Topic: Pink and Purple

Kruger

Date: 2016-03-08 18:25 EST
Don't only practice your art, but force your way into its secrets; art deserves that, for it and knowledge can raise man to the Divine. ~ Ludwig van Beethoven

************************ The Road to Divinity

Time, Sylvie was never more conscious of it than when she was alone. That sense was increased when she had something on her mind. She looked to the video cassette she held in her hand and reflected on the conversation that had passed between herself and Anthony. He was right when telling her that the timing was horrible to try and do a second production. It was understandable in her opinion why that was so. The Ballet corp was well into rehearsals for La Bayadere, still he'd heard the proposal and believed that it still needed to be done.

For Sylvie that meant a smaller amount of participation in the theater's production. She didn't mind. When Anthony had come to her about the project, she'd resisted at first. It was a big job, and one that would receive limited acclaim. The venue was what had changed her mind. This production would take place in the children's ward of Riverview clinic. There was a time for seeking recognition amongst her peers and the delight to the lovers of dance. There was also in her a moral code that said sometimes you did things because they were the right thing to do. Sylvie knew this was one of those times.

The idea had come from a place she'd never have expected. It was likely that if Kruger hadn't had ties to the theater it never would have been taken seriously. No, likely wasn't nearly strong enough a word for it. She was certain it was fact, and maybe she admired whatever he'd been able to say to make it happen. There was a part of her that wondered if he wasn't just trying to advance some private need to be in the spotlight again. She'd seen some of his performances, and he was decent in his roles, funny sometimes when the role really required something else. If Ludo didn't mind who was she to question the interpretation. In the back of her mind though she had a few memories of the man in question. Times when there was no one looking and he wasn't constantly performing for the people around him.

It was those times she began to study clinically. If she knew one thing from her observances of Kruger at these times, it was that he did have a great love for children. While many of his antics when amongst them were wild beyond compare. It was one of those times when he didn't care about the perceptions of others. This had helped her to understand where the idea came from, though perhaps it was a shock to discover that he spent time at the ward among the children. There might have been people more suited to that particular role, but if she were to continue being honest with herself, that number wasn't high.

The source material made sense considering who was offering it. Sylvie had watched the tape already and it did have the potential to make for a poignant mini ballet. She wouldn't have picked a duel as the basis for it, or thought that appropriate for kids. This was Rhy?Din though and there was a growing respect for the sporting community. She'd watched, and watched again, taking note that there was indeed a story to be told. It would be far less violent than the real thing, but that was of course what choreographic interpretation was for wasn't it' There was in this particular fight, plenty of emotion present. It had a lot of suspense, and the intricacies of the moves could be reflected so well with dance.

The more she stopped thinking of reasons not to do it, replacing them with how it could work, the more she was fully on board. The corner of her lip rose in a microsmile coupled with a nod. Her doubts were systematically replaced with the potential for making the project a monumental success. There was of course one nagging thing that stayed with her, and that was the requirement of the male principal. This was her most nagging doubt, and one that she'd take steps to account for even if it meant convincing him that it was best for the production if he stepped aside.

Time, yes it kept ticking, even in this room by herself. There always seemed to be some way to hear it sliding by in the tick of a second hand, or like now the hum of an electric clock. It wasn't much of a sound, if there were anything going on in the room it would easily have drowned out the sound. Thoughts are silent, especially when the thinker of them has tuned out everything but those thoughts. Sylvie slid the cane from her lap, it's rubberized tip thudding against the floor a moment before she used it to push herself to a standing position. The decision was made. She'd take on the project, run the rehearsals out of the Black Cat studio. The only thing left to do was to assemble a team. One that could create something from nothing and do it in a time frame that was probably too short.

If this were a production for the general public, it was likely it would get a full year of preparatory work. This was going to be far more aggressive though. Months to create the dance, score it teach it to the dancers and arrange the venue. It wasn't impossible, if she could pull from the theater's labor resources it wouldn't even look daunting. That wouldn't be the case, the depth of those resources would be limited to her. She'd need to look to her producers to arrange for competent labor. Still, she was far more confident coming out of the empty practice room than she had been going in. There were a lot of folks in the city who had the skill necessary to make this a success. Anthony had promised that Sylvie could approach whichever dancers she wanted for it too. She already had one choice in mind, and while her presence in La Bayadere would be missed, this would be a great opportunity for the girl.

