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#Post#: 3025--------------------------------------------------
Wherever I Lay My Hat
DIR By: Maggie Flannery
Date: February 17, 2015, 4:52 pm
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HTML https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7284/15942047683_2420e6a2e6.jpg
HTML https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8594/16374564328_032d74dee8.jpg
Summary: The advertisement simply said "Rosencrantz Dance
Company specialists in Ballet theatre, contemporary, and modern
dance. Dancers wanted. Pairs assigned at random on second call
back." Neither knew what that meant but they sure as hell didn't
plan on becoming smitten with one another.
Tagline : Life's a dance, don't worry about counting the steps.
Playlist(s) :
Colleen's Playlist -
HTML http://open.spotify.com/user/highlandfling22/playlist/3MivV4R5Z8edGzU6Mj6mqU
Instrumentals -
HTML http://open.spotify.com/user/highlandfling22/playlist/49cxlM4g2X2RJmq1bhQILL
Alan's Playlist -
HTML http://open.spotify.com/user/highlandfling22/playlist/1QjQSbXTz6xp5RCeB7Thca
Polyvore :
HTML http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/collection?id=4258647
#Post#: 3026--------------------------------------------------
Re: Wherever I Lay My Hat
DIR By: Wolfy
Date: February 18, 2015, 5:08 am
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:o I am in love with everything even though it hasn't started
yet.
I am really looking forward to this piece; your playlists are
actually to die for and I'm just asdfghjkl.
HTML http://persephonemagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/colbert-popcorn.gif
#Post#: 3027--------------------------------------------------
Re: Wherever I Lay My Hat
DIR By: Maggie Flannery
Date: February 21, 2015, 2:24 pm
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Aww thank you, hun! I hope this isn't too cheesy. :D
October New York City
“Oh it’s only twenty blocks. What the hell was I thinking?”
I muttered to myself as I pulled my coat tighter against me. It
was toward the end of October and it was already below 40
degrees in the sun. I hadn’t taken into account of the time it
would actually take me to walk from my dingy little apartment to
the theater district. It normally took me about twenty minutes
but with the wind chill and the rerouting I had to take it took
closer to fifty. I was pretty sure that this was it, I’d
managed to get the job. It had taken me the better part of three
months to apply and this was the only call back but I hopeful.
This had to be better than what I was doing at the moment,
living had to mouth in a crappy little apartment across from one
of the larger meat distributors in the city. My job was the norm
for any out of work dancer, waiting tables at the Tavern on the
Green which happened to be one of the worst places to work in
the entire city. The clientele that frequented the place were
the select few that were worth millions but left pennies as
tips. On the few occasions I was actually able to get a paying
theater gig I was told that it was non paying but could be used
as experience for my equity card. So, here I huffed with one
more block to go and almost totally unable to feel my feet or
hands.
What if they don’t like me? What if they don’t go for my
aesthetic? What if I land flat on my ass? Oh god what if I get
the job but get a really crappy partner?
I thought to myself as I turned down on the corner and waited at
the pedestrian crossing.
Well, this is a second call back. Oh please God, don’t let me
get a stuck up partner. I’ve done the jazz, the contemporary,
the modern now all that’s left is ballet and I just need a good
partner. I’ve tried not to ask too much of you over the last
twenty-five years but if you could please please please just let
me get a good partner I’d be ever so grateful.
I stopped in front of the cold sooty looking building and felt a
shudder. Not an unpleasant feeling but something told me that
things were about to change. Hopefully for the better. I failed
to realize that this particular building housed not only the
Rosencrantz Dance company but a myriad of other theatrical
companies as well, the operatic floor seemed to be at the
bottom, the theater/actor’s wing itself in the middle and the
dance department at the very top.
“God, they really are trying to weed out the weak ones.”
I muttered to myself as I dug through my bag to try and find the
banana I had stowed away as a pre-audition snack. Unable to find
exactly what I was looking for I sighed and stopped at the top
of the landing and continued to rummage all the while silently
saying a prayer. My years under the watchful eye of Mary Lewis
back home in Boston seemed like a fleeting memory now, I’d had
knots in my stomach since the dance master called me three days
ago. In his thick Romanian accent he introduced himself as Igor
Radu Dance Master and self admitted slave driver to the dance
corp. I was to come back on the 23 of October for my final
auction where I would be paired with a random partner for the
ballet portion. We were the final pair to be granted the final
spot and he’d hoped that would work out because one more pair
was needed to round out the numbers for the upcoming tour. I’d
never been more intimidated until I’d heard his voice. The last
audition I’d had he had been absent from, off dealing with
brokers and finalizing the line ups and lodging for the December
performance roster. I thought I had left early enough to breeze
right into the dance studio to start warming up, sadly I was
mistaken. So, here I sat next to the door in a cold building
trying to knit my already frazzled nerves back together. I went
over my mental check list and found that it calmed me a bit I
was nearly in my calm space when I heard someone trying to get
my attention. It was the same voice I’d heard on the phone and
it scared me out of my wits. I looked up totally terrified and
saw a mountain of a man with thick bushy brows and steely grey
hair that stuck out every which way. His face looked like some
sort of hellish road map made out of tobacco stained leather.
