Hello everyone and MERRY CHRISTMAS! 🙂 I though I would change things up on here a little by posting something a bit lighter in spirit.
If you read my last blog post, you’ll know that I’ve been spending a lot more time doing recreational reading lately and it’s been a ton of fun. I’ve also mentioned on here that I like to write (which is why I started this blog in the first place!).
What you may not know about me is that I used to be suuuuper into creative writing. I was always working on my next novel when I was younger lolol. Even though my writing is kinda cringy af it’s always had a little place in my heart. Since I’ve been back home and kind of bored lately, I decided to give it another go :).
Thus, the creation of this short story, which kind of turned out to be not-so-short lol (hence why it is split into two parts). They say to write about what you know, and what does any ballet dancer know better than the Nutcracker :). The goal was to create a series of scenes that really reflected the ups, the downs, and the magic experienced by a young dancer in the holiday show. There’s a cheesy Christmas lesson woven in there as well. Hope it brings you as much happiness and nostalgia reading it as I experienced writing it. Here’s to beauty and joy and holiday magic!
-Olivia
Tied Up With a Bow
by Olivia Huseonica
Scene 1
“Alright everyone, Act One was a mess! Let’s hope it looks better onstage! Snowflakes need to point their feet more and watch each other! Get ready for the next cast in five minutes! Remy, come over here.”
Remy perked up and made her way through the crowded room, stepping over a few floorbound, exhausted snowflakes, to where Ballet Minneapolis artistic director Steve Charleson was sitting. His assistant, Jenna was next to him, notebook of corrections open in her lap.
“That was nice, good story telling.” he said lowly “Just… don’t sickle on the way up to that arabesque.”
Remy sighed internally, the last thing she wanted to do was another pique arabesque, but obliged in repeating the step until Steve was satisfied. Now that the adrenaline of the full-cast run was starting to wear off, her bruised toenail was screaming whenever the tip of her pointe shoe made contact with the floor. When Steve had moved on and Jenna had nodded and waved her off, she limped away, towards the back of the room where her friends were sitting, curled up merrily in the corner to observe the action. Before she got there she was intercepted by Natalie James.
Natalie was a company member with Ballet Minneapolis and just about the prettiest person Remy had ever seen, at least in her opinion. Her practice tutu jutted out from her waste to show off her beautifully sculpted legs. She was wearing pale pink yumiko leotard and her red hair was pulled back into a graceful French twist. Despite the disgruntled snowflakes around her, dragging themselves off the floor and complaining quietly about doing the dance for a second time, her run-through of snow queen seemed to have left her with no more than some sweat on her nose and a pink tinge in her cheeks.
“That was awesome, Remy! You’ll make such a beautiful Clara!”
She patted Remy on the back and walked away, but Remy glowed as she continued her journey to the corner, in a decidedly better mood. She collapsed next to her friend, Jayden, who was her alternate for the role of Clara, the child heroine of The Nutcracker.
“Your turn”
“Looks like fun!” said Jayden sarcastically, popping up and making sure her pointe shoe ribbons were properly tied and tucked in. “Wish me luck!”
“Merde.” Remy managed, wiggling her fingers.
“You look tired” giggled Anna, another friend of Remy’s. She was balled up with her back to the mirror, shoving Chex Mix in her mouth. “Pretzel?”
“Sure” laughed Remy, taking the gift and turning to examine her reflection. To her dismay, she found that her face was beet red. Some of her dark hair had come loose from her bun, framing her face and curling in the heat. She adjusted the little red-and-white baby bow her Grandmother had given her as a child. Everyone wore them now, clipped next to their buns like butterflies on roses. She liked the trend, donning the little trinket made her feel closer to the woman she’d so admired.
“Alright!” said Steve, clapping his hands. “Top of Act 1 with cast B, now!”
