Chapter Six
Disclaimer: The newsies belong to Disney, the original characters belong to their creators, and the plot belongs to me. "Hey Ya!" is by Outkast, lyrics to "The Phantom of the Opera" are by Charles Hart & Richard Stilgoe, and "Seize the Day" was composed, of course, by Alan Menken.
Since they wouldn't have to spend as much time reviewing basic steps, the teachers for the experienced dancers decided to start off their first session with introductions.
"Hi, I'm Moocher," the first girl, who sported two ultra-long brown pigtails, said with a winning smile. "But you can call me Mooch. I'm fifteen, and I like money and candy and I love Dance Dance Revolution!"
"So do I," Dutchy commented, and Moocher held her hand up to the pale, blond-haired boy for a high five.
"That rocks," she said. "Who's next?"
"I'll go," another girl, who looked about twelve or thirteen years old, volunteered. "I'm Alaska, I'm sixteen years old, I dance and do karate, and that's about it. Those two things take up most of my time."
"You're sixteen?" Swifty exclaimed in surprise, before realizing that his question could be taken as an insult. "I mean…um…you look so much…uh…older than sixteen."
"Nice try, Swifty," Pie Eater laughed, and the other dancers joined in.
"Your turn, Janet," Moocher, who definitely seemed to be the leader of the group, prompted. "Janet?"
"Oh, hi..." the girl trailed off for awhile. She was sitting a little ways outside of the circle of dancers, making the ring look more Q-shaped than round. She was very thin, and her face was expressionless, as if she weren't really paying attention to the world around her. She sighed before continuing softly. "I'm Janet…thirteen…like to write and read…and sing…lived in Iceland for a few years when I was a kid."
"Janet's the youngest dancer on the team," Moocher added. "I wish I had been that good when I was thirteen."
"I'm not that good," Janet said quietly, staring at the varnished wooden floor, her long, dark brown hair forming a curtain around her face. She absent-mindedly pulled a ponytail holder from her wrist and began to put her hair up, staring at her reflection in the studio mirrors.
"Okay, then, let's dance!" Moocher decided. She hurried to one corner of the room and rummaged through her dance bag for awhile before finding a translucent purple CD case. "I brought my own burnt CD," she announced, slipping the compact disc into the player and skipping to track six. "Hey Ya!" filled the room.
"Not this song again," Specs muttered tiredly.
"Hey, I like this song!" Bumlets exclaimed happily, starting to dance along with the music.
"No kidding. You were singing it in your sleep last night," Dutchy said.
"Wow, Alaska, we finally found another person who sings in their sleep!" Moocher exclaimed.
"Shut up, Mooch, or I'll stop inviting you to my sleepovers."
"You sing in your sleep, too?" Bumlets wondered. "Cool."
Alaska made a face. "Yeah. The other Adrenaline-ers tape recorded me once when we were having a slumber party."
Janet giggled quietly. "That was funny," she murmured. "She was singing 'Memory' from Cats."
"Mehhhhh-mory," Moocher crooned as she slowly slid into a split, her warbling soprano voice clashing sharply with the fast-paced music playing in the background. "All alone in the moooooonlight. I can smile at the ooooold days. I was beauuuuuu---ow!" Alaska had quickly and forcefully pushed down on Moocher's shoulders, causing her to slam against the ground in a perfect straddle split. Everyone else in the studio laughed, and it didn't take Moocher long to join in.
The music changed from Outkast to a rock version of "The Phantom of the Opera", and the teenagers in the room spread out and began some serious stretching.
"So, what's your character in the movie like?" Moocher asked Dutchy, who was sitting next to her, doing a series of flexibility stretches. "Have you gotten to read the whole script?"
"Yeah," Dutchy replied. "And, really, my character doesn't do much. I'm mostly just there to sing and dance and fill in the background."
"So you get to have fun making a movie without having to stress out trying to remember your lines?"
"Yep," Dutchy agreed. "And I do have a few lines. Something about asking the lodging house owner if I spelled a strike sign right."
"You're going to have to know your lines better than that if you expect to receive an Oscar for best supporting actor."
"Calling me a supporting actor is kind of a stretch," Dutchy laughed. "In fact, I'd call my character an extra except for the fact that Daniel says we all have important parts in the plot and 'there are no extras in Newsies'." He changed positions and then continued. "Actually, I'd really like to win a Tony someday. For best choreography."
"Most of the people on this dance team would like that," Moocher commented. "Either that or get into a professional dance company and then eventually become a teacher like Nikki."
"Is that what you want to do?" Dutchy wondered.
"Nah. I want to do something with acting, too. Maybe be a director-choreographer like Daniel and then make enough money to buy my own line of chocolate shops."
"With Dance Dance Revolution machines installed in every store?" Dutchy teased.
"Of course."
"You think we're ready to start teaching them a routine, Moocher?" Alaska asked.
"Probably," Moocher agreed. "Is everyone stretched enough?" She was answered with nods and shouts of "yes". "Great. Who has the tape that Nikki gave us?"
"Oh, I do," Janet said. She searched her dance bag quickly before finding a plain gray cassette tape with "Newsies Music" scrawled on the label. She joined the other two teachers at the front of the room and handed the tape to Moocher.
"This is a recording of some of the music you'll be dancing to in Newsies," Alaska explained as Moocher began to play the tape. Slow, hymnlike piano chords supplemented by a lone male voice filled the room. "It's only piano and basic vocals right now," Alaska continued, "but Daniel said that eventually there will be a whole orchestra. And you'll all be singing along, too."
"This song is called 'Seize the Day'," Moocher added. "During some of the songs, you change locations a lot, but for this one you pretty much stay in one place. Do you wanna show them the opening choreography, Janet?"
"All right," Janet agreed shyly as the boys all shifted to watch her. "You rest at the beginning, and then…" She began dancing, her long ponytail twirling through the air. Eventually, Moocher stopped the tape, and they reviewed as a group, slowing the steps down and practicing them until they were perfect.
AN: Sorry about the lack of updatage. My grandpa was in the hospital with cancer for a few weeks, and he passed away on January 23. I've also had a lot of school projects and other stuff to get done. I'll try to return to more regular updates now, though.
Shout-outs:
Frogger No Baka – Pringles are definitely the best snack food. In fact, I've been eating them all morning. Thanks for the review!
Ireland – My dance friends are like that about food, too. At dance recital food is one of the most precious commodities, second only to hairspray and glitter. And I agree---Mush is extremely adorable.
Janet – Thanks for saying so much nice stuff about my fic in your reviews. It makes me want to keep writing!
ershey – The next chapter should focus on stuff outside of dance class. Thanks for the review!
Sparks – Don't worry, I sometimes think of the newsies as real people, too. I've imagined myself doing dance routines with Bumlets and Mush before (arg, I'm obsessed!). Thanks for reviewing!
Randy – Thank you for the prayers and reviews!
* coughhavefunbreakingthosebones,buttrynottodotoomuchdamage *
Wow, your cough must be contagious or something…
Lute – Headpounders…now I know what to call those "I know it sucks but just plz R&R" fics…didn't realize there was a technical term for them. Thanks for the review!
Sapphy – Wow. Now you not only sing in your reviews, but you also quote Shakespeare! I love leaps, too---they're so much fun. Thank you for all the great reviews, and also for archiving some of my fics on your website. Lots of love to you, Sapphers!
Matchin' Laces – Yes, your character now sings in her sleep…I don't know where that idea came from. Thanks for the review!
Clips – Thanks for reviewing!
