Dance~Day 2~O

[Blank Spooks]

◆Type◆
Rapid Fire
◆Setting◆
The school board has demanded Ms. Rose give the new students
a chance to try out for the competitive Dance Team with their biggest competition right around the corner.
◆Location◆
Dance Studio.

 

[Blank Spooks]

╔══════════════════════════════════════════╗
Location
Dance Studio, Rengoku.
Thoughts
These kids better be worth my time
Wearing
•●•
Company
Alone.
╚══════════════════════════════════════════╝

Raelyn pulled her hair back, and leaned into the door to the dance studio a half-eaten poppy seed muffin hanging from her mouth. One shoe hanging off her heal the other needed lacing. A wreck as she rushed out of her busy day to the studio for these ridiculous try outs. She couldn’t believe they were forcing her to take on new students this late in the year. “These kids better be good,” she grumbled dropping her things on a bench beside a small row of lockers, and flopping herself down next to it, so she could fix her shoes. Nibbling still on her muffin Raelyn hopped up grabbed her things hung them in a locker and made her way down the hall and into the main room. There were a few different rooms partitioned off from each other, but for the day they would be meeting in a larger more open, industrial looking room. Raelyn swayed her hips with her feet as she made her way towards the large mirror lined wall, and leaned in fixing her hair and thumbing her lip to correct her lipstick and brush away a few seeds that remained from her snack. “Hmm~,” she said satisfied with her appearance once again. Raelyn still wasn’t happy to have to do this at all, but this class was the closest thing she had to an escape from her busy schedule.

 

[LucaRominov]

It was sad really, for something as beautiful and intricate as dance to be ruined by the figure that taught it to you. Well... perhaps 'ruined' was a strong word. Khalil's presence in his movements did indeed take a toll on the character of his dance, but Alluvion was determined to carry the burden of its origin in hopes that he would find some enjoyment in it. Still, his brother's face kept haunting him...the cold chill of steel carving a fine line that with sanguine ichor...Al shook his head, trying to collect himself. This was just a dance tryout...both a serving as a vehicle to fit into this school while he hunted for Khalil and as a small outlet.

After allowing Aella to fall in first, the young looking man adjusted his backpack up around his shoulders before he made his way to whom he believed to be the instructor of these auditions; It was likely it was here...at least. "Pardon me Ma'am," Alluvion's voice was always gentle, yet mechanical almost. It lacked any inflection that would donate to any feeling or condition that one could label him with. "Are you managing the audition...and if so, are we limited on what kind of dance we do?"

Alluvion was wearing a slick black button up, undone completely to reveal a more flexible black shirt underneath. He, predictably, wore flexible black pants that were more ballroom oriented. In his bag he had two pairs of shoes and some leggings...in case he had to attempt to dance something akin to Jazz or Contemporary...those weren't really his forte, but he would try at least.  

[Anika Nyame]

Focus Aella, this is important. After having her showcase at the spring festival canceled, she needed another chance to be seen. Anything she could get under her belt that would earn her attention from juilliard or one of the other performing arts schools was what she needed to focus on. With her grades, dance was the only thing that could dig her out of poverty and make a life with. She wasn’t smart, she wasn’t skilled at anything, and her advocate had made it abundantly clear that if she didn’t get her s**t together and pick a path, she wasn’t going to have much of a future. Aella keenly felt that pressure breathing down her neck and the situation with Cash wasn’t helping one bit. She needed to get out of that life and thus, she needed to get onto the competition team.

Though things in the hall with V had been awkward, once Aella passed through the doorway it was forgotten. She couldn’t afford to lose focus over some boy. Unlike V though, she wasn’t very good with authority figures so she didn’t approach the grumpy looking woman. Instead she found a spot along the mirror to put her bag down so she could warm up. After class she’d changed into some work out attire. She wondered if this school was strict with dress code after school got out, but then again dance usually didn’t care about that kind of thing so even if the school had weird after hours rules, this place probably wouldn’t care… right? She hoped not anyway. Aella could get pretty sweaty when she danced hard so it was better for her not to have too much material clinging to her body. Well, if no one said anything, she was gonna be there, warming up her muscles, stretching, and waiting for the audition to begin.

