Authors Note: Hello everyone, KiltedEngineer again, extending gratitude for your reading and reviews.
This chapter is heavily visual in nature. I have zero experience with ballet whatsoever, and over the last few weeks, I have been studying it extensively specifically to write this chapter. I have based the performance outlined in the chapter off of a few different performances I have found and I hope you enjoy.
Without further ado, here it is!
Chapter 41
Out in the audience, all of Lee and Eddy's friends and family eagerly awaited their performance. Out of all of the spectators, there was no doubt that Tabby was the most excited of the bunch. While the rest of the audience delivered standard, obligatory applause, Tabby not only applauded at the sound of her daughters name, but also placed both of her pinky fingers into the corners of her mouth to deliver a loud supportive whistle. While equally proud of his daughter, Rod knew that Tabby's excitement could often spin out of control; he had been at several of May's softball games in which Tabby would borderline strangle him to death out of excitement. To make matters worse, Tabby had been kicked out of several games on more than one occasion, due to a "reaction" to fans of the opposing team that made the mistake of heckling May. Given the fact that this was a ballet performance, Tabby's lifelong passion, there would be no doubt that her emotions would get the best of her. Nevertheless, Rod delivered his own applause and cheers, as he awaited his daughters performance with a smile.
Further back, on the left side of the auditorium, Lindsay had taken a seat to watch the rest of the show. She had reserved a bank of seats by wrapping caution tape, taken from the janitors closet and typically used to indicate "wet paint", around the seats and placed signs stating "obstructed view" around the area. She sat amongst the rest of the cheer squad, filing her prized long pink finger nails, as her face displayed it's typical resting scowl.
As soon as the student body president finished her introduction and left the stage, Kevin removed his digital camcorder from it's case.
"Well Rolf, this is it!" said Kevin, "I never thought I'd see the day that Dorkie went on stage in tights and danced ballet, but now that's here it's only fair that I do him justice and get his good side."
"Hoho," said Rolf, "The small fry Ed boy's loins are wrapped as tight as Nana's freshly prepared dumplings. After his performance, Eddy's voice will sound like that mouse from those movies that your culture adores tremendously!"
As Kevin and Rolf continued to share heavy laughter at Eddy's expense, Nazz ignored the boys antics as she sat troubled with thoughts of her own. She slowly turned her head to the right, eventually making eye contact with Jonny. The bald headed boy merely stared back in a rather serious manner, as he was fully in character, and shared the same concerns as Nazz; the concern being the integrity of Eddy and Lee's relationship.
A few seconds passed, after which the stage curtains began to open, prompting Nazz to return to a forward facing position. As the curtains seperated, the auditorium was virtually silent; the only sounds being that of the slight squeak of the curtain operating gear, the ceiling diffusers rumbling as they pumped heated air into the room, and slight snickers from Kevin as he trained the camera toward the stage and pushed the record button.
As the curtains reached their retracted position, the balcony spotlights were activated, illuminating the stage with pure white light. Just below the left side of the stage, Marie cracked her knuckles, and placed her hands on the piano keyboard.
Marie touched her hands to the keys ever softly, initiating the beautiful arpeggios characteristic of the opening bars of the score for the Pas de Deux with her right hand. As soon as the music sounded, Eddy took a deep breath, puffed his chest, assumed an upright posture and began making his way out onto the stage.
The audience watched as Eddy and Lee entered the stage from opposite sides, in perfect synchronization. Both dancers seemed to flutter on stage as if they were lighter than air, moving their feet flawlessly as the met in the middle and encircled each other; with Eddy eventually standing to the right of Lee. Eddy maintained his smile as he assumed arm "fifth position" (his arms held above his head with elbows slightly bent), and gazed towards Lee.
Lee, staring back at Eddy with an extremely radiant smile, assumed "pointe position" (raising to the tips of her toes), and bowed towards Eddy in a slow and graceful manner. As Lee returned to her erect position, Eddy took at step toward her, holding his hand out as if he were asking her to dance. Lee took his hand, at which point she lifted her right leg, briefly bending it towards her planted leg, after which she extended it and raised it towards Eddy's shoulder while raising her right hand in the air; a display of great flexibility and balance.
