A Different Kind Of Dance (Corinne)

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Aerina loved that this place had a whole auditorium where she could practice her dancing. As soon as she found out they had a dance team, of course she signed up for it! There were only limited meetings over the summer, but that didn't mean that she couldn't come in on her own and practice, right? And besides, she didn't want to get out of practice, so it was good that she could come and do it on her own. Some girls told her that they also had private rooms in the fitness center where she could practice more privately, but...where was the fun in that? Aerina would love it if someone came in and happened to start watching her(politely of course, it wouldn't do if they purposely interrupted). It was even more of a plus if they enjoyed it. Yes, Aerina was proud of her dancing, and why shouldn't she be? Her mother had taught her well enough, she should be confident and proud.

Aerina started the music then walked to the center of the stage to her starting position to wait for the music to start. This was just a simple warm-up song. She knew so many others. But she always started out with something easy and what would get her heart pumping before moving on to the more complicated stuff. She was in the middle of trying to choreograph something of her own, but it wasn't turning out very well so far. Hopefully she could fix that over the summer! Aerina would love to show her classmates her dance and maybe even find a partner to teach it to! Then they could perform together! That would be great fun!

She took a deep breath, then, as the music started playing, she began to dance. It wasn't very long, only about a minute or so in length, but by the end of it, she could feel her heart racing. She tiptoed over to her ipod to reset the song and go through it again. Or maybe she should do another one? She scrolled through the list, oblivious to anyone who might've come into the room.

[Corrine Moliere]

Cori was still pretty new to Hammel which meant that a lot of her free time was spent exploring. After all, what better way to fill her free time which was suddenly far more abundant than it ever had been before. All her life Cori had been on a rigorous dance-centric schedule. Her life was lessons and rehearsal and competition. Her mother had never been one for distractions and that's how she seemed to see anything that wasn't dance. But now she was in Vermont and her time was actually her own. That freedom was the best part of being a meta.

Meeting new people was something that the young girl had always loved, and now she was in a school filled with tons of new people. What could be better?

Eventually, she found her way to the auditorium, following the sound of music. Her eyes grew wide as she entered to find another girl dancing. But this was a sort of dance that was new to her and it made her eyes shine with enthusiasm. The way she moved was so energetic and yet the motions were so precise! It was absolutely fascinating to watch.

When the song ended, she couldn't resist applauding.

"I'm sorry if I'm interupting, that's the last thing I want to do, but that was just amazing!" she gushed. "Would you mind if I watched some more? I've just never seen anything like that!" Of course, the other girl didn't know it, but that was saying something coming from Cori. Of course, her mother had always been one to stick to the more traditional styles of dance, something that just didn't suite Cori's exuberant and curious personality.

"You're so good!" she repeated, truly in awe of the other girl. "Like that one move, how did it go..." she mumbled trying to duplicate the motion, but failing to capture both the speed and intricacy of the gesture. "It's so precise and so fast! But the energy is just so amazing! I bet it must be so much fun to perform!" As per usual, she was talking a mile a minute and her excitement was off the charts.

"I'm sorry, I really hope I'm not bothering you," she added, a bit sheepishly.

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Aerina’s mother had been strict with teaching her daughter dance as well, but….Aerina never found it oppressing. For her, it was something that was useful to know culturally, as a girl, and happened to be an interesting hobby at the same time. Then again, Aerina also hadn’t been expected to win competition after competition….just for her to not make a fool of herself whenever she danced at festivals and eventually her own wedding.

…..that was a long way off, she imagined. Even her father would wait until she was out of college to decide on and introduce her to her betrothed. Wouldn’t he? She had to hope so. Well, none of that was happening anyway while she was in America, at least, so it wasn’t something to worry about yet.

When she finished her dance, Aerina was slightly startled to hear the applause coming from the sidelines. The curly-headed girl peeked over her shoulder and sent the other girl a smile. “Not at all!” she exclaimed, her accent thick in her words. “I’m always pleased to have people watch. It makes it feel…mmm, I guess a little more like an authentic performance, don’t you think?” Aerina always found that she did better when she was performing as opposed to when she was just simply practicing.

She giggled when the other girl tried to mimic one of her movements and shook her head. “You mean this one?” she offered, then quickly did the movement for her. “It’s not really as hard as it looks…well, maybe I just think so because I’ve been doing it for so long, but I can slow it down and teach you if you’d really like.” Aerina wouldn’t call herself a teacher, but she did like the idea of having someone else to dance with, and for that, she would have to teach them, one step at a time.

“It’s really not a bother, so don’t worry about that. I’m Aerina, by the way. You can call me Rina if you’d like.” Aerina brightened in her smile, showing off a row of white pearls, as she stepped closer to the other girl. “What’s your name?” she asked politely.

[Corrine Moliere]

It was a relief that the other girl didn't object to her presence because Cori was absolutely fascinated by this type of dance and eager to see more. "Oh yeah, totally," she agreed. She had always been a natural performer. "It's always better with an audience. All that energy... it just feels so amazing!"

She giggled as well, knowing full well that she had failed to do it quite right. It must have looked quite silly, so she didn't take any offense. "Yes, that's the one!" she agreed as the elder girl demonstrated. "Practice makes a lot of difference," she agreed with another giggle.