Wearing:

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[Blank Spooks]

╔══════════════════════════════════════════╗
Location
Dance Studio, Rengoku.
Thoughts
Want to play a game
Wearing
•●•
Company
a hand full of students, I don't know they all just blur together.
╚══════════════════════════════════════════╝

Raelyn sighed, and tightened her pony tail as the song ended, she hit stop on her phone. “Alright, let's go, no point in wasting any more time, we are going to play a game” she said as she skimmed her Jet eyes across the room. “I will call out a style and you dance it, if you can’t, if you mess up, if you generally suck, you’re gone. Whoever is left standing by the end of try-outs has made the team. if not please try again next year. “She trailed off the end of her sentence as if losing interest herself in the hollow sentiment. Raelyn turned back to the Speaker and selected a song before setting shuffle and turning back to them. “Well sounds like we are starting things off hyped, now show me how you swing.” she said leaning back a cocky smirk painted over her face like a flame that burned its way up her cheek. “Partner up, choose carefully. Your partner will have to remain the same, and if you fail a partner dance, I don’t care which it was that made the mistake you’re both gone” Raelyn was strategic in how she chose to test them, there wasn’t much she chose to do without reason. Every move she made was well thought out and considered for desired outcome. The kids she needed had to be able to improvise, thrive under pressure, confidently take initiative, and support each other in a competitive environment, even if they were competing against each other.

::: Playing :::
Puttin' On The
Ritz
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[LucaRominov]

Alluvion merely nodded respectfully and began to wander off...he did, however, make note of her struggle with the music. unfortunately the fate of the stereo system was beyond his aid-or so it would seem. Either cooperate, or be smashed by the instructor rage room style. Regardless, Al began to head to an unoccupied space to set his belongings. It was then that he changed his shoes to Jazz shoes. The elasticity and comfort of them allowed him to dance several different styles of dance-what he knew of them at least. That was the difficult part of the answer he received: that she was testing them on several different forms.

His brother was the most skillful person he knew, having dabbled in all sorts of skills; Dancing was no exception. That man could make the music move to him...or so it would seem. Alluvion often found it difficult to meet the expectation of the music, much less claim it and dominate it like his brother could. It was simply that certain movements were both unfamiliar and unnatural for him. Being tall and athletic, he was built for dances like standard ballroom or ones that required less body dexterity like Argentine Tango...But contemporary, jazz, hip hop, latin...a lot of those disciplines featured more dynamic movements that including the upper body.

Alluvion finished sliding his shoes on just as the choppy stereo system released a shrill shriek. Most people likely covered their ears...but V didn't. it took a lot more than that to chip away at his apathetic visage. Then, the warm music came on. Alluvion started with some leg swings, then knee rolls...then some upper body stretches once his legs and hips were all good to go.  

[Anika Nyame]

For the most part, Aella remained quiet and kept to her own little spot. She noted the conversation between V and the teacher as well as the shitty sound system. That was a bit of a bummer. The dorm stereo seemed to work better than the studio one, which was a bit odd in her opinion since the school seemed rather well off. It left a bit of a frown on her face but once it was working the displeasure quickly melted away. This song was unfamiliar to her, but it was good. The music wormed it's way into her body and she proceeded with her warm up, getting some slow isolations and quick steps mixed in with some mild stretches. After sitting in a chair most of the day, she wanted to take it slow and ease into it. Her muscles felt tired and tight from being inactive and the last thing she wanted to do was injure herself stupidly. The isolations helped each muscle wake up and the cardio warmed her body, allowing it to stretch out and move easier. Once the song was over, Aella was feeling nice and limber and ready to impress and she hoped she could best the other students in the room. Being new to the school, she had no idea what the level of talent was like and the number of people that had shown up was somewhat intimidating. She was confident though. Dance was literally the only thing she excelled at and as long as she focused on herself and just did her job, things would be fine. Everyone else was just noise.

