Edification
She started shakin' to that fine fine music
You know her life was saved by rock 'n' roll
Despite all the amputations
You know you could just go out
And dance to a rock 'n' roll station
It was alright (it was alright)
On Thursday James met with a new client. Nothing interesting (or so he thought) , just the standard procedure of discussing the book topics and everything.
He arranged a meeting with this client at a cafe close to his home at around 4PM. They met a bit earlier than planned and shaked hands.
“Evan Rosier, nice to meet you.” he introduced himself. James found him quite interesting. Evan was tall and skinny with blond hair and very defined cheekbones. Usually the authors he worked with were well… average looking.
“Hello Evan! As you probably already know, I'm James Potter.” he shook his hand while sitting down at a table next to a window. “I'm assuming you would like us to discuss the options and pricing for me to edit your book?” he asked.
“Yes. It's a pleasure to meet you. I have heard a lot. I know you usually work with celebrities, I'm glad I could schedule an appointment.” he was nervous.
“Haha I guess my reputation precedes me. Well then, what is your book about? I need a few key points in order to estimate how long it will take me to edit and also how much I might charge. Different terminology obviously raises the price.” James responded.
“I dont think money will be a problem, at least for now. I'm writing a book about the toxic and harsh environment that ballet dancers have to endure through both their training and professional years. I interviewed thousands of dancers and teachers, some more known than others and wrote down their opinions. My partner also helped with photography, I did include some pictures of the more well-known dancers from our generation.” Evan was talking quickly, the average person would have trouble understanding him. “ I have finished about 300 pages so far. I'm estimating 500 to 550.”
James was surprised to find out how ballet related things seem to follow him around everywhere nowadays. Nevertheless he considered this an opportunity to learn even more about his new hobby.
“Impressive! I should let you know this is my first time editing this kind of book, but I'm very happy to give it a try! I have been interested in learning a lot about ballet lately so this is the perfect opportunity for me. I could do the editing for both the book and format for about…this much? Give or take depending on the size and how much you actually end up writing.” he said, writing down a number on a piece of paper and handing it to Evan for him to see.
“Less than I expected! I would love to work with you James.” he said with sincerity.
“Great! Then just give me a call sometime this weekend and you can just email me the file.” James responded.
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On his way home from the coffee shop he stopped to buy groceries, which for some reason he was always lacking. James had a change in cravings ever since he started ballet ( even though he only took one class so far) . He bought some peanut butter, bananas, oatmeal, greek yoghurt and salmon. Things he barely even touched before. Not only that but he also bought some frozen spinach and berries to make use of his very ancient blender that he bought last year for his dare (which was only eating smoothie bowls for breakfast!). He paid and rushed out only to find out that it started snowing! Which was super weird given it was the start of February. The snowflakes were super big and shiny.
James had always liked the snow. It reminded him of Christmas which was his favourite time of the year. He walked home slowly, stopping to say hi to his neighbours and to pet every stray cat and dog he saw. His mood was instantly lifted.
Once he climbed up the 6 flights of stairs that lead to his apartment he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He only glanced at the notification while simultaneously searching for his key and saw it was a text from Regulus. He unlocked the door and set the bags down and stopped in the middle of the hallway to read the text:
Hello! If the snowing thing continues the studio will be freezing tomorrow. Please grab a hoodie and some leg warmers to wear during your warm up.
James reacted to the text with an okay, and ran to his closet to search for whatever cool clothes he had left. Two hours later he fell down a rabbit hole of ballet outfits, he was browsing both pinterest and instagram at the same time trying to find an outfit that looked effortless but also incredibly stylish. Oh and it had to be comfortable (aside for that damned dance belt he had to wear).
Once he noticed how late it was he shoved the pile of clothes back in his closet , changed into his pajamas, made some lychee and lemon tea ( his favourite) and laid down on the couch to watch something before he went to sleep. While browsing instagram he heard of this ballet competition: Prix de Lausanne. Apparently only the best of the best could qualify, and around this time of year you could watch it on Youtube. He found the four hour video from the first day and decided to give it a go.
It started with the girls' warm up class. They did some barre exercises ( James even heard some familiar names like plies and jetes) then they moved to the center. They all looked so floaty in their leotards and thighs. After the warm up class the girls had time to feel the stage and perform their variations for the first time. He recognised some, like Cupid or Grand Pas Classique, but was completely oblivious when it came to the rest.
When the men's category started James paid way more attention. Sometimes he stood up to try and mimic the jumps and turns they did. He discovered a few moves, like a Tour en l'air (which was just a fancy spin in the air, though some dancers could do 4 or 5) or an Assemblé.
He watched about three hours of the video but then went to sleep, still on the couch, only to wake up super late the next morning.
For breakfast he had greek yoghurt with oats and banana, plus a smoothie with raspberry, blueberry and spinach. By the time he finished eating his breakfast it was already one PM, so James made a schedule in his head:
He would get dressed for ballet, and wear another layer of clothes on top. Then he will go out and eat and maybe walk around the city for a little bit and end up at the studio early enough to do some warm up exercises he saw the Prix de Lausanne dancers do and go over the barre exercises once again.