Kruger

Date: 2016-03-10 21:36 EST
Janine Peters was well familiar with the Black Cat studios. She'd been here often enough to feel comfortable pulling her Volvo into the reserved parking slot. It was official this time of course. Sylvie had called and asked her to stop by after rehearsal for La Bayadere. She recognized Sylvie's silver La Sabre, a late model car that was in excellent condition. In a way it reminded her of Sylvie herself. The other car was a mystery, the bright yellow Neon looked more sporty than it really was. Especially with the rear spoiler that rose up out of the trunk. She'd heard it explained once while sitting at Kost Tires waiting for them to finish putting her new ones on. The function of that device was really so that the driver could see the back end of his car. The trunk area was all but impossible to see out of the rear view mirror. There had been a lot of instances of Neon owners backing into things because they'd misjudged the distances. Whoever it was, she'd find out soon enough she supposed.

Sylvie Moreau waved to her as she pulled the door open and stepped into the practice hall. Next to her was a gentleman in his mid to late forties. He was tall, and his dark hair had only begun to go silver in places. Janine took off her coat and hung it on the rack near the door before crossing the floor to where Sylvie and the stranger were standing.

"Lawrence Webber, this is Janine Peters, the woman I told you about. Lawrence is a composer that will be helping me with the project I called you about." Sylvie's voice filled the room, with the same intensity that she gave when overseeing practices. Lawrence's smile gave away some degree of interest.

Janine while flattered, wasn't looking for anyone right now. She took his hand in hers and shook it. "A pleasure to meet you Lawrence." It was the project that had her here today, initially she thought she'd be too busy. She'd wanted to do it, and after talking with Anthony about it some more Janine decided that it was worth looking over at least.

Lawrence's nose wrinkled at her use of his name. "Larry please" only Sylvie and my mother call me Lawrence. When I hear it I feel like I need to start coming up with lies about what I'm doing." He smiled again, chuckling a little as he did.

"Larry then. Any relation to Andrew Lloyd?" Janine thought the joke clever, but clearly it was one that Larry had heard before. That practiced wink of his said that he'd heard it often.

"No, at least not in any way I am aware of. Just a coincidence that we are in the same line of work." He had a good sense of humor at least.

Janine turned her attention to the video that was already playing. "This what we're looking to emulate?" She slipped around to the opposite side of Sylvie to get a better view of the screen. Sylvie's nod was confirmation enough.

"The time frame we're looking at is going to demand that I use pre-existing works. About an hour you say?" Larry, obviously had more information than Janine already. He checked his watch, then patted the pocket of his long trench coat. "I've got that copy of the video, I'll put a few things together that hopefully will fit. I do have to run though. I've got a cello line waiting to practice. Once again it was a pleasure Janine." He leaned over and hugged Sylvie before hurrying to the door.

Janine nodded at Larry, but her attention was focused on the screen and the performance of the two fighters. "There is something here that could translate well into dance. The early lead by Jewell, and the way Claire just seems to overcome that and charge right back for the win. We could even include some of the younger dancers to act as fans. They would react to the fight and allow the audience to know by their dance who had come through the round as the victor."

There was a note of surprise on Sylvie's face. It appeared when she'd mentioned the fighters by name. Janine wasn't a huge fan but she was familiar enough with it to know the players. That wouldn't even have been necessary in this case. Jewell and Claire were easily recognizable figures in Rhy"Din.

"Does that mean you've decided to join us?" Sylvie looked at Janine shrewdly, maybe she'd known that the idea of a completely original ballet, created from just an idea would appeal to her more than Janine had realized it herself. That knowing look said as much, for a moment Janine wanted to refuse just to see if the look would disappear.

"I'm interested, we have full license on this" There won't be any complaints over copyright infringements?" Janine kept her gaze on the screen, not wanting to give too much away to Sylvie of her concerns.