Wearing:

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[Blank Spooks]

╔══════════════════════════════════════════╗
Location
Dance Studio, Rengoku.
Thoughts
Want to play a game
Wearing
•●•
Company
a hand full of students, I don't know they all just blur together.
╚══════════════════════════════════════════╝

Raelyn sighed, and tightened her pony tail as the song ended, she hit stop on her phone. “Alright, let's go, no point in wasting any more time, we are going to play a game” she said as she skimmed her Jet eyes across the room. “I will call out a style and you dance it, if you can’t, if you mess up, if you generally suck, you’re gone. Whoever is left standing by the end of try-outs has made the team. if not please try again next year. “She trailed off the end of her sentence as if losing interest herself in the hollow sentiment. Raelyn turned back to the Speaker and selected a song before setting shuffle and turning back to them. “Well sounds like we are starting things off hyped, now show me how you swing.” she said leaning back a cocky smirk painted over her face like a flame that burned its way up her cheek. “Partner up, choose carefully. Your partner will have to remain the same, and if you fail a partner dance, I don’t care which it was that made the mistake you’re both gone” Raelyn was strategic in how she chose to test them, there wasn’t much she chose to do without reason. Every move she made was well thought out and considered for desired outcome. The kids she needed had to be able to improvise, thrive under pressure, confidently take initiative, and support each other in a competitive environment, even if they were competing against each other.

::: Playing :::
Puttin' On The
Ritz
◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

 

[LucaRominov]

Swing…Alluvion features didn’t stir in the slightest, but he was still a bit worried. He had never invested a lot of time into those kinds of dances like his brother had…and all he could think of were the memories of him sitting outside a party while his brother smooshed the audience and women to blend into a group. The thought bothered Alluvion…as every memory does that included his brother…but he had to wonder if the man actually liked dancing…or if he was acting really well in order to get close to his targets.

Alluvion began looking around for a potential partner as he began to stretch his upper body…and eventually his eyes settled on Aella. She had followed him really well before, so she was likely the best candidate…at the same time though he didn’t want to ruin her odds if he wasn’t good enough. As much as he hated it…he would need to try and visualize Khalil dancing.

Calmly, he began his freckles over to Aella. And when he got closer to her he simply asked, “would you like to be my partner?” There was no hesitation…no rehearsing his lines before he approached the stunning girl-perhaps it was because the fact that she was superficially beautiful didn’t have the same weight in his mind as it would others. Alluvion knew very little of Aella…and she new even less about him. Not only that, but getting involved with anyone was a mistake with his priorities being what they were. Best to just keep it as a momentary dance partnership so that they, ideally, could both join the club.  

[Anika Nyame]

Wow, way to make a test sound terrifying. One could be versatile in like 40 different styles but if the first style that got picked was unfamiliar they were gone. Talk about pressure. Aella nodded, steeling herself for the possible outcomes. She considered herself pretty versatile and the pressure from performing never got under her skin deep enough to mess her up. She was lucky that way, performance anxiety was never a thing so at least she wouldn't be getting in her own way. Still, there was plenty she didn't know and while Aella really wanted to make it onto the competition team, she didn't want to be just any team member. She wanted a highlight- something that would make her stand out and not get written off as dance corp.

