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Oct 11, 2018 13:57:37 GMT
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268 Words
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can't stop the feeling
i got that sunshine in my pocket
Dancing for an audience always felt so personal to Lena. Every time she got on a stage, she felt connected to everyone she could see. She always tried to pull them into the dance, make them feel how she felt and she found joy in that.
That being said, this was the first time she was dancing this particular dance in front of someone she personally knew. Thankfully it was an ensemble so eyes would be cast to her troupe just as much as they would be cast on her. For the first time in what seemed to be forever, Lena was nervous.
She could hear the whistling from behind the curtains as the lights dimmed. With her back to the curtain, she felt it rustle against her as it went up. The spotlight hit the main dancer and for a brief moment, nothing else mattered. She took a deep breath and let her body do the talking.
They had practiced for weeks and Lena had to say, everything was flawless and by the time they were done, the thunderous applaud had Lena grinning widely. Her eyes flew across the room to find Natalie but they were already hurried off the stage by the stage manager.
Lena didn't have time to look for Natalie as she went through quick change after quick change until finally they got their break. She just hoped the younger woman hadn't run off.
Her set was done for the day and after throwing on a pastel green silk robe, Lena went out from the backstage and did a proper search for her friend.
got that good soul in my feet
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Oct 11, 2018 13:57:37 GMT
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89 Words
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can't stop the feeling
i got that sunshine in my pocket
Lena's eyebrows shot up before a pleasant laugh escaped her lips. She nodded when Callie mentioned "a power thing". Lena was the complete opposite. She needed to stretch all the time so her muscles didn't atrophy. Especially now that she was getting older.
"That'd be great actually." Lena smiled brightly as she got on the floor and began to do some stretches with Callie's assist. "So how long have you been dancing by the way?" The Aussie asked, doing what she had come up to the blonde to do.
got that good soul in my feet
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Oct 11, 2018 13:57:37 GMT
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100 Words
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can't stop the feeling
i got that sunshine in my pocket
Rolling her eyes at his response, Lena adjusted her hair so it didn't fall into her face as much. As he continued, Lena pumped her fist downwards in victory. Hopefully this meant he would frequent the place more often. They were always looking for new customers, they were a business after all.
Tilting her head slightly to the side, she regarded Damian with a curious look before responding. "I love it. You're being weird. You going soft on me, Damian?" The Aussie asked, placing her hands on her hips, transferring her weight from one stilleto heeled foot to the other.
got that good soul in my feet
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Oct 11, 2018 13:57:37 GMT
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89 Words
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can't stop the feeling
i got that sunshine in my pocket
Lena was easily the eldest in the club and in being so, she felt like a den mother to the other girls. She was trying to get a sense of who each of them were and have been getting to know them one by one and today, as everyone was busy with rehearsals, one of them was doing her own practices.
The redhead approached the blonde and held a hand up, waving with her fingers.
"Need help with stretching?" She asked with a smile. "I'm Lena by the way."
got that good soul in my feet
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Oct 11, 2018 13:57:37 GMT
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100 Words
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can't stop the feeling
i got that sunshine in my pocket
If his only criticism was that she smiled too much, Lena would have no problems getting feedback from him any day. She nodded and grabbed her portable speaker off the floor.
"I can definitely work on that." She nodded as she hopped off stage. The young man was much too serious and she wasn't sure whether she would work well in that kind of environment so she decided to familiarise herself with him.
"Sooo what do I call you?" She asked, approaching him. "If I'm going to be getting constant feedback, I'd like to put a name to the comment."
got that good soul in my feet
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Oct 11, 2018 13:57:37 GMT
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88 Words
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can't stop the feeling
i got that sunshine in my pocket
Squeaking at the collision, she found herself looking at Damian and a wide smile appeared on her face. She punched him in the arm and crossed hers over her chest.
"You actually came! So smart, getting all the hints and whatnot." She teased before wriggling her eyebrows at him.
"So, what did you think?" She asked, spreading her arms in gesture of the set up. She actually did value opinions, even from people who only saw her as a warm body at night. And day for that matter.
got that good soul in my feet
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Oct 11, 2018 13:57:37 GMT
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245 Words
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can't stop the feeling
i got that sunshine in my pocket
Being friends with someone like Damian Oliver was a challenge. They had a friends with benefits set up that was mutually beneficial, obviously but Lena liked being personal with her friends. Damian did not. She understood where he was coming from of course. There wasn't supposed to be attachment.
For Lena, it was already hard for her to get attached so getting personal with someone for her wasn't the same. But unfortunately, Damian just wouldn't have any of it. Although he did let Lena in on his son, which was the only personal thing he had indulged her in.