He ended up with a strange but pleasant and comfortable outfit. He wore his black leggings along with a plain black compression shirt, on top he put on a green hoodie he got from his summer school at Oxford University . Over his leggings he added a pair of jeans and finished the outfit off with a coat he borrowed from Remus and some New Balance sneakers.
Instead of his usual gym bag James used a tote bag he got as a freebie from some writing contest and packed a water bottle along with his ballet flats and an extra pair of socks just in case.
On his way out he took the time to admire really how beautiful the snow looked. It piled up on the trees and cars and children were running around falling from left to right. The scene reminded James of one specific memory from middle school. Back then he and Sirius were in the same class, while Regulus was a year below them. James was saying goodbye to Padfoot at the end of the day after a very intense snow fight while Regulus was all excited about how ‘Nutcracker season’ started. He was telling them all about how he wanted to audition in secret this year hoping that his mum wouldn't catch on and….
James couldn't remember the rest. He knew it didn't end well, but also not horribly, that was the only thing he remembered. He kept thinking about it while he walked around trying to find a place to eat, but nothing came to mind. He just figured he would ask Sirius later.
For his late lunch James ordered some fries with parmesan and steak. He figured he ate too healthy for one day, even for the whole week, so he went with something he would eat more often. He took the time to enjoy his food, looking out the window every once in a while to admire the scenery. James always prided himself in being part of that small group of people that grew up in London and still found it beautiful, most Londoners developing some sort of hatred for it as they got older.
He finished eating around 5PM and headed to class, arriving there just as early as last time. On his way to their practice room he saw Regulus in a smaller rehearsal space, turning obsessively and jumping every once in a while. His attire was different compared to last time. He had a bandana around his head and some long pants with one pant rolled up right above his knee. Under he had some sort of white tights. Not only that but Regulus was dancing in socks, not in ballet flats. He was also really good at dancing, so good he didn't even compare to all of those Prix de Lausanne competitors James watched last night. At some point he could've sworn Regulus noticed him watching so he rushed to where he was actually supposed to be. He placed his stuff in the same corner as last time, then he took out his water bottle and flats. Regulus was right, it was in fact really cold in the studio. James took off his jeans and put them in his bag but kept the hoodie on. Then he got started on those warm up exercises he saw, only to discover he is nowhere near flexible enough for them.
Once everyone arrived Regulus came in speaking loudly to cover up all of the voices in the room:
“Alright everyone, today we will begin the barre. I trust you all learned the order of the exercises. I will show one of them first and then you will do it, understood?”
Everyone nodded.
“First of Pliés. We will start in first position. Now we have a Plié with your arm going from first position to second, another Plié with your arm going from first to third and then second and then a Grand Plié with your arm going from first to second. After that we will do a Cambré to the front. Battement tendu to second and same thing all over again. The only different part will be the Cambrés. For second position we will go towards the bar, for fourth you'll do a slight Plié with your back leg while keeping the front one straight and going front and then for fifth you will go Cambré front, up and Cambré back with your hand in third. Everyone understood?”
James found it easy at first but then the music played. Regulus took a spot in the middle of the room and showed everyone the preparation they had to do with their hand. Then he began walking around the room watching everyone do the exercise.
James kept rehearsing it in his head. Plie with small arm, then with big arm, Grand Plie, Cambre front. Ok good, battement tendu to second.
Regulus corrected him in his Grand Plié in fourth position.
“Mmm no James do it again. Right there keep your back straight” he said putting one hand on his upper back “And when you do the port de bras keep your shoulder down, yes just like that.” he took one step behind and watched James move to fifth position. “Don't lift your heel in the Plié, only in Grand. Straighten your knees, you're too relaxed.” he said one last time before turning away and moving on to the next person.
The Plié exercise was pretty long. They did it slowly and it already took them a lot of time.
“Okay everyone, now turn to the left. Something very important is when turning to the other side you always have to face the barre. Start by going up on demi-pointe then closing fifth. Now turn facing the barre and swap hands.” Everyone did as he asked. “Good. We won't do Pliés on the left, let's move on to battements.”
He walked to the center of the room once again.
“Starting in first position we will do the preparation then move the hand in second position. Now we will do four battements in the front, close first and a small Relevé bringing your hands in first position. Repeat en croix. En croix directly translates as ‘a cross’. Whenever I say we will do something en croix it means we will go front, side, back and side again.”
Regulus played the music which was a bit faster this time. James tried to focus on his legs as much as possible, but apparently his teacher still had plenty of corrections to give him.
“They're well, decent. Squeeze your stomach. Do Not sickle your foot when you Relevé, or go on demi pointe in general.” Then Regulus knelt down to take a closer look at James’ feet. “Hm stop there.” he said after James did a tendu. “You have to turn out your foot, using your hip. Every move you do in ballet has to be very turned out, just like in first position. Don't close it as soon as you start the battement.” Regulus touched the heel of his foot with one hand and turned his leg sideways, then pointed to James’ hip.
“It's a lot to remember,” James whispered.
“You'll get used to it pretty quickly, oh and squeeze your butt. Don't leave any muscles relaxed.”