Swing?! ********! This was not something she was familiar with. Well, they did like a week of it a couple months ago at Sakura so she at least knew the basic, sort of? Remember Aella, think. The music helped. It had that rocky kind of feeling which helped her body remember what following the rhythm felt like. Okay, maybe it wouldn't be so bad? Just as she was thinking about how to pick a partner, one found her. One corner of her plush lips pulled upward into a wry smile. This seemed serendipitous. Just last night she'd danced with him in the dorm. His lead was nice, clean, firm but not overbearing. Aella found it easy to follow direction when she danced with him, if he knew this dance, she probably wouldn't find someone whose style meshed well with her natural follow. She shrugged a little. "If you'll have me." Aella put her hands out, ideally so he could take them.

Wearing:

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[Blank Spooks]

╔══════════════════════════════════════════╗
Location
Dance Studio, Rengoku.
Thoughts
Want to play a game
Wearing
•●•
Company
a hand full of students, I don't know they all just blur together.
╚══════════════════════════════════════════╝

Watching the kids partner up she rested back with her arms crossed many of them intrigued her. some had potential and some she questioned why they were even then. A girl with long black hair caught her attention again she seemed to have chosen a partner in the boy who had asked Raelyn a question earlier. How quaint this Raven hair girl with eyes as sharp as knifes a clear confidence in her posture. Was choosing to dance with this boy who seemed to have his head elsewhere. his face blank and stare glassy, quite the opposite of Aella, Alluvion looked a little unsure. She wondered what it was that brought him here if not to dance seeing as how he was distracted dance couldn’t be his only motive. Rae sighed, got up and swayed her dainty frame over to the couple as if ready to address them, and to be quite honest she was, when a straggler pulled her attention. Raelyn smirked at Aella and Alluvion before turning to the odd kid out and with a hand over her waist gestured with a wave of the other hand towards the door. “Sorry kid, you’re done. Better luck next year.“ Frankly her voice carried an unfortunate seriousness in her tone. Turning away gracefully she turned back to Alluvion and Aella. Honestly, she wanted these kids under pressure, if a kid couldn’t find a partner on their own then they wouldn’t succeed in her class, and as shocking as it was Raelyn really just wanted to see them succeed even if she had to be a little mean. they only got one shot in front of judges and Raelyn didn’t like to lose even if only by association. “you two, what are your names?” she gestured as she seemed to float across the floor towards the sound system.



::: Playing :::
Puttin' On The
Ritz
◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

 

[LucaRominov]

Lithe delicate hands raised to receive Alluvion's invitation. The man's calm features didn't change, but he did offer her a slight bow of gratitude. This was likely his best chance to meet the expectations of this instructor. Leading and following didn't always come natural unless both participants were already intimately familiar with the dance-which Alluvion surely wasn't. That being said, having already felt Aella's follow and her already feeling the range of severity in his lead was his best bet; It was a risky gambit he was willing to take.

There were couples already pairing up by then, some even relocating towards the center of the room. That was likely a maneuver to gain the attention of the teacher...which was understandable, but they had done it the wrong way.

What would Khalil do?

Alluvion hated asking himself that, but his older brother had more mastery, more experience, and more stage charisma than he ever had. Aella might notice a flinch in the man's features for the briefest moment, followed by a flicker of tension in his hands...and then it was gone. There was no time to dwell right now. Suddenly their connection changed; It became confident...and even cocky. Alluvion sighed and began guiding her after releasing one hand. he walked to a slightly unoccupied area, his back straight...his steps in time with the music...but he wasn't the focus, Aella was. Initially, he just walked with her, looking over at her to shoot her a confident grin. That was...unlike him, but this was an act..and he had to sell the feeling. his free hand made a shaking movement, as if he had touched something hot as he steadily began to look away. That was when the connection blossomed into something else: Slight pulls and pushes that were short in length, but strong.

Catching the pulling actions on Aella's right foot would ideally bring forth the left foot in a short and sharp swiveling action...and then he would predictably push to give Aella the energy to perform the same feat on the other foot. Alluvion stopped, and began walking Aella around him...eventually pulling her back to him where he would ask for her second hand once more. "Let's do this," he whispered to her, still maintaining his more confident features. It was convincing, but it was also strange if you had ever had a conversation with the man.