Her eyes seemed to very literally widen with delight as the other girl offered to teach her. "Ooh, really? If you really don't mind... I would love that!" For the first time in a long time, she actually felt excited to dance. It was complicated, but mostly because of the pace of the music and movement. Cori thought that if she could just get the movement down, increasing the tempo would probably be a lot easier.

"Nice to meet you, Rina," she said with a wide grin. "I'm Corrine, or Cori rather." She had come to prefer the shortening of her name, if not in part because her mother loathed it. Still, offering the full version seemed better since Rina had done the same. "Thanks again for offering to teach me more," she added her smile seeming even brighter if such a thing were possible.

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“Exactly! It’s like you get your energy from the audience itself. It’s very stimulating.” This girl seemed to be a performer as well, to know of such a phenomenon. That made Aerina smile wide and bright. Seems they might have something in common! That made Aerina hopeful that they could become friends. She was still too new to have gained many yet, just an acquaintance here and there so far.

She nodded. “Yes, it does, but it’s worth it!” she agreed with glee. That’s why Aerina didn’t mind the long hours it took to learn a new dance, no matter how tedious it was. She was nowhere as professional as her mother, but she still loved doing it, and still loved dancing for others to enjoy.

Even better was teaching them the art. Aerina shook her head again, her curly ponytail swinging from side to side with it. “I really don’t, and besides, it’s always more fun with more people, don’t you think?”

She waved her hand, inviting the girl, Cori, to follow her to the dance floor. “It’s a pleasure, Cori. That’s really pretty, I like it.” Aerina giggled as she turned to face Cori again. “It’s really not a problem, I love this sort of thing.” How was she to do this? Aerina formulated a plan on the spot and got into position. “Now first, just do what I do. I’m going to teach you one step at a time and this is the starting position. Okay?” Yes, she realized she was moving fast, but that’s simply how excited she was.

[Corrine Moliere]

"Exactly!" she exclaimed, delighted that the other girl understood. Maybe the two could even become friends. At least they seemed to have things in common, so that was a good start! That thought excited the younger girl. After all, she had only been at Hammel for a few months, so she hadn't really had the opportunity to make any close friends yet. Of course, she was friendly to everyone and as such had a fair number of acquaintances, but nothing more than that.

She wanted to agree, but something made her hesitate. She had never minded rehearsing, but the pressure that came with constantly being expected to practice had killed her enthusiasm. "As long as you're doing what you love," she began, a hint of caution in her voice. "Then it'd definitely worth it!" Just like that, she was back to her sunny demeanor.

A wide grin spread across Cori's face. "Absolutely!" She was a social person by nature and she had always enjoyed group practice more than her solos. It was just more fun. "I haven't danced with someone in... forever," she said softly, ending with a laugh. Well, forever was only a matter of a few months, but for someone whose entire life had been dance, that really did feel like far longer.

Cori swiftly pulled a hair tie from her wrist to pull back her hair as she moved to join Rina on the dance floor. "Thanks," she said with a giggle as she complimented her name. "Your name is really pretty too, Rina." She fell into place beside the older girl, waiting patiently - though eagerly - for instruction. It seemed she was a little jittery though, as she couldn't quite stand still, bouncing slightly as she waited.

"Okay!" she agreed, her enthusiasm obvious. She nodded along as Rina said she was going to break it down a step at a time. That was definitely something she could work with. As the elder girl demonstrated, Cori took a moment to study the position before mimicking it. Though her excitement was there, it was now paired with a focus that calmed the younger girl. She was determined to learn. After all, the sooner she picked up the basics, the sooner they could get to the really fun parts!

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The pressure that made Cori hesitate was not something that Aerina had ever experienced. At least she didn’t think so. It was just a fact of life that she had to work hard to be the best of what she was at what she was. She was a student and a daughter and a dancer, and all three of those required her to study hard, listen to her parents unconditionally, and practice earnestly, no matter if she was good or bad. It was her intention that was important and that she lived those roles with her full heart in them. That was how she was taught, at least. Americans so far seemed to view life a lot differently.

Not that Rina noticed it in Cori. All she saw was a girl who was eager to learn her dance, and Aerina was more than willing to comply. The Indian girl gave a friendly laugh. “In forever, are you serious? How long has it been, really?” she asked, curious. This girl was obviously a fellow dancer, Aerina couldn’t imagine a reason why she would stop dancing. Maybe it was due to an injury and she just hadn’t started up again? No, no, Aerina shouldn’t let her imagination run wild and just let the girl explain. If she wanted to, of course.

“Heh heh, thanks!” she said brightly to the compliment. Cori was really nice, and friendly, and oh she hoped they could become good friends! But first, Aerina was going to follow through on her offer to teach her the dance. Everlasting friendships didn’t happen overnight, after all. But friendships did start with friendly interactions and kindness, and that’s exactly what Aerina was going to do.

Aerina led Cori through the first few steps of the dance, one full eight count, and then repeated, just a little bit faster. “This dance is supposed to be for warming up, so we make sure we do each move just right…” she explained as her arms arched over her head and leg pointed out to her side. “That way we get the fully stretch that comes with it as well.”