Two deeply set coal black eyes stared straight into the depths
of my soul.
“You! You there! Come in come in. Your partner has not shown up
yet but maybe you are wanting to stretch? Come in. Maybe you
change first, no? Changing rooms are down the hall to the right.
Hurry to it. Do not be wasting my time. Dance masters do not
have time for timp pierde-varăs.”
“Yes sir, Mr. Radu.”
I scrambled up onto my feet and broke out into a run to the
ladies changing rooms officially intimidated by the world of
dance I thought I knew so well. My hands shook as I tried to
work myself myself into my tights only to tear them half way up.
Oh god what if I can’t do this?
I thought to myself as I finished changing and pinning my hair
up. I thought back to my first day of college and smiled. Shane
McCutcheon, my room mate and best friend from my Claremont days
used to tell me almost every day that I could do anything I set
my mind to. Her words echoed as Mary Lewis’s back in Boston had
with me. They gave me strength and courage. I gave myself a once
over and calmly collected my bag and coat and made my way down
the hall with my head held high. My confidence resonated as I
went ahead and commenced with my usual warm ups. Wall stretches
and reaches gave way into plies and tends that I knew by heart.
In the back of my mind I could still hear Mary’s voice softly
calling out ‘and into demi-plie. Hold it, Colleen, good now move
into tendu. Watch your back. There. Good and again.’ Radu
slipped quietly out of the room totally unnoticed leaving me
with nothing but my preferred mix tape I had attached to my
resume packet. Soft strains of piano music filtered across the
room as I checked my pirouette form in the wall of mirrors
across from the barre.
“Oh no, don’t tell me I’m late..”
I looked toward the door and saw a rather sheepish looking man
standing there in what I assumed was his audition gear, very
simple black on black ensemble. Both very brave and very
practical. I offered him a small smile and shook my head. In my
head that small voice went into shock. All that confidence I
felt seconds ago got sucked out of me and I was left feeling
like a mound of Jell-O.
“That can’t be him! There’s no way a guy with that kind of face
would be a dancer! Look at those eyes! Say something, he’s
looking right at you!”
“No, you’re not. My call time was 3:45, it’s not even 3:30 yet
so technically we’re both ahead of schedule. Radu was around
here somewhere, did you pass him on the stairs? Big mountain
with a Romanaian accent and eyes that stare into your very
soul?”
My would be partner shook his head as he set his bag by mine to
the left of the door and went into his stretches only to groan.
I knew it well, he probably hadn’t eaten anything in hours and
here he was trying to stretch after walking how far and up six
floors. I finished my second round of tendues walked over to my
bag and fished out the banana I’d been saving started the peel
and held it out to him.
“You need potassium, it prevents muscle cramping. Especially
after a long walk up six floors. You’ll have the intense
pleasure of meeting Radu in a bit then.”
I was rewarded with a crooked grin and a chuckle. Something
about the way his eyes twinkled made me return his smile. He
seemed nice enough, a little unprepared but who wasn’t?
“Thanks, I’m Alan by the way. I think I’ve seen you around,
waitress at the Russian Tea Room?”
“I’m Colleen and you’re welcome. Nope, well yes about a year
ago. Now I’m a member of the wait staff at Tavern on the Green.
Let me guess you’re one of those singing waiters down on theater
row?”
Alan shook his head as he started chewed.
“I’m actually bike messenger for Apollo Parcel Service. The
pay’s not much but it’s exercise. I’ve delivered a few things to
the Tavern on occasion. Bike parking’s a nightmare though.”
“Do you really have to wear those little sneakers with the
wings?”
His face contorted into a grimace and he nodded.
“And the helmet, it’s not so bad unless they actually make you
quote the Mercury promise.”
I was a bit confused because in every commercial I’d seen for
Apollo Parcels the messenger just zipped in and zipped out. Alan
finished his banana and gave me continued striking his most
nobel pose.
“Fear not for your parcel shall arrive in a flash or my boss
will have my ass.”
I let out a laugh and couldn’t help but snort. It had been ages
since someone had made me laugh.
