In New York

1

"Nicholas Blue. Late again, I see." The ballet teacher sighs, rolling her eyes.

Nicholas, despite being an hour and ten minutes late, is glad he faced Mrs. Lancet's exasperated sigh instead of the infamous contemporary teacher, Mr. Bech's fierce glare.

Mrs. Lancet is the ballet instructor of Ordaunsio Dance Company and Mr. Bech is the contemporary teacher. Mr. Bech is intimidating and unnecessarily strict whereas Mrs. Lancet is known to be bittersweet but much less stern than Mr. Bech. Which is ironic considering ballet teachers are known to be incredibly stern, cruel even, with their students as ballet is the foundation of dance and therefore requires much discipline. Contemporary on the other hand, is about expressing yourself and being in tune with your emotions. Contemporary teachers should be more fun to be around; not so intimidating that Nichola's fight or flight response is triggered every time Mr. Bech so much as looks in his direction. Sometimes he ends up comparing Mr. Bech to Terence Fletcher from Whiplash.

"Hurry up. Get to stretching." She claps her hands towards the dancers and columns of dancers dressed in unitards of black and pink start raising their left leg in unison. The males step forward, holding their arms in front of them in first position while the women get on pointe to passé relevé.

Nicholas scans the room while entering a middle split on the floor of vinyl Marley, right under the barre surrounded by floor-to-ceiling mirrors. The dancers of Ordaunsio Dance Company are preparing for a showcase. Everyone is required to do the ballet portion but only certain, qualified, dancers are given the opportunity to take part in other genres they specialize in. Such as, contemporary. Which is Nicholas's speciality. Or so he thinks. Its not like any of the instructors will choose him for the lead role—actually, any role for the matter.

None of the instructors have batted an eye towards him so far. Maybe it has something to do with his tardiness that the teachers don't consider him qualified for the part. Maybe, its only because he's been here long and hasn't gained much understanding on the order of things. Or maybe, it really is him that's the problem; maybe he isn't working as hard as he should be.

Nicholas keeps telling himself to pick up the pace, to listen to whatever the instructors say and strains himself an extra mile during practice to hopefully leave a lasting impression by the end of the day. He knows it hasn't been long since he signed the contract, binding him to this company for a year, but he can't help feel discouraged. It's already been five months, June is right around the corner and he hasn't garnered a single impressed glance his way. He might not ever get one, in his opinion.

He keeps reminding himself of how difficult it was to earn a job, much less earn a slot in Ordaunsio Dance Company. They are famous for their creativity, diversity, the confidence their dancers carry and show stopping performances. Their dancers are the most talented performers ever and he, Nicholas Blue, out of two hundred contestants, was chosen as one of the five dancers to be working under this company. It was his literal dream to be hired by a prestigious dance company. He was so lucky to have been accepted that that is the notion he sticks to in order to try harder to impress his instructors. He really wants to stick with this company for more than a year, but that will depend on how well he performs.

He swiftly moves into his spot behind his partner, an austere woman named Mace after sliding into his dingy ballet slippers, a cheap pair he ordered from Amazous. Mace has been with this company for four and a half years now; an amendable feat if you ask him, considering the rigid schedule. Then again, Mace is the type of person who thrives in disciplinary environments. Nicholas on the other hand does not. He was probably paired with her because she has more experience and can offer helpful advice when needed though Mace has proven to be anything but friendly.