"All of that is in order. No, I foresee other problems." That was enough to get Janine to look at Sylvie. She pushed herself up from her seat with her cane, held up her finger to Janine and proceeded across to the changing rooms. "We're ready for you."

Janine's eyes narrowed as though she was trying to see through the wall into the locker room. Sylvie had already turned her back on the door, she headed across to where Janine was waiting.

Surprise sprang across Janine's face as the figure stepped from the back. There was a nod from Sylvie at the expression. "What is that?" Janine asked Sylvie as covertly as the acoustics of the room would let her.

"That is the candidate for principal male in this production." Janine's head turned so quickly she was surprised she didn't hear the twang of tendons.

"No, that's a side of beef stuffed into a leotard." Janine struggled to keep her voice low despite the shock of what Sylvie was telling her.

Sylvie just sighed. "It won't hurt to let him try out. We can crush his dream when he's done. Just put him through some moves and let him fail."

Janine acquiesced, if under protest. She certainly didn't want to be a part of something that would turn into one big joke. "Okay Mr. Allen, let's see what you've got."

The next thirty minutes had her calling out moves and watching him perform them. That he had any knowledge of them had been a surprise, not on the level of seeing the man step onto the floor of course. Eventually Sylvie dismissed him and turned to get Janine's thoughts.

"He's sloppy at best, stiff when he should be supple. Where did he learn any of these things?" Janine kept her eyes on Sylvie, she could tell that the older woman's opinion was a mirror to her own. If anything Sylvie's assessment would be far more harsh, yet she kept it to herself.

"Can he do it' Can it be taught to him?" The words made Janine's mouth open for a second time in surprise.

"You're seriously considering this" He's not without talent, but it's buried deep. It'll take a front loader to dig it out of him. Why are we looking at doing this?" She hadn't expected Sylvie to come anywhere near agreeing to it. That she was could only mean there was more to the story. Janine would get to the bottom of it before she left today, or she would turn down the position.

She hadn't noticed that Kruger had returned until Sylvie looked up and started talking. "We'll be in touch to tell you when the practices begin Mr. Allen. Two things though' if you aren't good enough by the performance, your understudy will take your place for the performance. And the second thing, do not hurt one of my dancers. I won't be a kind woman if that happens."

"I'm in then?" It was the first words he'd said, a wide grin crossed over his face. "Thank you! I won't let you down!" He literally ran for the door and out of the building.

"I'll be sure to have someone good waiting to back him up. He is an expressive one, isn't he?" Sylvie had a strange look on her face. Janine couldn't quite place it.

"There's something I'm missing here Sylvie. Tell me why you agreed to that?" She pointed in the direction that Kruger had run.

"Come with me to Incredible Edibles, I'll fill you in on all the details" but you're buying.? Janine snorted as Sylvie extorted her. She agreed though, curiosity over the situation being enough to pay for the information with tea and biscuits.

Kruger

Date: 2016-03-22 19:50 EST
Melissa Burlington sat in front of the vanity facing away from the mirror and lights. She'd already spent time arranging her hair. The blond tresses that extended well down to her thighs was pulled up into an intricate braid that coiled about her head and ended in a tight bun at the back of her head. Long fingers on small hands added an elegance to her movements on stage. She was more than aware of the fact. She knew it as much as she knew the rail thin, toned arms were necessary. She was thin as a dancer ought to be, her five foot four stature looked like more if seen by herself.

Her dark eyes took in those hands as they rested in her lap. She was good, another thing that she knew without having to be told. Across from her sat Sylvie Moreau, someone she respected for her knowledge and experience. That she was offering Melissa something she'd been hungry for all season had come as a surprise. Melissa was the leader of the corp. She'd excelled at this as well, but in doing so she felt she might have chained herself to always fill that role. Melissa didn't want to be that person, not forever at least.

"You're offering a principal part, but for a performance that will have limited attendance and only a single night." It wasn't a question, it was a statement of fact. Much as Melissa wanted to dance a leading role, she wasn't sure this was the place to begin. There was of course the children to consider, and she wasn't immune to them.