“No, it means you have a sense of humor. Today’s actually my
last day, I used my little slogan too many times and I’ve been
asked to hand in my sneakers. What about you? That waitressing
gig is going to have to go if we get this job.”
“I’ve already handed in my two weeks notice, guess it was a
little early for that. I’ve got my fingers and toes crossed.”
“And I’m in my country when a girl gives you fruit you marry
her. Let’s get this audition over with! You’ve met one another
and you both know me so let’s get with the going!”
Radu’s voice boomed from the doorway as slight smile playing at
the corners of his lips. He all but stalked across the room and
switched out the music.
“This is a classical ballet audition so there shall be classical
music, none of this pop fluff garbage. Tchaikovsky is the only
way to prove a performers true worth. From the top and follow my
rhythm.”
We started and thought we were off to a good strong start, Radu
wasn’t pleased.
“Again! Graceful lines!”
We started again and got just halfway through to be stopped.
“Again! Again! I must feel passion!”
“Again! P-A-S-S-I-O-N! I do not feel it yet! Start over!”
I could tell we were already off to an interesting start, my
heart hammered in my chest and I did my best to center myself
again.
“You’re shaking, just don’t let him get to you.”
Alan encouraged as we completed a pas deux for the thirteenth
time. I gave him a weak okay and composed myself again.
Four hours and about a million thumps of Radu’s time staff
Rosencrantz Dance Company found it’s dance troupe with two new
members.
“You both shall start immediately. Classes are six hours each
day when we are not rehearsing. You have weekends off at any
time except during the holiday season, we preform for the local
school children and low income groups at no cost. It’s a very
busy time for us.”
Before the ink was dry on our contacts Radu reiterated the
importance of our partnership, no matter how random it’s pairing
seemed.
“I hope you both know that the dancing partnership is like a
romantic one. It much be nurtured and you must trust each other
to no end. There is give and take and you both much know the
other’s movements better than your own. What are you looking at
me for? You must look at each other. Go on, look.”
We stood there in that seemingly empty bright white space and
looked at one another both trying not to laugh at the absurdness
of the moment. Until five hours ago we didn’t even know the
other existed and here we were staring each other down under the
instruction of some half crazed Romanian with a serious case of
bush brow.
“Let the sea look into the valley, you must move as one, make it
effortless. You must know every curve, every muscle, every shape
that the other is capable of making. Look at that face opposite
of you, do you trust it?”
“Yes, Radu.”
A loud crack of a laugh sounded in the room as Radu clapped us
both on the back and congratulated us both.
“Most excellent, allow me to welcome you both, Miss Murphy and
Mr. Wilson to the Company. Now, get the hell out and I don’t
want to see either of you until next week.”
Alan and I both looked somewhat shocked as we both grabbed our
things and went out into the hall.
“God, he’s moody isn’t he?”
I looked over my shoulder to see if the door was still open,
thankfully it wasn’t.
“I think moody is a bit of an understatement. Crazy’s more like
it.”
“You can say that again.”
We separated at the changing rooms and emerged minutes later in
our street clothes both dreading the walk back down the stairs.
We finally made it to the ground floor and noticed that the sun
had set. Panic struck me like a tidal wave, I was normally okay
walking back to my apartment on my own at night but not without
a moon. I had my Aunt Lorraine to blame for that, the years I
grew up in her care I was almost always seemingly locked away in
the ‘bad girls’ closet. It scared me so badly that I still had
to sleep with a light on.
“Damn it’s dark and there’s no moon out…Colleen you’re shaking
again.”
My eyes widened and I turned beet red. I inadvertently moved
closer to Alan as we both peered out the lobby doors.
“Sorry, not a big fan of the dark. Would you like to split a
cab? It’s just too damn cold to be out walking in this. I’m not
sure how far you are away from here. I’m over on Horatio.”
“You walked twenty blocks for this audition? I’m only over on
Bedford but I know Horatio pretty well. It would be my honor to
escort you home.”
He gave me a playful stage bow and offered his arm. I laughed
and gave him a curtsy and linked arms with him. Somehow the dark
didn’t frighten me as much as it normally did and I was smiling
more than I had in two years. Something lovely was forming.
#Post#: 3028--------------------------------------------------
Re: Wherever I Lay My Hat
DIR By: Wolfy
Date: February 22, 2015, 7:54 am
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I think I have a new ship! I love how they hit it off so
quickly— I really liked that.
But.. Mr. Radu is a bit of a nut job, though I'm sure he means
well and will no doubt ease up some with time... I hope x)
Impatiently waiting on and looking forward to the next update
now! oh and bless you for mentioning Shane; that made me smile
quite a bit.
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