Virtuoso (editing)

Chapter 3

Oh, wow its been a month. I'm so sorry guys. But homework, ballet, and violin are dominating my life right now. This isn't exactly proofread, but you guys can probably tell what's going on, and you will leave me corrections in the comments RIGHT??

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As it turned out, Leigh met a boy.

He was one of the PAL (Police Academy League) kids that the dance school tried to encourage to take classes. They had an agreement with the Academy that they would come once a week for free. The girls snapped their gum, convinced that they were more buff than the ballet girls (which was true, but strong was another story). And most of the guys just craned their necks, to catch a glimpse of the teenage girls in skimpy leotards, disappointed when they could only find numerous flat chests and bodies with no more curves than theirs.

But for somehow, Leigh managed to find a decent boy there that “appreciated the arts” and had “such a cute personality” and the most “adorable eyelashes”--all descriptions supplied by the girl herself. His name was Keegan.

“Keegan? As in Allen?!” shrieked Victoire when Leigh told them.

“Who’s Keegan Allen?” Priya said, frowning?

“He plays Toby Cavanaugh on Pretty Little Liars. Don’t you guys have that in Kansas?” Victoire grinned slyly, poking fun at Priya’s home state, again.

“Oh, we’re more into Ian Harding there.” Priya ignored the jab, but a scowl darkened her face.

Leigh started to say something to direct the conversation back to herself, but Sutton was already there.

“But what about that guy who partnered you in class last Wednesday? Greg? You said he was cute.”

“You mean the one who groped her last Wednesday?” Victoire said.

Leigh’s first partnering class for the summer didn’t go too well, given a completely oblivious partner who somehow caught her in a fish dive by her crotch. After that experience Priya, Sutton, and Victoire heard nothing of Greg’s cuteness.

Leigh’s face turned red. “It was just an awkward landing from the fish dive!”

“If you mean socially awkward, then sure--”

“Oh, leave it alone, Vicky,” Sutton rolled her eyes.

“Well, I may as well do something while we’re waiting for Ellis.”

The girls were in the Academy’s theatre, waiting for the Artistic Director, Ellis Cohen, to speak to them about rehearsals for the performance at the end of the intensive.

“Then, let’s guess which parts people will get,” Sutton decided. “I’ll bet you two dollars someone in our level is going to be understudying a tree or something.”

“Let’s not bet this time. If we do, I’d have to make actual educated guesses and I can’t just base it off pure cynicism,” Victoire said thoughtfully.

Sutton laughed. “Fine.” She pointed across the theatre to Adrienne.

“Shrubbery.” Victoire’s answer came almost immediately.

“Isn’t that more a pre-ballet role?” asked Sutton. The Academy’s levels went from pre-ballet, then Level A through Level D.

“And?”

“You’re so mean to her--”

Sutton was cut off by a tap on the microphone. The theatre went silent as Ellis took the microphone.

“Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.” He received a mumbled response. Some of the older girls were gazing at Ellis with a slightly dopey look in their eyes.

Victoire didn’t blame them. Ellis had only retired from his company a few months ago. He was about 26 and still had the sculpted muscles of a male dancer. With jet black hair and navy blue eyes, Ellis Cohen was certainly a sight to behold, but Victoire thought the girls were making fools out of themselves.

She saw a girl a few rows from the stage with her mouth slightly open. What was it Victoire’s mom used to say about catching flies?

Ellis continued speaking. “You’ve finished your first week at the Academy of Dance’s five-week summer course. So far, you have only had ballet classes and one elective, but now, we will be adding rehearsals to your schedule. Your teachers have been observing you in class for the last week, and came together to decide which pieces we could rehearse you in. For the most part, levels will be working in the same rehearsal groups, but a few of you may have been moved with higher levels.”

He paused and his eyes travelled around the theatre. His eyes seems to scan their row for a second and Victoire’s breath caught. But then she told herself it was too good to be true.

“We have five wonderful choreographers, including myself. I will be choreographing for the group that is mostly Level D. Sarah Long will teach the youngest class. We also have Ava Peck from the Boston Ballet School, Igor Murphy from our student company, and Natalia Johnson from the American Ballet Theatre.

Your names are posted on a list outside under the name of your choreographer and your rehearsal part will be next to your name--solo, corp de ballet, pas de deux, etc. Rehearsals start tomorrow.”

Sutton pushed down on Victoire’s leg, which was jiggling up and down. She hadn’t even noticed.

“I’m really looking forward to this year, guys! We have a very talented group this year. I could go on, but I see many of you anxious to check the lists,” Ellis chuckled. “So get out of here!”

The students took his dismissal, all but running out of the theatre.

Victoire forgot to pester Leigh about Keegan. She forgot that you weren’t supposed to climb over people in the theatre, or push through the crowd. She forgot her dance bag by her seat.

All she could think about was the list and whether she had gotten a really good part or if she would be playing shrubbery alongside Adrienne Shapiro.

But all she could do was wait behind the crowd that had already formed around the piece of paper in the main hallway.