Once they got that one done a few times, Aerina would take her through at least 3 more 8-counts before clapping her hands to signal a break. “Let’s take a breather here then we’ll start again from the beginning. And theeen,” she continued with a coy smile. “We’ll try it with the music. How does that sound?”

[Corrine Moliere]

Cori laughed as well as the older girl called her on her exaggeration. "Ummm... Let's see," she mumbled as she mentally counted. "About 6 months now. Since I came Hammel basically," she said with a small shrug. She had thought about pursuing dance here, now that it wouldn't be under her mother's tutelage, but still she hesitated. Something like this though, this was just for fun. After all, she still loved dance. She just wanted it to be fun still.

Her grin widened slightly as Rina thanked her. She couldn't help but think that maybe they could actually be friends. She was probably getting a bit ahead of herself, but she had always been the sort to attach to people easily. She just liked getting to know other people. But only time would tell. As it was, she was just going to focus on learning this dance and having fun. Maybe if it went well, Rina might teach her more.

As she explained that this was a warm up dance, Cori's eyes went wide, even as she soaked in the steps. "Oh this is way more fun than any warm up dance I've ever done!" she exclaimed. Of course, her mom was closer to a drill sargent as far as she was concerned. Maybe that was slightly exaggerated but still. For the first time in a long time, she was actually excited and then she found out it was just the warm up? How was that not the best thing ever?

Still, she appreciated the importance of proper stretching, and she wasn't about to take the risk of neglecting such things. She was mimicking Rina's movements, her confidence in the steps growing with each attempt. Whenever the older girl called for a break, she really felt like she was beginning to get it. "That sounds great," she said with a grin.

"Thanks so much for teaching me, Rina," she said, her enthusiasm blatant in her voice. "This is so much fun! But don't be afraid to correct me. I really want to get it right, okay?" After all, the one thing she could say with certainty was that Rina's corrections would be nowhere near as harsh as her mom's. She could definitely take it and it really was important to her to learn to do the dance properly so she could do it justice. Having fun was important, but giving a good performance was as well - even if there was no audience.

Cori stretched her arms over her head, her grin turning a bit sheepish. "Sorry if I keep babbling on about it. I'm just really excited."

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Six months! That was a long time for a dancer to go without dancing! Rina again wondered if it was due to an injury or something similar. “Oh, since you came to Hammel?” she repeated ignorantly. Oh, well, she guessed that could make sense. “I suppose you’ve been really busy since coming here,” she said with a small laugh. Certainly, six months ago school was still in session and there were no doubt a lot of things for the students to be doing, and she would have had to catch up with the other students in all her classes. “I guess I’m lucky to have transferred just as the school year ended?” she said, more a statement than a question. “Though I’m sure once fall starts, I’ll be so busy myself, I don’t think I’ll have enough time for dance.” She had heard there was a dance club, but as of right now, Aerina didn’t know if her schedule would allow for many extracurricular activities. That’s why she had to do what she could when she could!

Aerina wasn’t making a fool of herself yet? Maybe a little snobbish? She had a tendency to do that, though it was never intentional. Aerina’s mouth just had a tendency to run away with her at times, resulting in her sticking her foot in her mouth, as they say, later on when she realized her blunder. She didn’t want to push this person away before they even had a chance of being friends! Cori was just such a cutie, she could see them getting along really well if given the chance!

“Is it?” Rina replied brightly. “The ones we do for warm-ups are real dances though, my mother choreographs them. The performance ones, though, are a lot more….” What was the word she was thinking of? “Ah, my English is failing, what is the word? Where it means to take more effort and attention more so than doing…fast, I suppose?” Was there a word for it? Either way, what she was getting at was that the dances done to perform take a lot more endurance and stillness than simply rapidly doing hard and complex moves. And the dance included not only the footsteps, but finger movements and facial expressions and eye movements as well. It was very detailed. In comparison, this warm up was easy, there was little to think about. Simply the moves.

The moves were gotten very easily for this dance, by the time they had stopped for a break. Aerina’s hairline was damp with sweat, some of which trickled down the side of her face. When ever she did a dance, she always put her whole self into it, even if it was just for warm-ups. The gods and goddesses who watched over her would have it no other way, she was sure. Rina shook her head. “Don’t worry,” she said with a smile, dabbing at her temples with a dry towel. “I’ll correct you when you need to to be corrected. But for now, we are just having fun so I don’t think there is a need.” Cori was trying very hard in her own right, Aerina doubted she’d need to correct her on very many things yet. Again, Aerina shook her head, this time with a genial laugh. “It’s fine. You’re excited, so it’s only natural. I’m just glad I can help. I love teaching, to be honest. And besides, I am making a new friend in the process.”

Rina grinned pleasantly towards Cori, her imperfect white teeth shining through her glee. “In the interest of becoming better friends, why don’t you tell me more about yourself, Cori?” Aerina flicked the towel and draped it over her shoulder as she took a seat on the edge of the stage, patting the space beside her and swinging her feet out in front. “Where did you learn to dance, if yu don’t mind me asking?”