"Miss Lanchester?" one of my dance teachers asked that evening from the classroom door, and I looked that way with my arm raised above my head, my leg up in the air, and my foot pointed toward the ground. She smiled and dipped her head in greeting when she saw that I was looking at her. "Can you come here for a second, please?"
I hesitated before I did what I was told and started to walk over to her. "Yes, Ma'am," I said, ignoring the questioning look of my peers while I bit the inside of my lip, becoming very nervous and concerned because I hated being called on when I didn't do anything wrong.
The main dance teacher, Mrs. Freeman, smiled and nodded in greeting when I made my way to her, and she gestured for me to follow her before she turned around and started to walk somewhere, and I couldn't help but follow her.
She cleared her throat and gestured for me to move closer to her, and I did what I was told to do and moved over to her side. "Now, how are you, Dear?" she asked and raised an eyebrow in question while she looked at me from the corner of her eye.
"I am doing good," I said while I shrugged and grimaced before I cleared my throat and rubbed my hands together. "What were you wanting from me, Mrs. Freeman?" I asked, hoping that she would answer me now that we were out of the room, even though I had a feeling we were going to her office. "Am I in trouble?"
My dance teacher chuckled and shook her head, no. "No, Sweetheart," she said before she cleared her throat and grew serious. "We will talk about this when we get to my office. Ok?"
I pressed my lips into a thin line before I slowly nodded, not liking that she wasn't going to tell me while we were on our way there.
Mrs. Freeman cleared her throat again and licked her lips. She placed her hands behind her back and stood taller while she glanced at me from the corner of her eye before she looked forward. "It would make some of our... students upset if we talked about this out here," she said softly.
I held back an eye roll and pressed my lips into a thinner line while I placed my hands behind my back. I didn't say another word while I continued to follow her to the office, becoming more annoyed and anxious.
Mrs. Freeman stopped in front of the door and gestured for me to walk in before her, and I did what I was told to do and walked into the office and then she entered after me. "Go ahead and sit down in that chair, Dear," she said and gestured to the chair in front of her desk before she made her way to her side of the desk.
I hesitated before I slowly nodded and walked over to the desk and chair before I sat down with a small sigh, and Mrs. Freeman sat down in the chair on the opposite side of the desk.
"So," she began before she cleared her throat and shifted in her seat. "I believe that you are wanting to know why I had called you here and taken you away from your class. Correct?" she asked and raised an eyebrow in question.
I nodded in confirmation. "Yes, Ma'am," I said and cocked my head while I furrowed my brows. "Why am I here? What can I do for you?"
She didn't say a word and looked at some papers on her desk before she looked at me again, pushing a piece of paper toward me.
I hesitated before I looked at the paper and saw that it was something that required my parents signature about a competition that was happening in a couple of months, and I had a feeling that she wanted me to compete with their competition team.
"I would like it if you did a solo with our competition team," she said, confirming my suspicions. She cleared her throat and leaned forward, placing her hands on my desk. "I have heard through the grapevine that you used to compete with your old studio."
I pressed my lips into a thin line before I cleared my throat and shifted in my seat. "I have competed with them a few times during my stint there," I said, clearing my throat again. "However, I was not able to join the competition team with that studio."
"And why not?" she asked and raised an eyebrow in question. "Why have you not joined the competition team? You are a strong dancer, and even I can see that."
I bit the inside of my lip, and my cheeks turned a little red while I looked at my hands. I didn't say a word while I looked down and shrugged before I cleared my throat and shifted in my seat, feeling bashful that she saw I was a strong dancer.
"Well?" she asked and raised an eyebrow in question. "Why haven't you?"
"Well, it is because I had a lot of stuff to do before and after school," I admitted while I shrugged and grimaced. "I liked being able to be in musicals with my school and everything else that I had been able to do because I didn't spend every day at dance."
Mrs. Freeman slowly nodded before she cleared her throat and shifted in her seat. "But you have competed with them before, correct?" she asked and raised an eyebrow in question, and I nodded in confirmation. "I believe I have seen you at a few competitions."