Lee returned her leg to the bent position, and spun around on the tip of her toe, using Eddy's hand for support, eventually facing the audience front on. In contrast to her usual cynical expression, Lee's face displayed a brilliant smile, made even more dazzling by the stage spotlights. Eddy then flawlessly changed positions, moving his feet such that he now faced the audience as well, maintaining excellent ballet form as he continued to hold Lee's hand.
Lee then assumed an arabesque position, specifically the "ouvert" form; with the support of Eddy's hand, Lee leaned forward until her body was almost horizontal, extending her left leg horizontally behind her, as her other leg remained vertical with respect to the floor.
The remained in this pose for a few seconds, after which Eddy began to gracefully circle Lee as he continued to hold her hand, rotating her about the axis of her right leg. Lee maintained perfect poise as she rotated, giving off the illusion that her toe was mounted on a turntable. The couple spun around once, ending with Lee facing the audience once again with Eddy standing behind her.
At that point, Lee bent her left leg to her right knee, and while standing on the tip of her left toe with her arms above her head, began to pirouette. She spun around on her toe with a smile as Eddy supported her from behind, placing his hands on her hips after every rotation for balance and to provide extra momentum. Lee completed four spins, eventually stopping in the direction of the audience.
Lee remained in her position as Eddy let go of her hips, and took a few slow steps away from Lee's position. The audience watched in amazement as Lee maintained her pose, unsupported, for three whole seconds, balancing only on the tip of her left toe. This elicited many subtle "wows" from the surprised audience, which could be heard over Marie's piano arrangement. Eddy spun in a circle, after which he performed a ballet leap towards Lee's position.
Eddy approached Lee, once again holding his hand out as if asking her to dance. Lee took Eddy's hand, raised to pointe stance and began spinning. Under ordinary circumstances, the choreography would have called for Eddy to reach above Lee's head, and hold her hand from above as she pirouetted. However, due the significant height difference between the two, Lee altered the choreography to have Eddy alternatively grab each of her hands as she spun back and forth a few times, as if she were the agitator of a washing machine.
Lee accomplished a few more simple spins, once again facing the audience with Eddy standing behind her at completion. As she suddenly stopped with her right foot held out horizontally, she raised her left hand in the air, and leaned slightly to the right. From behind, Eddy grabbed Lee's right hand in his, and placed his left hand around Lee's abdomen. At that point, Eddy effortlessly lifted Lee in the air, which to many would be no easy feat due to the significant height and weight difference between the two. With no sign of fatigue or struggle, Eddy spun his lady in the air as she smiled, maintaining her perfect posture as he completed the maneuver.
Out in the audience, Kevin continued to record the performance; however, in lieu of snickering, he, Rolf and the majority of the football team sitting around around him sat with their eyes wide open, and their jaws dropped to their lap. The boys simply could not believe Eddy's athleticism and strength. Kevin pulled away from the view finder, observing the performance with his naked eye, as he uttered one simple word.
"Whoah."
Back up on stage, Eddy placed Lee back on the floor, and executed a few more simple ballet poses. Lee let go of Eddy's hand, rose to the tips of her toes, and gracefully "fluttered" around the stage, traveling in arc, and eventually meeting back up with Eddy.
At that point, the tempo of the music increased to a more rapid pace. In lieu of the gentle arpeggios characteristic of the first act, Marie began playing thunderous and flamboyant runs. In sync with the music, Lee performed two leaps towards Eddy, at which point, Eddy grabbed her left hand from behind while supporting her right hip with his opposite hand. The two began dancing from side to side as if they were a clock pendulum, Eddy lifting Lee higher and higher at each completion of the cycle.
At the conclusion of the last lift, the couple separated, with Lee walking rapidly to the right side of the stage as Eddy positioned himself to face her. As the music entered a slight lull in terms of volume, Lee turned towards Eddy, and began moving towards him at a quick pace, her feet appearing to be supported by a cushion of air.
Lee, upon reaching a position around three feet away from Eddy, leapt into the air, being sure to keep her body in a vertical position. Eddy simultaneously placed his hand on her hips, and lifted her straight up, holding the young lady in the air for a few seconds. This lift corresponded with a dramatic increase in musical volume, Marie struck a a beautiful chord followed by a dynamic crescendo. He then placed Lee down on the floor, continuing to hold her hand as she raised her right leg into the air towards Eddy's shoulder while leaning backward.
