A/N: This is the last drabble I'm allowed to upload today.
This was inspired by some dance performances online that I was watching - specifically, Chinese Dai Peacock dance. There was one in particular that was very dramatic and had mixes of slow and fast parts, with fairly modern sounding music that didn't sound very stereotypically Chinese - if only I could find it again (gah!) It was a student performance in any case. Oh, and I've always considered Kari a dancer. Takari hints.
Background: Kari dances.
She was beautiful when she danced.
He could see her passion and love for movement, as limbs moved gracefully and her body spun with poise, arcing backwards as she posed. Her hands gestured as though mimicking the movements of water, flowing with ease from her shoulders to her fingers; again she spun, her head tilted, her smile illuminating her face with joy and light.
The music sped up, and she twirled, one leg bending upwards but her balance never wavering. With a few leaps, she was suddenly bent low on the ground, stretching her body forward and up towards the sky, extending until she was one curve that reached from her feet; with another hop, her arms gracefully raised as she turned and moved sinuously, in time with the music but somehow with a slight freedom that exposed her emotions in the dance.
Then her arms were flying, lithe but with control as she leaped and kicked, more intensity evident in both her movements and in the more rhythmic, but dramatic change in the music. Her hands made more gestures, but imitating birds this time, both graceful yet more frantic; her untied hair framed her face, whipping back and forth as it followed every jump and bend.
It came to an end slowly, the music losing its rhythmic touch and instead becoming awash with one last sound that echoed as she twirled and posed, one arm raised as she knelt to the side, gazing up towards the sky.
There was a quiet pause.
"Kari, that was amazing," TK breathed, awestruck by the performance.
Kari smiled, wiping her brow and panting a little from the exertion of her dance. "Thank you," she answered, coming to rest against the wall next to TK. "So do you think it's ready?"
"Yes, it's ready! I'm still in awe by the fact that you choreographed that yourself, and then your dancing itself – wow, I can't say much more than that. I can't wait to see it onstage with all the lighting and costuming done, it's going to look so cool!"
Kari laughed, looking down at her current clothing (a tanktop and sweatpants). "Yeah, imagine if I decided to perform wearing this."
"I still think it'd be fine if you did. Wow, I'm still... wow. Just wow."
As Kari excused herself to grab some water, TK inwardly played over the dance again in his head, wondering what it would be like when she actually performed it. Everything she had done was beautiful, the movements, the jumps, the grace and poise with which she did it, and the smile on her face that showed just how much she enjoyed it...
Seeing her with such elated joy and passion as she danced was what he loved most.