There was a flurry of activity as everyone hurried to take their places. It was the last full-cast rehearsal in the studio before theater week, and the excitement was palpable. Everyone was present, from the older volunteers who played the adults in the party scene to the company members who danced challenging roles such as the Snow Queen and the Columbine Doll to almost every student at the academy, aged 4-18. They were lined up on all sides of the studio, the littlest ones crowded in the front, fidgeting and chattering excitedly among themselves as volunteers patiently reminded them to keep their voices down and refrain from hanging on the barres. It was wildly chaotic. Nerves, energy, and childlike wonder mingled together in the air, like dust particles in a coal mine that would cause an explosion at any moment. Remy loved it.
However, having just danced for essentially the entire first run-through, she was happy to observe the chaos from afar for a moment. She had a part in cast B, but only for a few minutes as one of the porcelain dolls in the living room scene. She wouldn’t be needed for a while yet. She blew a kiss to Jayden, who was standing in the corner across the room, awaiting her first entrance as Clara. Her alternate was bobbing nervously up and down on her toes, smoothing out her dark braids, which were pulled back from her face and arranged in a delicate coil with their own blue bow. She smirked weekly in response.
As the music for the overture began, Remy turned her attention back to her feet, sighing with relief as she slipped her pointes shoes off. She peeled back the her convertible tights to reveal a very purple, very bruised big toenail on her right foot.
“Ooh, that looks gnarly.” commented Anna, peering over at the battle scar. Pouring the remnants of the Chex Mix into her mouth and brushing the crumbs off of her skirt, Remy’s friend stood up and grabbed on to the closest barre. Tasked this run with playing a porcelain doll and the youngest snowflakes in the back of the corps, she began warming up her feet. “I hear you just gotta wait till those fall off.”
“Yeah.” Was all Remy had time to push out before a barked “Quiet!” from Steve halted all the stray whispers in the room. After she’d padded the toe with gauze and tape and reluctantly slid the shoe back on over her swollen foot, she sat back to watch the run through. The overture was just finishing and the adults were taking their places to begin the party scene. Despite tiring roles, despite unruly children and stressed out artistic directors and throbbing toes, she felt… warm. Like she was a part of something magical. Like she was home. She sighed and let it all wash over her as Tchaikovsky’s iconic score filled the air.
Scene 2
“How was rehearsal hun?”
“Hmmmfghl” grunted Remy as she leaned her head against the cool car window.
“It’s really the week already, huh?” Her dad asked as he exited the highway to drive them through the crooked residential streets to their home. “Can’t believe it.”
Remy sighed. “I can.”
The entire day had been spent in full-cast rehearsals. Since she was in pretty much every scene, she had been dancing from morning till night. It was almost 8:00 pm when they left, emptying the dressing rooms to ensure that they would have everything they needed at the theater tomorrow. Remy thought about the last two months, an exhausting, terrifying, exciting whirlwind. All coming down to this.
They pulled up in their driveway and Remy disembarked, dragging with her both her dance bag and a backpack filled with homework that she never got around to doing. She slammed the door shut and was shuffling up to the house when her father caught up to her and enveloped her from behind in a smothering hug.
“Daaad” she said, annoyed, trying to wiggle away. She was feeling hangry and not in the mood for prolonged affection.
“I’m so excited for you Remy.” He said, planting a kiss on the top off her head. “Mémé would be so proud of you.”
Remy’s grandmother had died a year ago, but she always said that seeing Remy perform was the only Christmas gift she had ever needed. The Nutcracker had always delighted her.
“No stupid gift cards or sweaters for me” she’d always said stubbornly. “Just a bit of beauty and joy is all, beauty and joy”
Remy finally escaped her father’s grasp when he let go and patted the little bow, still in her hair.
“Hers, right?”
Remy turned to nod and smile as they entered the house. “My good luck charm.”
Fritz, their little beagle, attacked her with love upon entrance, wriggling like a worm and whimpering with joy. She set down her dance bag to give him a pat.
“Remy, is that you?” Her mom called from the kitchen. “I made carrot and onion soup for dinner tonight. Let me heat some up for you.”
