#in the end i just settled for the ballet title ok everyone knows what this is

[dozydawn]

Mayerling.

Melissa Hamilton and Rupert Pennefather.

Lauren Cuthbertson and Thiago Soares.

Natalia Osipova and Edward Watson.

Melissa Hamilton and Rupert Pennefather.

Natalia Osipova and Edward Watson.

Sarah Lamb and Steven McRae.

[scvereignty]

introduction iii.

P E R D I T A   D E   H A V I L L A N D (  p r i m a   b a l l e r i n a  )

exposed décolletage waiting to be bruised, a corset pulled to the point of breathlessness, fairytales with a grisly end, pale ornate ceilings, gilt chairs with frayed cushions, a basket full of inedible mushrooms, cold cheeks with pink spots, marble statues with carved veils, the draft through an open window, a child in lipstick, swans on the morning lake, a knife hanging from the ceiling, raw and calloused feet, a small cluster of stars in a blank sky, a fox snared by a jagged fence, straining muscles, canopy beds, honey slow-falling from a spoon, tulle skirts, lingering perfume in an empty room, ice baths, bills left on the bedside table, white-heat from a spotlight, the indent of teethmarks on skin, flowers in an elaborate updo, chilled white wine, a perfect fouette, wooden slats painted to look like an enchanted forest, lying in pink silk on someone else’s bed, blood in pointe shoes, an extended hand with no one reaching back, lovely girls lined in a perfect row, a poisoned apple.

age: twenty-nine

nicknames: dita, dot

sexuality: heterosexual

gender: cisgender female

title: lady

UNDER THE CUT : HISTORY & TRIVIA !

ya girl back at it again

this time with WAY MORE DRAMA… and a lot more extra

in a tl;dr version of the de havilland family history, some king of genovia way back in the day gave a marquis title to one of his buds - as kings are ought to do. for a time they flourished while they were in favour, but it was brief compared to how they faded over time until they were left a half step away from Nothing

quick cut to now: they have a huge, beautiful-but-extremely-run-down house, no actual money, and 0 prestige. so literally, the title is just a prefix at this point and nothing else

i like to envision perdita’s mother as a mix of mother gothel, mrs bennet, and the evil stepmother -- so it should be no surprise that in her youth, she pursued princess ariadne renaldi’s husband despite their recent marriage

they had a brief affair which resulted in her pregnancy with perdita, which was in the plan. what was not was him then ending the tryst and insisting she leave the genovian court and return to her family home. she has 4 more daughters, each but the last 2 from different fathers in her chasing of nobility

her desire for Money Power Glory was pushed onto her 5 daughters. despite the shambles of their home and growing debt, she continually found ways to finance them in an effort to restore their family to its former status. they’re given homeschooling in the “art” of courtly life, preservation of beauty, and most importantly how to attract a man. they’re dressed up to look far older than their age and know things should not

dita was drawn to ballet organically, but it was only approved as an extracurricular of hers because her mother felt she could shoehorn this into an avenue for her to receive male attention. which did, work -- because performances were often attended by aristocracy, she would meet and have varying relationships with these attendees or nobility. nearly always at the push of her mother. i’m also not gonna get into it but i’ll say it’s... waned dangerous close to being pay for play

was given the title of prima ballerina close to five years ago! she’s now 29 and will inevitably only have a handful of years left pushing her body in the extreme way she does before retirement. there is a delicate balance between perdita feeling it has been her choice to pursue something she loves vs. feeling it was the ministrations of her mom

in terms of her status as mignonette’s sister, she is an ill-kept secret to the locals of the genovian court. because her mother is... many things, not least among them big-mouthed, most everyone is aware she’s an illegitimate child

it ceased being a scandal looong ago; in her childhood when there was a chance she would be a threat to the throne (at least insomuch as the peace surrounding it, not necessarily that she would vie to be legitimized), there was hesitancy and tension when she was brought to the palace. she had little to no communication with any of the royal family until she was promoted to prima, at which point the unease had settled

was her naming a deliberate reference to shakespeare’s perdita, and would her mother love for her to somehow become legitimized for the throne? absolutely. 