Working at The Green Fairy was a personal thing she wanted to share with Damian and she knew for a fact that he would obviously enjoy the place. But she wasn't entirely certain whether he would enjoy having to watch her perform. As a friend.
So she had been dropping hints, just enticing him with little tidbits of the shows. She told him when they happened and all that and tonight was her night but she wasn't even sure he would actually show up.
Be that as it may, she gave her all that night and when the set was done, she went backstage and contemplated on texting him before shaking her head and cleaning up.
She walked out of the backstage to the front as the cleanup crew started their shift, tying her fiery red hair up in a messy ponytail and bumped into someone.
got that good soul in my feet
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Oct 11, 2018 13:57:37 GMT
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81 Words
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can't stop the feeling
i got that sunshine in my pocket
The Aussie's eyebrows lifted in surprise when she heard the slight accent in the younger man. She smiled when he said she was in but she didn't celebrate just yet.
"You can't be better without some critiques. Hit me, boss man." She responded cheerfully.
She'd lived a life full of criticism from plenty of people for much less. Dancing was her passion and even though she knew she was excellent by her own merits, she always had things to improve on.
got that good soul in my feet
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Oct 11, 2018 13:57:37 GMT
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148 Words
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can't stop the feeling
i got that sunshine in my pocket
When she first saw the flyer for The Green Fairy, Lena didn't think to take down the information until the day of. Which was why she was one of the last people of the day to audition.
"Hi, I'm Lena Cavanaugh, I'll be dancing for you today." She bent down a little and placed her wireless speaker on the floor in front of her and pressed play.
She stood with her back to the person holding the audition and at the first beat, she began to move. She'd practiced the choreography at home and in between her classes and knew she was going to nail it.
By the end of the choreography, she was breathing heavily but happy that she went through it without any mistakes. She smiled at the very young looking man in the chair below. "Do you judge now or will you call me later?"
got that good soul in my feet
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Oct 11, 2018 13:57:37 GMT
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135 Words
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can't stop the feeling
i got that sunshine in my pocket
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!"
got that good soul in my feet
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Oct 11, 2018 13:57:37 GMT
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151 Words
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can't stop the feeling
i got that sunshine in my pocket
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."
got that good soul in my feet
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Oct 11, 2018 13:57:37 GMT
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289 Words
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can't stop the feeling
i got that sunshine in my pocket
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."
got that good soul in my feet
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Oct 11, 2018 13:57:37 GMT
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143 Words
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can't stop the feeling
i got that sunshine in my pocket
"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.
got that good soul in my feet
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Oct 11, 2018 13:57:37 GMT
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109 Words
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can't stop the feeling
i got that sunshine in my pocket
Fifteen minutes of stretching later, Lena stopped the music player and asked everyone to hydrate as she walked over to Natalie. "How's everything so far?" She asked.
She knew it must be very daunting being a newcomer to anything, especially something that requires comfort in your own skin but she had a feeling Natalie would be very up to it.
"We'll be starting some basic salsa soon. Everyone will be new to these so you don't have to worry about looking awkward because everyone's learning at the same time." She grinned and ran her hand up and down Natalie's bare arms. "Just tap out whenever you're getting uncomfortable, alright?"
got that good soul in my feet
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Oct 11, 2018 13:57:37 GMT
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253 Words
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can't stop the feeling
i got that sunshine in my pocket
Smiling at the girls' enthusiasm, Lena pulled Natalie close by her waist and squeezed the younger woman lightly. "You guys are gonna be as much a teacher as I am today because Nat's not going to be the only newbie today!"
The girls squealed and hugged each other and walked away chattering about what they were going to teach the others when they come and Lena giggled. "I love their energy, don't you?" She looked up at Natalie with a beam before walking over to the corner to get the wireless speaker to the center of the room.
A few more children and adults trickled in, greeting Lena with just as much enthusiasm as the little girls as they dropped their bags in the corner and talked among themselves.
"Nat, you can sit at the back first, just watch. I would recommend you just get into the thick of things. You'll have plenty of space to move don't worry." Lena beamed at Natalie as she moved to the front of the class. Almost immediately everyone got into position.
"Good afternoon everyone! I hope you're all pumped for today's class! As always, we'll start with our warm ups so give each other some space and let's stretch!"
She pressed play on the speaker and a familiar upbeat tune started to fill the room. Lena showed them what they needed to do and once everyone was in position, she walked around to check everyone's posture, all the while counting them down and then changing directions.
got that good soul in my feet
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