Lee continued to arch her back backward as Eddy stepped around her, eventually placing one of his hands under her back and the other under her knees ,as her leg left the floor. The couple remained in this pose for a split second, Eddy effortlessly cradling his ballerina in his arms.
To the crowds amazement, Eddy suddenly flung Lee into the air, appearing to exert no effort whatsoever. Lee was quite slim, yet well built and proportioned; however due to her above average height, she weighed around 30lbs more than Eddy. Nevertheless, the stout Ed boy executed the movement flawlessly. As Lee went airborne, she rotated, her abdomen facing the floor in lieu of her back. As she began falling, Eddy reached up and caught her, using his shoulder for support as he cradled her using his arms. This movement corresponded to yet another musical crescendo, and a small applause from the audience. As Lee laid on her stomach, with her head held high to the audience with a smile, her arms in the air, and her legs outstretched, Eddy briskly carried her across the stage, his feet moving in synch to the music.
Eddy, after taking a few steps, bent his knees and placed Lee back onto the floor. Lee rose to her toes, and walked at a fast pace in an arc back towards Eddy, eventually meeting him in the middle of the floor. At that point, as the music continued to crescendo, Lee began to pirouette at an extremely quick pace, with Eddy spinning her by placing her hands on her hips. As she spun, the music continued to become even more dramatic.
At that point, Lee suddenly stopped, executing a ballet pose as Marie struck a powerful chord on the piano. Lee rotated in the other direction for a split second, stopping to strike another pose at the sound of the penultimate chord. Marie then pirouetted for a final time, spinning quickly as Marie executed a loud, dynamic tremolo in the pianos middle register.
After a few seconds, Lee suddenly stopped, leaning towards her right as Eddy cradled her, preventing her from falling. This position served as the finale of their duet, and corresponded with Marie's final piano chord. The music stopped, leaving the couple frozen in their position for a few seconds, as the audience delivered applause.
At that point, the couple separated, with Eddy exiting towards stage left, and Lee exiting toward stage right, both walking with excellent dancers technique. The applause died down upon the audience releasing that the act was not quite over. Lee had reappeared from stage right, assuming " fourth position" (her legs crossed in front her, and her arms held in the air.) The auditorium was once again shrouded in silence, as the patrons awaited for the second act of the performance: The Famous "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy"
All of Lee's friends were quite excited, as Lee had not allowed anybody to see any of her rendition of the signature dance prior to tonight's performance. Marie in particular was quite nervous, as she had not been able to practice the music with Lee's choreography for synchronization purposes. Nevertheless, Double Dee turned the page, revealing the first few bars of score. Marie took a breath, after which she placed her hands on the piano keyboard to begin the piece.
At that moment, the soft, barely audible march-like opening began resonating throughout the auditorium. With each pulse, Lee took a step en point towards the center of the stage as if she were tip toeing across the floor. She fluently moved her arms about, holding her head high with a smile, as she continued on her way. Upon reaching the center of the stage, she suddenly began moving her feet at a rapid pace, seeming to fly across the stage on her toes.
The conclusion of that movement corresponded with the entrance of the familiar melody of the Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy. As Marie played the melody, using the high register to simulate the sound of bells, Lee planted her right toe on the stage floor. She moved her left leg into various positions, bending her knee fluidly as she bowed to the left. In synchronization with the chromatic runs of three at the end of the first phase, Lee crossed her feet, bouncing three times with the music; switching feet with each variation of the chromatic run. In conjunction with the final piece of the first phrase, Lee lifted her leg in the air and spun around gracefully. Corresponding with the quick, chromatic bass runs leading into a higher-keyed repeat of the first phrase, Lee rose to the tips of her toes and walked in perfect coordination with the music.
As Lee danced through the second phase in a similar manner, the audience watched in awe, particularly all of the residents of the cul-de-sac that had known her from the time she moved to Peach Creek. With the talent she was currently displaying, her graceful and elegant moves, and her beautiful face and figure, it was extremely hard to believe that the girl performing on stage was in fact the same girl that used to strike fear in the hearts of all. The girl who once wore a white polka dotted shirt with torn blue jeans, showed no care toward personal hygiene, and wore her hair in a tangled mess of short frizzy curls was gone, replaced by an elegant, dignified young lady.
