our next class. It shouldn't take so long," she added quickly, digging her heels into the floor as they skidded to a stop in front of Kenji's and Toru's classroom.
~*~*~
"You're all required to watch this performance and that's FINAL! If you don't watch it, I will deduct points from your final grades!" The old teacher threatened as groans of exasperation and reluctance escalated throughout each of the classrooms of Shohoku.
Mitsui wasn't in such a good mood upon learning that his grades were at stake if he didn't watch the bedamned dance performance. As he walked out of class, he kept angrily muttering to himself about the injustice of having watch something as BORING as dancing.
But when he stopped by the bulletin board to look at the poster, his jaw hit the floor.
"IT CAN'T BE!!!!!!"
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To be continued...
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1) *Labanotations - developed in the 1920's by Rudolph von Laban as a way to record ballets. Such great ballets like Giselle and Swan Lake have been preserved because of this method of dance notation. Nowadays, dancers study Labanotations for their performances and also if they want to become choreographers.
2)*Bruha - Tagalog for "witch." Usually, the connotation of this word is negative, but because of the belief that words are arbitrary, Filipinos nowadays use this as a nickname of sorts for friends, most especially among females and homosexuals.
3)*Lokaret - Tagalog for "crazy woman." (See above explanation as to why this word can be used among people despite its negative connotation.)
4)** - "My gosh, wow! Incredible!" (for the benefit of non-speakers of tagalog)
To everyone who helped me pray, I thank you for your sympathy...
IN MEMORIAM: To my loving grandfather, Remedio Planco Dumdum. Rest easy, soldier.
=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=
"He who cannot dance puts the blame on the floor."
--Hindu proverb
=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=
"Makiko! Do you want these posters to go here?"
Without looking up from the sheets of Labanotations*, the eighteen-year-old replied, "That's okay! Put them over by the table. We'll post them out later."
"Makiko, when can we start distributing the flyers?"
"Right now, if you're going out," she called back, still studying the diagrams with careful concentration.
The studio was unusually busy in the days that followed Makiko's announcement. Amidst ballet classes and rehearsals, the older students went about making preparations for the school-to-school tour. The little children studying at the studio were already being rehearsed for their parts in The Nutcracker either by Madamoiselle Cardin or the more advanced dancers.
Already, every dancer was practicing their own choreographed numbers, constantly adding new steps or approaching others for help. But instead of solos, Makiko insisted that they would all perform in groups or with a partner. This would add more impact, according to her, and they would be able to watch out for each other and work better that way.
However, everyone else insisted that SHE dance a solo to impress the students and she had no choice but to give in. So here she was, studying the notations for her solo performance while everyone else bustled around her, demonstrating steps, finalizing the lay-out for their nth batch of posters while others ran out the door, clutching bundles of flyers to their chests that they were to distribute throughout Kanagawa.
Hopefully, they would get a fully-packed auditorium in at least two schools when they performed.
~*~*~
Wednesay afternoon, Sumire walked out of her English class, stopping to read the what was posted on the bulletin board. As she scanned the notices, someone tapped her on the shoulder and she spun around to find her best friend, Melina Couros smiling at her.
"Oi, bruha*! Whatcha looking at?" Melina asked, flipping her layered hair over her shoulder.
Sumire smirked. "Lokaret*!" She retorted. "Pass your peepers over to the bulletin board and help me find something interesting before our next class."
"But of course, girlfriend."
They continued scanning the bulletin board in silence, their eyes skimming over announcements from yesterday, from different clubs and so on and so forth, unaware that a small crowd had gathered around them to read as well.
A glossy poster caught Melina's eye and she nudged her best friend. "Grabe, wow! Galing!**" She exclaimed, slipping back into her native tongue like she always did when she was excited.
Sumire looked over to where Melina was staring and gasped in surprise at what the poster displayed.
"The Charlotte Cardin Dance Studio presents: 'These Shoes are Made for Dancing' (An afternoon of jazz shoes, pointe shoes, and sneakers). With a special solo performance by principal ballerina, Tsukiyama Makiko," Melina read aloud, grinning ear-to-ear.
Sumire stopped short and turned to her friend, not believing her ears. "Mel, say that again? WHO is giving the solo performance?" She asked, her eyes wide.
"Tsukiyama Makiko," Melina repeated. "Why?"
Makiko! That was her! The girl Mitsui was talking about! Sumire's eyes lit up and she literally dragged Melina away from the bulletin boards, running towards the stairs that lead to the senior's floor.
"Hoy! What's wrong with you? Why are you in such a hurry?" Melina panted as she hung onto Sumire for dear life with one hand while clutching their bags with the other. Dammit, but Sumire could run really fast when she wanted to!
"I have to tell Kenji-kun and Toru-kun!" Sumire replied breathlessly, zipping through the hall at breakneck speed. "Anyway we have ten minutes before our next class. It shouldn't take so long," she added quickly, digging her heels into the floor as they skidded to a stop in front of Kenji's and Toru's classroom.
~*~*~
"You're all required to watch this performance and that's FINAL! If you don't watch it, I will deduct points from your final grades!" The old teacher threatened as groans of exasperation and reluctance escalated throughout each of the classrooms of Shohoku.
Mitsui wasn't in such a good mood upon learning that his grades were at stake if he didn't watch the bedamned dance performance. As he walked out of class, he kept angrily muttering to himself about the injustice of having watch something as BORING as dancing.
But when he stopped by the bulletin board to look at the poster, his jaw hit the floor.
"IT CAN'T BE!!!!!!"
****************************
To be continued...
****************************
1) *Labanotations - developed in the 1920's by Rudolph von Laban as a way to record ballets. Such great ballets like Giselle and Swan Lake have been preserved because of this method of dance notation. Nowadays, dancers study Labanotations for their performances and also if they want to become choreographers.
2)*Bruha - Tagalog for "witch." Usually, the connotation of this word is negative, but because of the belief that words are arbitrary, Filipinos nowadays use this as a nickname of sorts for friends, most especially among females and homosexuals.
3)*Lokaret - Tagalog for "crazy woman." (See above explanation as to why this word can be used among people despite its negative connotation.)
4)** - "My gosh, wow! Incredible!" (for the benefit of non-speakers of tagalog)