Basics...rock step, triple step, triple step. Alluvion planned to get Aella used to the basic mechanics before he tried anything else. He made this basic action more creative by rotating it slightly. This, however, was just the beginning. What Alluvion didn't anticipate was the instructor approaching the both of them. That had not gone unnoticed, and Aella might notice a bit of doubt bleed into his connection. Luckily they were doing basics, and hopefully she had picked up on the concept enough to fill in for his minor faltering.

Don't get distracted...Alluvion tried to reassure himself as he tapped into old...bitter memories of his brother dancing with beautiful women. He remembered his swing...his jive...he just needed to manifest it. "you two, what are your names?" Now, this was the time to pop off. Alluvion didn't know why the woman had taken such an interest in the two of them, but he had to take this chance. "I'm Alluvion Levine, and this is..." he gave time for Aella to answer...but also introduced her to some small reverse swivel actions while they were momentarily inplace, where she would swivel her legs out instead of in. He didn't even look at Raelyn...and then...bang.

Alluvion pushed Aella back into a rock step before pulling her towards him. One hand released her own to seize her back and provide her with enough support to secure her in a waist to waist connection...so that they could perform several rotating telemarks around Raeyln. and once they had made it where the path to the center of the room was unobstructed, Alluvvion returned to several triple steps to stage the perfect energy needed to send Aella right to the 'X'. On a rock step, Alluvion switched his left hand with his right, creating a momentary hand shake connection...but while she did that, Alluvion went into a forward lean in the opposite direction, towards the center. The highlight had just begun.

With this energy he sent her out on her triple step, but caught her second in a resisted rotation that would encourage her to perform several spins toward the middle of the floor. In the moment of no connection, he would challenge his feet to reach flashy speeds, but he couldn't help but catch his heel on one of the flashy fast foot movements. but he managed to catch himself on the next step. Even then, he didn't let his confidence waver...and during a moment for them to have a solo moment...which Alluvion used to do a body role before he asked for Aella's hand once more. This is where those reverse swivels would become relevant because the chicken walks in a sugar push required that exact same sensation. The goal was to perform a sugar push, followed by a jive whip. If that worked, he would catch her hand in a counter movement and spin her once more for another separate moment of pause or highlight. Alluvion chose to pause in a releve pose...leaving time for Aella to pop off herself...hopefully.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CaSyhEDF07f/?utm_medium=copy_link  

[Anika Nyame]

Okay, so they were doing this. Aella let him lead her away from her spot of the floor, even though she would have preferred to stay put- that's what a good follower did so. She just let him take her wherever. At first she felt a bit nervous, since she could feel there was some lack of direction in his lead, but after a moment that apprehension melted away and their connection became solid. His confidence leaked into his posture and made Aella feel comfortable with him being in charge. Yes, this was the connection she had expected when he asked her to dance.

A small curl tugged at the corners of her plush lips when she looked to him, allowing the thrill of the competition to take root in her chest and get her adrenaline pumping. Everything around her focused just a tiny bit and her senses were heightened. The touch of his palm against her fingertips was that much more vivid and telling that it had been moments ago. Aella was ******** thriving on this s**t. The light tension running between their arms was like a rubber band and a spring all at the same time. There was a small amount of give going in both directions but there was enough resistance to do things like push off and pull inward without feeling like she had whiplash from the constant changing of direction.

Unlike V, Aella did not have the same level of style and flare. She managed to follow the directions he was leading in, but the fancy arm strikes and other things a high level swing dancer would pull out were missing. Still, her movements were clean and effortless and she had a natural hip movement that made even the basic look weightless and easy. When the teacher came over, Aella wasn't thrown off her game. Really V was doing all the work anyway, she didn't need to be paying attention to him so looking at the teacher instead of her partner didn't change the way her body responded to his. "Aella DeCalder." She finished for him.

What Aella probably looks like

Wearing:

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