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"That's the spirit!" Lena exclaimed before walking to the front again. One of the younger girls bounced over to Natalie. "Would you like a spot up front with us?" She asked a little shyly.
Lena smiled at the interaction as she chose the song on the music player. "Alright, so we're going to do the basics first before we all partner up. It's a three pause step count. So one two three pause, one two three pause."
Then Lena began the class without the music just to get everyone comfortable with the steps. Once everyone looked comfortable, she went on with flourishes on the first step. She could tell everyone was getting into it when she saw hip action from some of the participants and that was why she loved dance.
She kept her eye on Natalie and grinned at the younger woman.
At the offer of a spot out from with one of the girls, Natalie didn't know how to say no. She offered a tiny smile, stepping forward to stand next to the one that had spoken to her. "Thanks," she whispered, looking down at her before shifting her focus back to her friend. Now that it was time for the moves, her attention increased tenfold.
One, two, three. Pause. One, two, three. Pause. It took a minute to find the groove, but once Nat found a match in tempo, it really wasn't as hard as she had made it to believe. There was structure in this, which offered the brunette comfort. Even at the encouragement of the others, she began to move herself with extra flow.
There was a point when she was confident in taking her eyes off her feet, gaze catching Lena's and that grin she wore. Nat smiled back at her, a laugh drawing from her lips. "I believe I will be too tall to partner up with anyone," she confessed, glancing around. Even the adults, she towered over with her natural height.
Lena laughed at Natalie's remark before shaking her head. "You can partner with me." She waved Natalie over as she asked everyone else to pair up. They fortunately had an even number of participants so there wasn't going to be any leftovers.
When Natalie came over, Lena stood with her body facing the other woman while she turned her face towards her class. "Alright, so the hold is quite important for any kind of dance. It's how you tell your partner where to go without saying anything. First, choose who will lead and who will follow. In this case, I will lead so my right hand is up here while my left hand is on Nat's shoulder blades. You can either hook your thumb under your follower's arm or rest it on their back but you have to remember not to slack because the connection is what's important."
Lena turned back to Natalie and gripped her hand with her other hand on Natalie's upper back. "Now the follower rests their whole right arm over the lead's left arm and their left hand just lightly curls over the lead's right hand. This gives you a bit of flexibility to move around. This is just the basics so don't worry to much about being perfect. It's just to get comfortable, alright?" She grinned up at Natalie and went into position.
"The leads will all step forward first so push with your right hand and the follow will move back. So forward two three pause, back two three pause. Just like before." She instructed, the music still not on. "Ready? And lead forward." She stepped forward with her right foot and pushed her right hand to indicate to Natalie where to go."
It worked in her favor that Lena would partner up with her. She felt the more comfortable with the instructor over anyone else in the room. She at least knew her. When prompted, she shifted to the front of the class, dark eyes focusing on the woman in front of her rather than the entire class. Once a connection was made, Nat positioned herself as instructed, her arm draping over the length of Lena's arm, fingertips resting at the base of her shoulder while her other held onto her hand.
The proximity between them felt incredibly close, or perhaps it was just an audience that made Nat acutely aware of it. There wasn't time to think too much on it before she was following in step. Guidance helped her form greatly.
By the end of the class, she had grown comfortable with those basic steps. It was admittedly as fun as Lena had described, and he wondered why she hadn't let the dance instructor talk her into this sooner. With a step back, her arms dropped to her sides, turning to face the young girl that had offered her a spot next to her. "It was nice meeting you." Nat said, offering a little wave before she looked back at Lena. "You're an excellent teacher."
Natalie seemed a lot more comfortable by the end of the class and Lena felt giddy over the fact that she had made it seem less daunting for someone else. It was always a joy helping someone get over their self-built walls.
"Thank you everyone! As always, that was an excellent class. Next week, we'll be doing basic rhumba so dress in comfortable loose clothing, yeah? Give yourselves a very big hand and see you next week!" She waved at the class as they applauded before dispersing.
The girls waved goodbye to Natalie and then Lena and left the two alone in the room. Lena turned to Natalie with a grin. "Thank you! A teacher is only as good as their students allow them to be. You're a natural, I told you." She winked and stretched her arms up. "I've got my advanced class in two hours. You're welcome to stay."
Without the room full of people, it felt incredibly quiet. What had just been a bustling studio practice room was now so much more intimate. It was strange how a space could change so rapidly.
Her smile grew a little at the compliment. Nat chalked it up to luck - she was naturally in tune with her own body, and it aided her in a physical task such as this. But Lena did tell her so, and for that, she put a hand on one of the instructor's raised arms, giving it a light squeeze. "I'm sure that's something you'll never let me forget." She was okay with that, though.
Her smile faltered, though only a little. "I'm afraid I won't be able to stay," she explained, genuinely sorry. "I'm sure Jodie and Oz are already worried about where I am." It wasn't like Natalie to come home later than she often told them she would be, and Jodie worried about everything. "But let me know the details of your show. I'll definitely be there."
Lena laughed and shook her head at Natalie's assessment. "No way am I ever living it down, you sexy dancer." She scrunched her nose up as she grinned at her companion.
Not gonna lie, Lena was a little disappointed that Natalie wouldn't be staying but she did understand the idea of leaving their pets alone at home. Lena was just lucky enough to have a gracious neighbour who checked up on her pets during her work hours. "Alrightie. Yeah, I'll text you the address and when I'll be on. I'm really excited!" The Aussie pulled Natalie into a hug and squeezed tight.
"Send my love to your little critters. Tell Adam to get that stick out of his bum when I come over next time." She winked at Natalie after letting her go. "See ya!"
Her animals were her first priority. They were like children, in a way. Though she was sad to leave the bright-haired woman, she offered a warm hug when she was pulled in. "You should visit," Nat offered. "Soon." Her door was open any time for anyone willing to spend time with several creatures as well as herself. Taking a step back, Natalie grabbed her things, giving Lena a little wave as she headed out the door.
Before she could get far, she doubled back in, hands pressing to the door frame, head poking inside. "Thank you. This was a lot of fun." With another little wave, the trainer headed back home.