Sylvie shifted, it was heard more than seen by Melissa. "That's true, but there are advantages to this as well. The piece in question is brand new, every performance will inevitably be compared to yours." That was an attempt to stroke Melissa's ego, and honestly it was working.

"There is also the fact that arrangements are being made to have the entire performance recorded." Sylvie's words had Melissa looking up. "There will be attempts to have it televised later. Regardless, you'll have a recording to offer of your performance when attempting to get bigger parts in the future."

There was something in this that had the ballerina teetering on the edge of agreeing. "You're the first I've approached, and the movements involved will be heavily influenced by you. There may even be a place in the credits for your contributions...assuming they're substantial enough to merit it."

Another plus, an addition to her already well rounded resume and one that would definitely make her more desirable for any company. "All of this is very tempting." Melissa studied Sylvie judging exactly how serious the older woman was. "What about La Bayadere" What about the addition of an actor as the male lead" Does he have what it takes or will his performance detract from the entire production' So many of these advantages could be diminished by one poor performance."

"La Bayadere would be out of the question, for you at least. Janine and I will need too much of your time for it to be split that drastically." Sophie's lips compressed together, but she nodded her agreement to Melissa's concerns. "We'll make sure that doesn't happen. He's already agreed to step aside if it's deemed necessary. For now, and until we do have a reason he'll be practicing as though he'll be performing. Making sure his backup is ready to take over at a moment's notice, that will be something else I have you doing."

Melissa found herself being won over by Sylvie. "Okay, I'll do this with you. I'll even endure having to carry an inexperienced dancer" Really, why is he pushing for this" He should stay in his own world, and leave this one for those of us who want it most."

"You aren't the only one who feels this way about him. I've heard others who feel that he dabbles too much in things. He's already pushing his presence into places that it never really belonged." Sylvie did hold up a cautioning finger to Melissa though. "However, the more he's told he can't do a thing the harder he works to prove that he can. That kind of determination seems to reap its own rewards. Besides, his motivation with this is extremely high. We'll have to wait and see if it is enough."

Melissa wanted to say more, instead she simply nodded. Sylvie would have creative control over the production. That would be good enough to see the right thing done. It still irked her though, people like him always affected her that way. She'd studied for most of her life to be where she was. She'd been bruised, had bled for her art. He had money to throw, why did that give him rights that she'd had to earn" She'd seen him, watched him pretend to be likable. The man didn't fool her though. He was calculating, always scheming even if that scheme involved spending time with children. Not that Melissa had a problem spending time with them. She was there to teach, to be a role model. Kruger was there only to entertain, that seemed to be the do all and end all of his existence. She didn't hate him, no it was more like she wouldn't even see him if he didn't keep finding ways to be the center of attention. He was good at that, and it frustrated her.

He wouldn't ruin this production, Melissa would make certain of it. At the very least, she'd make sure that her performance was unerring. Sylvie had gone, and Melissa was stepping out the door of the theater. Once outside she pulled her phone from her pocket and punched a number into it. The other end rang several times before it was picked up. "Mom' You'll never guess what"."

Josette Wheeler

Date: 2016-05-08 21:31 EST
(The following takes place before the opening of La Bayadere. Special thanks to Kruger's writer for their patience with my RL delays!)

It was a rare day off from rehearsal, one much needed and enjoyed by the dancers who had been working feverishly towards the opening night of La Bayadere. Josette had, however, been drawn back to the stage where she had taken advantage of its emptiness to rehearse Nikiya's death scene. Her nerves were mounting leading up to the days of the opening. Dancing Gerda had been one thing, for she only had to dance in the later Acts of the ballet. Nikiya was going to require so much more from her and in many ways, she was still getting her legs beneath her again. She knew she was going to have to work twice as hard as the rest of the company to get her endurance back to where it needed to be again after being away from the stage for so long.

"You should be at home resting. You are going to need it." Sylvie Moreau's voice sounded in the empty and wanly lit space of the Shanachie Theater's main stage.