James was about to laugh at what Regulus said but figured it would be too immature. Just then the music finished and they had to turn to the other side. He paid attention to his heels when closing fifth a bit more this time, trying to think about everything Regulus said at once.
“Nicely done everyone. Please remember to turn out as much as possible and to keep your shoulders down, it's the most basic principle of ballet.” he said, walking to the center of the room yet again.
“Battements from fifth position will be a bit more difficult so pay close attention. Same port de bras, then four in the front, then we will do a Temps Lie, which involves you switching the weight from one foot to another. In our case we will switch to our front leg, then close fifth again. Now do three more battements in the back and Temps Lie again and close fifth. Four battements to the side and that's it. Everyone got it? The Temps Lie will be done after you finish the Battement. So you open your leg and before closing it you switch the weight.”
Everyone around did look a bit more confused but grasped it pretty quickly. The music was even quicker this time.
“And one, two, three, Tems Lie. Nice Alice very well done.” Regulus said, doing the exercise along with them. “Shoulders down everyone and please don't look down at your legs! Whatever you do, keep your head up!”
James didn't like how hard it was to close fifth position properly. He looked around the room at the end of the exercise only to realise he wasn't the only one struggling.
“James, come join me in the center for a moment, I need to show off something.” Regulus said. James sprinted away from the barre sort of awkwardly and waited for his teacher to tell him what to do.
“Do a battement from fifth then close it for me” he asked.
And James did it. He tried to close the position as best as possible but his leg wouldn't budge. Just then as if Regulus read his mind he said:
“Now, I'm not going to judge you for not being able to close fifth fully, yet. However I do need everyone to mind their heel placement. So James here has a bit of a bunion, and he tends to stop his heel on it. It's an easy way to rest before the next battement and most beginners do it. Your front heel needs to be next to the end of your big toe, not on your bunion. Keep that in mind please.” he said, pointing and placing James’ heel the way it's supposed to be.
Everyone around the room nodded and started looking at their own feet to remember the correction.
“Now, we will do Jetes then I will show you a few stretches to start doing. After Jete the barre becomes a bit more complicated so I will show the rest to you next time. Please try to remember what we did so far.” Regulus said. “Now, for Jetes, we will do en croix and then close the leg in the back, then another en croix and close the leg in the front. A jete is supposed to grip the floor sort of, then you lift your leg a bit. Not too much, let's say around 20 degrees.” He said demonstrating with his own feet for everyone to see.
So far Jetes were James's favourite. They were quick and the music they did them on wasn't boring or anything. It was just perfect. He really enjoyed them and he figured Regulus was able to tell given the random praise he got halfway through the exercise.
After they finished Regulus gave them a small break to drink some water , only about 30 seconds, then they were ushered to the center.
“I want you all to be able to eventually be able to reach for your toes just like this” he said demonstrating, graciously bending over and touching his knees with his head with absolutely no problem. Some people even looked around the room, thinking he was joking, but Regulus was perfectly serious.
“In order to achieve this you should do the barre as a warmup, then sit in this stretch for a little while. I used to do 20 minutes when I was little so I guess 10 should be enough for you.” he said. “Another exercise you should do is this:” he said standing on his side, holding himself up with his elbows. “Now you will do one passe up, then a Grand Battement. Do 8 of these on each side, then take a 10 second break then go again. Do as many sets as you would like. Active flexibility is more important than just being able to hold a stretch. You'll have to be strong enough to hold it up there in the future.”
James made a mental note to try all of those at home later.
“And of course, at a given time you will need to be able to do the splits on both legs no matter what.” he said, going in a split to show exactly how they were supposed to look like. “Now, you will never be able to get a good split if you cannot do a good lunge or deep lunge before. So start with holding a lunge for five minutes on each leg. Once I see some improvement I will tell you to move to the split.”
Everyone around the room nodded, as to promise they will at least attempt the exercises.
“I'm sorry if any of you believe I am taking things too fast. I am under the impression that we are all adults here who are perfectly able to understand and remember this stuff. If anyone needs more clarifications or anything like that let me know. You're free to go now.”
James went back to his corner to gather up his things. Before he left Regulus approached him.
“I'm glad Sirius let you stay, that's if you talked to him already. You do have a few natural gifts when it comes to ballet. If you try I'm sure you could actually improve pretty quickly.” he said, giving James a little grin.
“Yes I did talk to him. Thanks for the corrections. See you next time I guess” James responded giving him a small smile.
“Bye, stalker.” said Regulus, with a very amused tone.
James turned around one last time to give him an annoyed look and he knew exactly what Regulus was talking about. He knew he had been spotted watching his teacher dance.
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Once James arrived home he first laid out a yoga mat he got from Lily a few years ago and tried to do every stretch Regulus showed them. He put a timer, and actually attempted to touch his toes. James stayed in agony for a full five minutes. Stretching was insanely difficult.
Prongs had come to a conclusion, he would be the first in the class to get his splits no matter what. He searched a few routines to help get them faster and watched videos of rhythmic gymnasts learning how to do them. James was absolutely determined to become the best in his class no matter the circumstances.