Eddy in particular, was the most impressed of all as he watched Lee's piece from back stage, completely hypnotized by her movements. Eddy had never in a million years even dreamed of confessing that he loved Lee; he had in fact on one occasion had a nightmare in which he was old and married to Lee, a prospect that, at the time, alarmed him beyond belief. As he observed her express herself on stage, displaying a genuine smile, Eddy could not imagine the prospect of not being romantically involved with Lee. Although Eddy was happy and proud, he was also quite deep in thought regarding a statement Lee made just prior to their performance.
Marie completed the first few phrases, at which point the music transitioned to a faster tempo. As Marie's fingers produced the dramatic runs, Lee continued dancing flamboyantly, executing perfect pirouettes, leaps, and amazing displays of pointe work. Each and every step displayed more technical competency and complexity than the previous one; the slim girl never missed a step, batted an eye, nor appeared to struggle in the slightest.
After the second variation, a recapitulation of the first followed. Lee modified the dance steps to accentuate her ability to balance, displaying various rotational movements over the familiar melody of the tune. As the music transitioned to it's final movement, Lee demonstrated several acrobatic maneuvers, which quite frankly put the cheer squad to shame. She lept through the air, spinning elegantly while performing long leaps; at some points, it appeared the girl was being carried by an invisible set of strings.
As the music reached it's climax, Lee showed off some more of her amazing pirouette skills. She spun around the stage like a top traveling in a circular arc, eventually reaching the middle. She began to slow to a stop as she reached her final position: her legs crossed with her feet angled in the opposite direction (fifth position), as she leaned her body slightly forward,and held her arms out to the side.
Lee held her final position, with her head held high while smiling toward the audience for all but five seconds; however, it seemed like an eternity to the red-headed ballerina. While Lee had projected more confidence in the last ten minutes than she ever had in her life, on the inside she was quite nervous. Lee had done exceptionally well for her first performance in front of a crowd, but due to being a relatively unknown student, a so-called "nerd" at that, and the fact that she had chosen a "classical art" rather than a modern performance piece, she had doubts that her act would appeal to the audience. Lindsay's performance, due to the popularity of the cheer squad, happened to receive the most significant applause out of all of the acts thus far; this fact, combined with Lee's low self-esteem led her to believe that she had absolutely no chance to receive cheers, let alone win.
However, within seconds of Lee striking her final pose, the still silence of the auditorium was replaced with thunderous applause and cheers, much to her complete surprise. Although the glare of the spotlights obscured her view of most of the auditorium, she could make out many of the individuals rising out of their seats, clapping their hands heavily as they cheered exuberantly, with some individuals adding whistles into the mix.
Out in the audience, Ed and May, who had taken their place in the side aisle (acting as "standing room only" for late arrivals) clapped obnoxiously as they both smiled from ear-to-ear. The two quirkily teenagers turned toward each other, embraced tightly, and jumped up and down as they giggled, happy for Lee's success.
At the piano, Marie had rose to her feet to applaud her sister, as did Double Dee. In the midst of the thunderous applause, Double Dee turned towards his girlfriend, slightly teary eyed due to being moved by the performance, and smiled. Marie wasted no time, leaning in to kiss Double Dee on the lips for a few seconds, after which the two turned their attention back to the stage to continue their support for Lee.
Near the front of the auditorium, an extremely proud Tabby had also risen to her feet, clapping in support of her daughter. The black eyeliner that Tabby had applied prior to leaving the house for the talent show was no longer contained to the outline of her eyes, but appeared to have ran down her face; during Lee's performance of the Dance of the Sugar Plum fairy, Tabby could not contain her emotions, and had began crying. The tears were not tears of sadness but tears of joy, joy in seeing her daughter not only performing once of her favorite ballet pieces flawlessly, but also joy in seeing her daughter beaming with positivity. While the remnants of Tabby's emotional release remained in the black smears, she was not longer emitting tears. Rather, she was clapping as loud as she could, all the while borderline strangling Rod as she began to yell.
"Brava Annalee!," yelled Tabby as loud as she could, her voice attempting to overcome the deafening sound of the other cheers. She turned around, yelling towards the rest of the audience, "That's my baby girl up there!"