Remy’s stomach rumbled at the smell. “Thanks mama”
After trudging up to her bedroom to dump her bags and change into more comfortable clothes, she made her way downstairs to where the soup was waiting in a bowl, topped with a steaming piece of glorious-looking bread.
“How was rehearsal, ma poupée?”
Her grandmother had been the one to start calling her that, a French term of endearment meaning “my little doll”. They’d been using it ever since she’d played a puppet that came to life in the living room scene. It was one of her favorite memories.
“Gffffmmmpst” Remy responded, mouth full of bread.
“Remy does not seem to be in the mood to elaborate.” Her father said, removing his coat and heading up the stairs. “Is Jules in bed yet?”
Jules was Remy’s younger brother, a rambunctious second grader with endless energy and curly black ringlets.
“I don’t know.” said Remy’s mother exasperatedly. “But I sent him up there because he was terrorizing poor Fritz with that god-forsaken nerf gun again.”
The beagle let out a keening noise and nudged Remy’s leg as if in response, but she knew he was probably just begging for food.
Remy’s father sighed. “I’ll go check on him.”
After Remy had finished her second helping of soup, her mother took the bowl from her. “You’d better get up there too, missy. Another big day tomorrow. I have to get you to the theater by 10 am. Have any homework due this coming week?”
Remy nodded. “Of course, it’s finals.”
“Well, better get as much as you can done this weekend, things are going to get insane.”
Remy nodded again glumly and began trudging up the steps. When she got to her bedroom, she took out a paper full of problems for her eighth grade math class and set it on her desk. However, due to the excitement and adrenaline of the day, she had a hard time concentrating. Random choreography, moments from rehearsal, and apprehensions about the week to come kept popping into her brain, vying for her attention. Finally, she just gave up, vowing to do it tomorrow. After showering, brushing her teeth, and soaking her sore feet in Epsom salts, she clambered into bed. She barely had time to nestle in before exhaustion ushered her into a deep and dreamless sleep.
Scene 3
“What is your brother doing?” Remy asked Anna. They were both sitting on the apron of the stage, which covered an orchestra pit that was not currently in use. After a warm-up at 10 am, the day had been spent spacing the Nutcracker, one dance at a time. They’d made it through the living room scene and were now on to the war sequence that took place between the rats and the toy soldiers. Remy was not in the cast onstage, and was trying to pay attention to what Jayden was doing. However, there was not much happening at the moment. Steve and Jenna were busy trying to get squirrely little children with rat masks on to create a circle formation. Jayden was messing around in a corner, lips moving as she marked steps and recited counts to herself silently. Evan, the enthusiastic advanced student Steve had cast as the Nutcracker Prince, was engaged in a highly dramatic parlay with Sean, Anna’s lanky older brother. Sean had been playing the Rat King for quite a few years now. He’d quit ballet last fall but has been asked to reprise the role anyway. Their masks lay at their feet and they made comical faces and noises as they fake-sparred with complicated and highly unnecessary maneuvers.
“You know” Anna said as Sean attempted to spin his sword in his hand and dropped it with a loud clang “I stopped asking myself that a long time ago.”
Sean picked up the sword, a sheepish look on his face, when Steve turned and yelled at him for distracting the children. They picked up their cumbersome masks and shoved them over their heads, taking their places for the top of the scene.
Remy rolled her eyes. “Brothers.”
She snapped nack to attention when the music started watched the dancers perform the first few steps. Jayden ran wildly around the stage in the signature fear and confusion of a ballet heroine, throwing in a few arabesques and sous de chats for good measure. She leapt backwards in feined surprise when Evan burst out of the wings in his full Nutcracker attire. However, the run-through was again halted when the little soldiers pranced on in a formation that looked more like a line of drunk partygoers waiting to get into a nightclub than a line of well-trained ballerinas ready for battle. Checking to make sure Steve was preoccupied with the children, Remy leaned back and stretched out on the apron, staring at the ceiling. She loved looking at the theater from this perspective, it was rare she got to reside in a place so huge. It stretched up and up, lighting equipment barely visible in the shadowy rafters. It reminded her of a vast and endless sky without stars – peaceful and majestic. Like this place. Where inspiration occurred, dreams came true, and magic was real. All I want is beauty and joy, beauty and joy.