will she take a royal marriage as substitute? surely and without complaining. sugar daddy? fine. as long as she’s bringing in something 

especially seeing as she’s closing in to thirty -- an age her mother sees as retirement from ballet and viability for marriage -- there’s been increasing stress and hysteria over her most profitable daughter running out of time. mignonette’s courting was a blessing for the de havilland matriarch as it was exposure to an array of foreign monarchs

dita is a soft girl, and filled with a great deal of sadness over the things she’s done and is meant to do - still she’s hopeful and kind, curious and bubbling. but the effects of her upbringing are there too -- the ability to lie and manipulate, the (mis)conception that her worth is her looks (and subsequently how tightly she clings to her status as prima ballerina --a solid thing that proves there is something else about her worth admiring), the love-and-run mantra, the willingness to let her body be used and be charming despite it

ok this is terrible but i cant keep rewriting it so i guess this is done now pls love her

TRIVIA !

was known as “dot” as a kid because she was so teeny and adorable

rumoured to be the mistress of a visiting prince 

has a v sensitive scalp due to years of her mother bleaching her hair improperly at home

definitely has a thing for older men. we call that symptomatic of daddy issues

her relationship with her eldest sister is wrought with tension, trauma and the carnage of competition laid out by their mother -- perdita has done better than her socially, and for that she’ll never be forgiven

[zukalations]

92nd Class - Manaharu Market! #1: Ayanagi Shou, Snow Troupe

Mana Haruto’s GRAPH column on the 92nd class members ran through 2013. The first installment, featuring Ayanagi Shou, was published in the February issue.

(Mana’s writing style is a little quirky, but I reproduced it the best I could)

92nd Class - Manaharu Market! #1: Ayanagi Shou, Snow Troupe

Hello, GRAPH readers~ 🌟 This is Snow Troupe's Mana Haruto. Starting this month and lasting the rest of the year, I'll be hosting a column by and for members of the 92nd class!! I'm going to do my best to present the appeals of the 92nd class members, who are full of unique qualities - I hope you will discover even a little more about them!

The column title? I swiped the title of a TV show and made 'Manaharu Market'...as you've probably guessed already, I really like that show*! Thank you so much to the lady in the editorial department who made this awesome design!

OK! If I don't write something this will never get started!

So, the guest for this historic first column is...Ayanagi Shou, from my own Snow Troupe ✨ Ya~y 😃 Ya~y 😃 Her nichname is 'Shou'! Just like her stage name~ Easy to remember!

When it was decided I would be writing this column...

Shou: 'Hey, make sure you write a lot of good stuff, 'kay?' She said that re~ally pushily...I wonder how that turned out!? Hahaha...

As for the photoshoot theme for this column, we got really excited talking about that when we went on a troupe vacation recently. We settled on a parody of a school story - Shou-kun became a delinquent kid, and I'm a shy student**. The two of us were so thrilled to have our photos taken in the old-fashioned school uniforms 📸

Both: 'How about this pose!? Oh! That's so cool~ ✨'

We kept praising ourselves through the whole photoshoot. Everyone, what do you think of naughty student Shou-kun in her uniform!?

When we were discussing the costume options...

Mana: 'Since there aren't many opportunities like this, what would you think of dressing up as Sento-kun***? He's really popular.'

Shou: 'No... I don't think I could pull that off...'

Mana: '...I guess not 😅'

Sorry about that, Shou-kun.

But, I wanted to show everyone anyway, so I drew it! ✨ Please use your powers of imagination to turn this into reality ✨

The start of Shou-kun's Takarazuka life

One of her seniors at the ballet troupe she studied with since she was little became a member of Takarazuka, and going to see her in a show was Shou-kun's initial motivation. She thought 'I want to join too!' and so took the entrance exam...and passed!