Josette looked up, momentarily startled and a bit disoriented being lost in Nikiya's world before spinning back to this one at the sound of the approaching voice. A delicate heel came down off pointe to ground herself and she squinted against the light, holding up a hand in front of her eyes before the elegant and statuesque form of Sylvie Moreu came into view. With a fond smile, she set down the basket of flowers with the fateful serpent within, before coming to sit at the end of the stage to give her body a brief respite. "I just don't want to let anyone down." She confessed softly to Sylvie before patting a towel against her face that was flushed a peony pink.

"Nerves before opening are natural." Sylvie smiled sympathetically and placed her cane in front of her and layered her hands one atop the other upon it. "However, you should put it down for a day and go out and enjoy yourself. There is such a thing as overdoing it, Josette."

The petite ballerina laughed and unscrewed the cap to her water bottle after positioning her lithe legs so they could dangle off the end of the stage. "Did my brother happen to send you?"

Sylvie smiled and shook her head "I have something I wished to speak to you about. An opportunity for something different for you."

Josette paused in her sip from her water bottle as Sylvie brought up an opportunity for something different. Her stomach clenched and any visible color drained from her face. "Am I...not working out in La Bayadere?" Josie was almost afraid to give the question voice.

Sylvia made a scoffing noise in the back of her throat and waved away the foolish thought with an expressive hand almost as quickly as Josette had given it voice. "Nonsense. This has nothing to do with La Bayadere. Irina tells me she is very pleased with your interpretation and your work on this role. There's a new performance that's being put together and I've been told I could have my pick of dancers. It's rather unorthodox, but I think you will appreciate the audience more than anyone else here." Sylvie continued, aware of Josette's past struggles. "It's to be a performance for the children's ward at the hospital."

Josette's delicate throat tightened with emotion as Sylvie explained the performance and its intended audience. Her mind drifted immediately back to when she had been a child in the hospital herself, sequestered away in a bed that was too big for her and hooked up to machines that whirled, beeped and dripped. She would have loved to have seen such a performance to take her mind off of her illness, if only for a day and she jumped at the chance to provide such a chance for others.

"I..." Josette cleared her throat of the emotion that momentarily rendered her speechless. "It would be an honor to do it, Sylvie." She said with a warm smile. "Thank you for asking me to be a part of it. Of course, I'd have to speak with Irina and Anthony first and clear it with them. My commitment to the ballet troupe has to come first, but I would be willing to work around rehearsals and stay late if I have to...."

"Before you agree," Sylvie held up an elegant hand to halt the eager ballerina from continuing. "There is more." Sylvie issued a soft sigh. "The intended male principal, Kruger, is...hardly experienced. He has enthusiasm and passion for the project, but it's going to be a challenge. Jamie is an exceptional Cavalier and you've been quite fortunate in that regard. As you know, working with a new Cavalier requires an immense amount of trust. This is a risk and will be something all together different as it is a ballet about dueling. Melissa Burlington will be dancing with you as well, but it will require a lot of work and patience on everyone's part to bring him along to where he needs to be before the final performance. I would give this some thought before you agree to it immediately. I also worry you will be stretching yourself a bit thin fitting in time between La Bayadere, not to mention rehearsals coming up for the Spring Gala."

"I don't need to think about it." Josie answered at once, her mind already made up and she had an almost impossible stubborn streak when she set her heart on something. She believed everyone who wanted to dance should at least be given an opportunity to do so. She didn't know Kruger well, but she did understand all too well what it felt like to have the deck stacked against you and people telling you that there were things you just couldn't do. The Shanachie had given her that chance and she believed this man deserved the same if he was willing to work hard at it. Though she'd heard about the various tournaments going on in the city, Josie knew very little about dueling, so there would be an opportunity for her to learn from Kruger as well.

"I think he deserves to be given a chance and it is for a wonderful cause. The children will be thrilled. Whatever you need me to do, I'll do it, Sylvie. As long as I get an approval from Irina and Anthony, I'm in." Josie added with a resolute nod. In that moment, it was hard not to believe that this performance was part of what her second chance had always been about.