Scene 4
Remy awoke Friday morning fizzling with anxiety and excitement. Today would be the day of the first two Nutcracker shows. She would be a porcelain doll and marzipan in the morning show, which was performed for students on field trips. Tonight, when the show opened to the public, she would dance Clara. Tech week had passed far too quickly yet much too slowly at the same time. Her days at school had been spent drifting around like a ghost, mind elsewhere, while her time at the theater had been intense, chaotic, and wildly eventful. Dress rehearsal last night had proved to be a bit of a trainwreck. New to the lights, costumes, and the feeling of the stage, it had felt a bit as if she was in a lucid dream, unable to control her limbs. A pair of too-loose pantaloons, some spacing issues, and a few shakey lifts with Evan later, she’d been among a group of forlorn looking ballerinas being handed corrections left and right at the end of Act 1. The one highlight of the evening was Natalie’s encouragement, given as she marched glumly off to prepare for Act 2, head spinning.
“Don’t worry, you did great.” She’d said with a wink and a thumbs up. “I told my family to look out for you when they come.”
Remy had wanted to thank her, but at that moment Steve had called all the snowflakes over to further elaborate on their shortcomings. Natalie just grimaced and mouthed “tough love”, which had caused Remy to laugh. Not even beautiful, perfect Natalie was immune.
Now, Remy was determined to put everything aside and have fun. Not even Steve Charleson could get to her now. The day was hers.
She got up, got dressed, showered, and pulled her hair into a tight bun. She did a bit of stage makeup in front of the bathroom mirror as well, not wanting to be rushed when she got to the theater. She made her way downstairs to the sound of the blender whirring, Fritz barking madly, and Jules complaining loudly.
“Why does Remy get to skip school and I don’t? I don’t wanna go!”
Remy’s mother sighed, pouring out a smoothie and setting the glass in front of Remy at the table.
“Remy has to perform, Jules. Now get up and brush your hair or else you’ll be late. Dad is taking you in today.”
At that moment, Fritz ran up to Remy, still barking, tail wagging madly. Remy noticed he had something clipped to his collar. She bent down to examine it.
“Fritz, wha… Why is my bow clipped to Fritz’ collar?”
Jules stopped pouting for a moment to beam.
“I gave him a bow tie! Isn’t he handsome?”
Remy felt a stab of annoyance. She bent down to try and unfasten in, but Fritz kept twisting away. She had to admit, he did look quite handsome, and the “bow tie” had a funny effect, but she wasn’t fond of her brother messing with her things.
“Jules, I told you not to touch my stuff! That’s my good luck charm!”
“Fritz had it first, it was in his mouth! He must of taken it from your dance bag. Maybe if you’d brought it to your room last night instead of leaving it in the kitchen”
“I had it set out!” said Remy angrily. “There’s a difference!”
She’d laid everything out perfectly the night before, all her items in order, her good luck charm in its little side pocket, precisely so there wouldn’t be any drama this morning. Lord knew the day would have enough of that. She finally succeeded in wrestling the thing off of the squirming beagle. To her dismay, the clip was bent, and the bow was hanging at a weird angle.
“It’s broken!” She cried in horror.
“Nonsense.” Her mother said exasperatedly, sick of the squabbling. “Jules, get upstairs and brush your hair. Remy, we have to go now, or else you’ll be late to warm up.” She plucked the bow from Remy’s hand and stuck it in her hair. It was a bit looser than usual, the barrette part being a bit crooked, but it was functional. “Your clip is fine. Now finish your breakfast and get out to the car.”
How will the story end? Find out in Part 2 right below this lolol
Plantbased in Pointe Shoes 