Elle's never been good at freestyle. She thinks too much about what she should do next to truly lose herself in it.
But she's going to try, because she wants this. She wants to be able to let go and just move.
Elle falls into a tombe pas de bourree, two pique turns then two pirouettes, holding fourth at the end. She shifts to fifth and starts a petit allegro. Glissade, pas de chat, glissade, jete, coupe step into jete, pas de chat, then repeats the sequence leading with her other foot.
She can feel her body making mistakes-- not quite holding position during her turns, ending in third instead of fifth on her first glissade, and landing too heavily on her jumps.
Her own mother is the one who signed her up for classes in the first place. The one who insisted she keep with them, only relenting when there were scheduling conflicts with Elle's debate club. She was in constant contact with her instructors to hear where Elle's weaknesses were, what she needed to do better. Her insistence that she practice the same sequences over and over. Elle always dreaded the end-of-season recitals for many reasons, and her mother's obsessive involvement was not the least of them.
Quitting had been an act of rebellion, if a small one, and she's stubbornly refused to touch it since.
But she hasn't seen her mother in over two years. Maybe it's time to allow herself to move past it. After all, despite everything, she did like dancing.
And it feels good. Elle doesn't know if it's from keeping active or being a cat, but she's maintained more of her strength and flexibility than expected. She can tell that, with practice, she could surpass her previous skill by far.
She smiles at Dan. "I'm pretty sure half of that was a combination I already knew. Improvisation isn't always my strong suit."
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But she's going to try, because she wants this. She wants to be able to let go and just move.
Elle falls into a tombe pas de bourree, two pique turns then two pirouettes, holding fourth at the end. She shifts to fifth and starts a petit allegro. Glissade, pas de chat, glissade, jete, coupe step into jete, pas de chat, then repeats the sequence leading with her other foot.
She can feel her body making mistakes-- not quite holding position during her turns, ending in third instead of fifth on her first glissade, and landing too heavily on her jumps.
Her own mother is the one who signed her up for classes in the first place. The one who insisted she keep with them, only relenting when there were scheduling conflicts with Elle's debate club. She was in constant contact with her instructors to hear where Elle's weaknesses were, what she needed to do better. Her insistence that she practice the same sequences over and over. Elle always dreaded the end-of-season recitals for many reasons, and her mother's obsessive involvement was not the least of them.
Quitting had been an act of rebellion, if a small one, and she's stubbornly refused to touch it since.
But she hasn't seen her mother in over two years. Maybe it's time to allow herself to move past it. After all, despite everything, she did like dancing.
And it feels good. Elle doesn't know if it's from keeping active or being a cat, but she's maintained more of her strength and flexibility than expected. She can tell that, with practice, she could surpass her previous skill by far.
She smiles at Dan. "I'm pretty sure half of that was a combination I already knew. Improvisation isn't always my strong suit."