A/N: Day Six is another 'Wacky Holiday' The true meaning of the day is a little unhappy, and I'm trying to keep the mood light this month. So, we're going to use the more upbeat definition! Link in my profile for more information on this dance move. Enjoy!
Piano music began as the class of sixteen stood at one corner of the room, Each girl had on pink tights and a black leotard, their hair in tight buns. Christine Booth pulled up the strap of her leo that had started falling down her arm and stepped forward in line. Her teacher critiques the girl in front of her, and as she prepares, Christine eyes the opposite corner, waiting for her count off.
"Ready, Christine? Five, six, seven, eight," Ms. Erin calls, clapping her hands to keep her young student on the beat.
Christine pulls up onto her toes and begins to chaine across the room. She's long past the stage of 'bunny turns', and instead holds her arms big and round, watching the corner as long as she can before whipping her head around to spot again.
"Good, Christine!" Ms. Erin praises, starting the next girl in line. Once the entire class is on the other side, they go back across with Pique turns. "Remember, Ella: every time you prepare to go again, use your plie to give you momentum otherwise you won't get all the way around," Ms. Erin coaches the young girl.
Christine prepares for her turn, holding her supporting foot out, toes pointed. When she's counted off, Christine plie's and uses the momentum to push her around, ending the turn in the same position she started. She makes to back to the first corner and while the others finish, she runs for her water bottle and steals a quick drink.
"Alright, come here," Ms. Erin says, calling her class over. "We're gonna learn a new turn today." This gets excited squeals from the class and it takes a few minutes to get them back on track. "Okay, so let's pretend we're ducks," the teacher says, starting to waddle around, making all her class giggle. Before long, they are all doing it and the room is echoing with quacks and giggles. "Now, little ducks: pretend that your right leg is hurt." Erin starts to limp, pretending to be injured. The class follows, and more giggles erupt from the little girls.
After a while, Erin calls her class back to attention and has them all watch her in the mirror. "Now for this turn, it's almost like a pique turn. But since we're pretending to be hurt ducks, our right leg is lagging behind. So when you go into the turn, don't go into passe right away. Wait until you're about halfway, then go up, okay?" All this time, she had been breaking down the turn step-by-step, and now she finally puts all the parts together. Seeing her class itching to try the new move, she lines them back up in the corner, and they go across the floor.
Erin watches the girls attempt the new turn, giving advice as they go, and demonstrating it again when it appears they are growing more confused as they try it themselves.
Christine had watched her teacher very closely, watching her feet and hands, picking up on the rhythm of the turn. She listens to the beat of the music as she waits in line, marking the turn in her head. When her turn comes again, Christine prepares, counting out the beat and goes. She spots for the corner, waiting until she gets almost halfway around before pulling her leg up into passe and finishing the turn. She pauses for a second, knowing it wasn't perfect, but she had done it.
"Don't stop, Christine!" Ms. Erin says to her, "you're doing great!" Christine smiles, knowing her teacher had seen her. So she keeps going, all the way across the floor, each time trying to be better.
When class ends, all the little girls scatter; some to parents, other to another class, all of them telling whomever they see about the 'Duck' turn they had learned that day.