Rod, while quite uncomfortable with Tabby's squeezes, shared her happiness in seeing his daughter receiving so much praise. He simply smiled, clapping his hands excitedly.
Further back, Kevin had closed the viewfinder of his digital camcorder and placed it on the auditorium floor. The cynical athlete, while having a history of conflict with Lee, delivered applause in support of his friends girlfriend. The performance has surprised Kevin tremendously, especially Eddy's confidence and ability to effortlessly carry Lee across the stage. The Van Bartonschmeers and Jonny shared their support as well, although Jonny and Nazz shared concerns regarding the integrity of the apparent romantic bond displayed on stage.
While the majority of the audience reacted with excitement and support, a few individuals were less than thrilled with the response. The cheer squad in particular remained silent, mostly out of fear for upsetting their captain Lindsay. Lindsay herself did not applaud; however, the resting scowl that typically adorned her face was replaced with a discreet smile.
A few seats down from Tabby, Ms. Statorowski remained seated, as if she were a statue. She appeared extremely agitated at the situation, grinding her teeth as her eyes adopted an expression of sever anger. A few seconds passed, after which the petite slender woman rose from her seat, and stormed down the auditorium aisle towards the exit door.
Back on stage, Lee remained frozen in her final position, overwhelmed by the audiences response. Heavy praise for positive activity was alien to Lee; while she excelled at many things, both academically and extra curricular, Lee had never quite reaped the benefits of her positive attributes. This was due to the fact that, for years, she neglected to properly apply herself, and developed an antisocial attitude due to all of the negative and traumatic experiences she was forced to endure throughout childhood. While she was quite taken aback by the praise she was receiving, she was also experiencing a powerful feeling of happiness.
With that in mind, Lee released from her final position and took a few light steps towards the audience. With a brilliant smile, she assumed "fourth position" (her feet crossed in front of her, with her right harm held above her head, and left arm held across her abdomen. In one slow, fluid motion, she proceeded to execute a révérence (bow), by kneeling down her left knee while simultaneously bending her abdomen towards the stage and brining her upper arm down across her chest.
Lee rose back to her feet, at which point she turned her attention toward stage left. Eddy, still quite taken aback from Lee's outstanding performance, continued to stare dreamily in Lee's direction. His trance was interrupted, as his eyes caught sight of Lee waving her right hand, signaling Eddy to join her on stage. Eddy, still slightly dazed, pointed to himself, absent-mindedly mouthing "Who me?" to Lee.
Lee giggled to herself, at which point she widened her eyes, and began shaking her head up and down and waving both of her hands. Eddy took a deep breath, and reluctantly began making his way out onto the stage. At the moment Eddy first appeared from behind the curtain, the applause ramped by up to amplitudes comparable to those just after Lee completed her solo dance.
Kevin, who had found a new appreciation for Eddy's dance routine, led the rest of the football seated behind him in giving Eddy a special ovation. As Eddy made his way towards Lee, smiling nervously, Kevin and the entire team began chanting Eddy's name loudly, drowning out the remainder of the applause. Eddy stood shocked at the unexpected praise he was receiving, staring out into the audience with confusion.
A few moments passed, after which he felt Lee's hand grab his. He turned to his left and glanced up, eventually locking eyes with the smiling face of his red headed sweetheart.
"See, I told ya!" said Lee, "You danced wonderfully, and with such confidence and poise! They ate it up."
Eddy smiled dreamily as he gazed into Lee's sparkling blue eyes, eventually deciding to provide a response.
"Yeah, it wasn't too bad," said Eddy, " But you stole the show Lee. You were so beautiful out there, and you danced like a professional!"
"Thanks Eddy," said Lee, "You don't know how much that means to me."
The two teenagers remained locked in their gaze as the audience continued to applaud. After a brief pause, Lee decided it was time to formally conclude their performance.
"Alright, enough of the mushy stuff," said Lee playfully, "It's time for our final bow!"
Eddy smiled as he turned towards the audience. Eddy, holding Lee's hand, performed a bow in ballet poise, as Lee performed a curtesy, both teenagers beaming with happiness as they enjoyed their moment in the spotlight.
