Time.
Katarina had been reassured that her particular time was not being considered. Her time was not a deciding factor for the season to come.
She did not believe it.
The format for the year was different. Some would call it a contemporary shift, but all that Katarina could feel was time.
Soon, they would start showcasing her around. She would represent the troupe on an intergalactic level, giving masterclasses and making brief solo performances. She would always come back and play the Sugar Plum Fairy for the Nutcracker in Rhy'Din, but otherwise the troupe would do their performances without her while she toured. Then, requests for her presence would be less and less. Her last performance would probably be as "her role" in the Nutcracker, and then it would be over. Unless she found a way to create a niche for herself somewhere in the ballet community, she would need to find a way to start her life all over again without the pivot point that had dictated her life for so long.
She would be too old, and that would be that.
It was a depressed feeling that continued to follow over her head with the beginning of this new year and season. The dread was a quiet but persistent dripping that would pool and overwhelm with time. It followed her around as she watched members in the troupe who started at the bottom move their way to the top with practice and time. It followed her to the development meetings where ballets were not chosen solely to demonstrate her abilities. It was now the simple fact that the prime of her dancing age had past and it was all that she could do to cling to health and prevent injury. Soon, Locke would want to try and start a family. She couldn't help but feel the lid on the coffin to her career threaten to close with the time away from dancing that would take at her age. There was a high possibility that it would be a premature end.
Today however, was just any other day. The season's schedule was not yet printed in ink. Dancers were settling into motion after their winter break, with some advancements and new recruits. Katarina was still a principal dancer and she had yet to hear whispers of her age in the hallways. Her technique and skill were just as sharp as ever. Still, the persistent dripping of time did not pause.
It was very possible that the next production could be her last. She tried not to linger on the thought but it whispered across her mind at unexpected times during rehearsals. It made her anxious and determined, and mostly quiet. Her thoughts and worries were not vocalized. Instead she buried them as deep as she could, away from her friends that would look at her with pity and her partner that would look at with guilt. She was not going to give the troupe the opportunity to plan in anticipation of her absence. She was not going to let them age her out without a show of protest.
This next production was going to be as good as she could make it.
Katarina had been reassured that her particular time was not being considered. Her time was not a deciding factor for the season to come.
She did not believe it.
The format for the year was different. Some would call it a contemporary shift, but all that Katarina could feel was time.
Soon, they would start showcasing her around. She would represent the troupe on an intergalactic level, giving masterclasses and making brief solo performances. She would always come back and play the Sugar Plum Fairy for the Nutcracker in Rhy'Din, but otherwise the troupe would do their performances without her while she toured. Then, requests for her presence would be less and less. Her last performance would probably be as "her role" in the Nutcracker, and then it would be over. Unless she found a way to create a niche for herself somewhere in the ballet community, she would need to find a way to start her life all over again without the pivot point that had dictated her life for so long.
She would be too old, and that would be that.
It was a depressed feeling that continued to follow over her head with the beginning of this new year and season. The dread was a quiet but persistent dripping that would pool and overwhelm with time. It followed her around as she watched members in the troupe who started at the bottom move their way to the top with practice and time. It followed her to the development meetings where ballets were not chosen solely to demonstrate her abilities. It was now the simple fact that the prime of her dancing age had past and it was all that she could do to cling to health and prevent injury. Soon, Locke would want to try and start a family. She couldn't help but feel the lid on the coffin to her career threaten to close with the time away from dancing that would take at her age. There was a high possibility that it would be a premature end.
Today however, was just any other day. The season's schedule was not yet printed in ink. Dancers were settling into motion after their winter break, with some advancements and new recruits. Katarina was still a principal dancer and she had yet to hear whispers of her age in the hallways. Her technique and skill were just as sharp as ever. Still, the persistent dripping of time did not pause.
It was very possible that the next production could be her last. She tried not to linger on the thought but it whispered across her mind at unexpected times during rehearsals. It made her anxious and determined, and mostly quiet. Her thoughts and worries were not vocalized. Instead she buried them as deep as she could, away from her friends that would look at her with pity and her partner that would look at with guilt. She was not going to give the troupe the opportunity to plan in anticipation of her absence. She was not going to let them age her out without a show of protest.
This next production was going to be as good as she could make it.