I bit back a small laugh before I slowly nodded. "Yes, Ma'am," I said, clearing my throat. "I have done a few group dances, duets, a trio, then a few solos with that competition team." I shrugged and grimaced. "I mean, I have been at that studio since I was about three-years-old. I have also competed with my gymnastics team, but I haven't done that many competitions with them either."
Mrs. Freeman slowly nodded and pressed her lips into a thin line. "What do you do on a normal day?" she asked while she cocked her head and studied me with a raised eyebrow. "If you don't mind me asking, of course."
I shook my head because I didn't mind at all. "So, I run in the morning by myself before I do cross country with my school before school starts for the day. After school, I will either run by myself again or will be rehearsing for the musical that I am currently in. The-"
"You are in a musical?" Mrs. Freeman asked while she cocked her head and studied me, interrupting what I was going to be doing for the day, which I didn't mind. She raised an eyebrow in question and looked impressed. "What musical are you all doing?"
"Well, we are doing Waitress," I said and shrugged, leaning back in my seat. "I have the lead female role so that is going to be fun," I added.
Mrs. Freeman nodded and pressed her lips into a thin line. She did not say a word while she looked at me before she cleared her throat and shifted in her seat, and I could tell that she was wanting me to continue as to what I was doing.
I hesitated before I cleared my throat and shifted in my seat. "After I run every afternoon, I either go to dance or gymnastics class and then after that, I fight every evening before I go to bed." I shrugged and grimaced. "I do school work in between each thing and eat as well."
"Fight?" Mrs. Freeman asked and raised an eyebrow in question, and I nodded in confirmation. "Like..?"
"Karate, jiu jitsu, kung fu, and stuff like that," I replied with another shrug. I furrowed my brows and slowly nodded. "I am fairly decent in that, and I like doing that the most."
She slowly nodded and pressed her lips into a thin line. She didn't say a word while she studied me, and I made sure to keep my face blank while I waited for her to say something about the letter and what she wanted me to do.
Did I want to do a solo with them..?
Well, a part of me did. However, that didn't mean I wanted to take an opportunity away from someone else, especially someone who was on the team.
She cleared her throat and shifted in her seat. "So, would you like to do a solo for this dance company?" she asked and raised an eyebrow in question. "You won't be taking it away from others," she said and shook her head as if she knew that was what I was thinking. "I do have a few solos going to compete, as well."
(04/08/2024)
I pressed my lips into a thin line before I slowly nodded, agreeing that I would take the solo.
I cleared my throat and shifted in my seat, clasping my hands together. "But why do you want me to do a solo?" I asked and raised an eyebrow in question. "I mean, it's not something that should be given to someone like me."
"And what do you mean by that?" she asked and raised an eyebrow in question. "Why does this not have to be given to someone like you? You are a very strong dancer, Miss Lanchester, and I do think that you shouldn't be too hard on yourself."
I pressed my lips into a thin line before I shrugged and grimaced. I didn't say a word about it while I cleared my throat again.
Finally, I sighed and shook my head, clearing my throat again. "If I do agree to do the solo, when will it be?" I asked, changing the subject. "I mean, I am busy, and I don't know how much time I will have to do this."
Mrs. Freeman chuckled and leaned back in her seat. "Well, you can take your time doing it because I want you to choreograph, choose the music and costume, and everything that comes with competing a solo," she said, and I raised an eyebrow in question, mildly impressed. "I want you to have as much control as you can have with this while staying within the guidelines of the competition. We will have a few months to prepare, and I do believe that you will be able to handle it."
"So," she cleared her throat and raised an eyebrow in question while she leaned forward in her seat and placed her arms on the table. "What do you have to say? Do you want to do it, or do you want to let this opportunity pass you by?"
I looked at the piece of paper and pressed my lips into a thin line while I debated with myself before I slowly nodded. "Let me talk to my mom," I said before I cleared my throat and shifted in my seat, looking at her, "and see what she has to say before I give you a definitive answer, but for right now, it will be a yes from me."