Chapter Five
Disclaimer: The newsies belong to Disney, the original characters belong to their creators, and the plot belongs to me. Pringles and Doritos do not belong to me, although I eat them on a regular basis.
Practice was slightly easier with the intermediate dancers---they had danced some before, and they were willing to work hard and learn new steps. Also, they weren't completely inflexible, which really cut down on the moaning during stretches.
"Now we're going to work on some basic jumps," Lute announced. "I want Mush, Itey, and Blink in the left corner, and Skittery and what's-his-face in the right."
"It's Snoddy," Snoddy (what's-his-face) mumbled.
"Sorry. Skittery and Snoddy in the right corner," Lute amended. Snoddy blushed slightly and followed Skittery to his corner of the room. "First, we're going to practice split leaps," Lute continued. "Right corner does step-ball-change cross right split leap, left corner does the same thing, but starting on their left feet. Any questions?"
Mush bashfully raised his hand. "What's a split leap?" he wondered.
"You just jump and do a split in the air," Ireland clarified. She demonstrated, leaping well above the ground and soaring across the studio while the boys stared open-mouthed.
"Has anyone done these before?" Lute wondered, hoping that someone would answer. Itey, Blink, and Skittery all raised their hands.
"Great," Lute said. "Itey, you go first. Mush and Snoddy, make sure you're paying attention."
"Lute, you sound like a schoolteacher," Trish teased quietly. "They even raise their hands when you ask a question."
Lute smirked and then hurried over to correct Itey when he had finished his leaps. "That was good, but remember to turn your back leg under. Next!"
Skittery went next. His split leaps were decent, but he seemed kind of hunched over, and he wasn't getting very far off the ground. "You should soar more," Alex, his private instructor, coached. "Pretend you're flying through the air on a trapeze." Skittery nodded quietly and returned to the back of the line.
Practice continued with the boys doing jumps and their teachers correcting them. After split leaps, they continued on to Russians, switch leaps, toe touches, tour jetes, and a variety of other jumps before Nikki walked in to check on them.
"How's it going?" she wondered.
"They're great!" Zodiac replied enthusiastically.
Nikki looked at the newsies. Their faces were red and glistening with sweat, and their chests were heaving. "They look tired to me. Why don't you guys go on break for ten minutes or so? Drinking fountains and bathrooms are down the hall to your left."
"Sure," Lute agreed. "Okay everyone, take ten. Go get drinks and rest." She watched in surprise as five teenage boys stampeded down the hallway to the drinking fountains. "Wow."
The five intermediate teachers sat down in a circle by their dance bags, pulling water bottles and snacks out of the pockets.
"So, what's next?" Alex wondered.
"Something easy. Please," a male voice begged, and the girls looked up to see that Mush had returned.
"That was fast," Ireland commented.
"I was the first one to the drinking fountain," Mush replied proudly, and Ireland noticed that there was still a drop of water at the corner of his lips. She laughed quietly, and Mush self-consciously rubbed the back of his hand over his mouth, removing the remaining moisture.
"Come sit down," Ireland offered, moving away from Lute so that Mush would have somewhere to sit. "Do you like chocolate chip granola bars?" she asked, offering Mush an open, near-empty box.
"Uh, yeah," Mush said slowly. "But you only have two left, so…"
"What?" Ireland exclaimed, peering into the box and then glaring at Trish. "Where'd the rest of my granola bars go?"
"I swear, I didn't touch them," Trish said, sounding rather guilty. "It was Lute!"
"You had more than me!" Lute contradicted. "And Moocher took some, too, before practice started."
Ireland rolled her eyes. "You might as well go ahead and have one, Mush. I'll have to buy a new box anyway."
"Okay," Mush agreed, taking a granola bar from the box and unwrapping it. "Thanks."
"Hey, can I have one?" Itey asked.
"Me, too!" Blink pleaded.
"There's only one left," Ireland replied. "'Cause your teachers ate the rest."
"Can we split it, then?" Blink suggested.
"What are we going to feed the other two, then?" Lute wondered.
"You mean Skittery and what's-his-face?" Trish joked.
"Huh?" Snoddy wondered as he walked into the room. "Did you want to talk to me?"
"You're not hungry, are you?" Ireland asked hopefully.
"No."
"I am," Skittery said enthusiastically.
"I have Doritos," Alex offered.
"Okay," Skittery agreed, sitting down next to Alex. The other boys joined the circle, eating and talking with their teachers.
"So, what should we make them do next, Ireland?" Lute wondered. "Turns?"
"Sure," Ireland said. "A few pirouettes, some axles, maybe a pique or two…"
"Do we have to?" Mush whined, sounding more like a four-year-old than a teenage boy.
"Yes, you have to," Ireland teased. She checked her watch, and then added, "But you can rest for a few more minutes."
"Anybody got more food?" Skittery wondered.
"You finished the Doritos already?" Alex asked, peering into the empty bag. "All right, here's some Pringles."
"Those are mine!" Zodiac exclaimed.
Alex glanced at Skittery, who already had three chips in his mouth. "I think they're Skittery's now," she said with a grin.
"Okay, time's up, everybody," Ireland said. "Pack up your stuff, swallow your Pringles, and spread out in the center of the studio. We're going to review pirouettes."
AN: Sorry this update took so long. My grandpa had cancer in his lung, and now it's moved to his brain and liver, so things have been a little hectic around here. I might be going to the hospital to visit him next weekend, so I'm not sure when the next chapter will be posted…I'll try to get it written soon, though.
About the thing where you pretend to soar on a trapeze while doing split leaps----it works! One of my dance friends, Caitlin, taught me that in fourth grade.
The next chapter will feature the advanced dancers and their teachers (Alaska, Moocher, and Janet). After that, I think I'll do a chapter or two that don't take place during dance class…
Shout-outs:
Frogger No Baka – Yeah, I have a CD with Ethel Merman singing "Everything's Coming Up Roses" on it. Her voice is awesome. I can't remember that part of Aladdin, though…maybe I need to watch it again.
Ireland – I can sing along with most musicals, also. I think I knew all the lyrics to Sound of Music when I was about two years old. And I really don't like Eminem, either…he was just the first person I thought of. I've never tried to get my chest on the floor while doing a straddle split…ouch.
Oxymoronic Alliteration – Cool penname! Thanks for the review!
T-R-Us – Yes, Broadway rules. As do newsie caps. Thanks for the review!
Written Sparks – Eventually, I think the newsies and the members of Adrenaline are going to go to a movie together or something, so then you're character will get to be around people her own age. That should be fun to write. Thanks for the review!
ershey – Jack and David are so much fun to torture. Here's your update!
Clips – Making students do push-ups for not pointing their toes must be kind of a universal dance teacher thing. Thanks for the review!
Raven – Yes, Twist is Frogger's character. And, yes, you're being nice to Crutchy because it makes Jack jealous. And jealous!Jack is so much fun to write. Thanks for the review!
Shakes – You do the birthday cheer in real life? Seriously? I might have to work that into the story again…thanks for the reviews!
Sapphy – Thanks for the glomping. And rainbow toe sock rockage is my specialty. And I love how you put song lyrics in your reviews…they're so much fun to read! Lots of love to you, Sapphers!
Janet – Thanks for reviewing! Your character should have a big part in the next chapter.
Randy - * coughisupposeyoucanbreakafewbones,ifyoumustcough *