My first impression of Shou-kun when she joined TMS was 'a cute Kansai kid with big bright eyes!' She was actually shorter than she is now, so I thought of her as a petite 'little sister' figure 💖 But then she kept growing, and before I knew it she became such a handsome otokoyaku 😲

Shou: 'I guess I had my growth spurt while I was in TMS 😃'

She wasn't the type to get in trouble as a yokasei (!?) and what really stands out to me is that one time she made onigiri at home and brought them for everyone to eat 🍙 (Whoa! What a good person!)

As she kept growing (LOL, I said it again), we made it to graduation. Then, we were assigned to Snow Troupe ⛄️ At the beginning, we didn't end up in many scenes together. Recently we're finally acting and dancing together 😃

Shou: 'Since we're classmates we can get really honest advice from each other, right ✨ '

Mana: 'Adlib scenes are so fun~ (!?)'

We always improvise the adlibs off-the-cuff, so they change every time... It's a nervous feeling but in a good way, and we have tons of fun with it 😃

Shou-kun is basically re~ally diligent at heart. She's always thinking about her roles, so it seems that her characters are never out of her head...however, normally she speaks in intense Kansai dialect and is quick with banter. This has resulted in some slip-ups...

For example, the Romeo et Juliette shinjin kouen. Shou-kun played Mercutio, of the Montague house. In the scene 'Duel' everyone's emotions are at their highest, and as the title says its a duel scene where Mercutio's fury against the Capulets boils over 🌋 Shou-kun shouted at Rinjou Kira-kun, who was playing Tybalt.

Shou: 'Yo, c'mon~!!! (yelling)'

...Huh!? What!? Did she say 'Yo, c'mon'!? Kansai dialect!? M-m-mercutio!!?? After that, the more we thought about it, the funnier it got, so none of us could forget it ⚡️

Shou: ‘I just shouted without thinking  😅 I was surprised too~'

Whenever us classmates remember that incident we just crack up. Though we know exactly how it all went...we still laugh uproariously. That's the result of Shou-kun and her character becoming united! (That was our final interpretation~)

Shou: 'You'd never really get a chance to shout 'Yo, c'mon!' on stage (laughs)' (That's very true!)

But there's one thing Shou-kun struggles with...

Blackouts! When the lights go out suddenly for a scene transition, it's called a blackout. In the stage rehearsals of Beyond the Blaze, she delivered her final lines looking really cool in her white costume - then, blackout!! When the lights went up the next moment, we saw someone in a white costume lying on the stage. Huh!? Shou-kun 😅??

Apparently, she couldn't tell which way it was to where she had to exit into the wings and tripped. I could hardly believe it was the same person who had been so cool up until just moments ago - I knew I shouldn't laugh but...I laughed 😃 Then, she burst out laughing too!! To prevent any further accidents, our classmate Momohana Hina-chan would stand in the wings and clap her hands, and Shou-kun would exit to where she heard the sound, holding both hands out in front of her - although it was quite a primitive method, it got her through the whole run of the show without any accidents (look, I wrote it~)

The blackout-challenged Shou-kun has 2 main goals for the future. First is to appear with all her classmates currently in Snow Troupe at the Sports Meet**** ✨ As our careers have gone on, more of our classmates have retired, and with Kira-kun being transferred from Snow Troupe to Cosmos Troupe she's felt once again how precious one's classmates are, apparently.

Shou: 'While it seems only natural to be together with everyone, it's actually such a valuable thing.'

Exactly!! Wonderful, Shou-kun!!

Her 2nd goal is to break down her own barriers 🔨

Shou: 'I want to destroy all the unconscious barriers I've build up around myself, and take on all sorts of different challenges!'

Oh my gosh!! Her eyes are sparkling 👀 Shou-kun spoke so passionately! While I'm normally around Shou-kun, I don't have a lot of chances to hold in-depth conversations with her, so I was really happy to get this chance to talk with her again 😃 Shou-kun is so cool onstage - did you discover any new charms from reading this? Shou-kun continues to advance, and I have high hopes for her future performances! Please come see her at the theatre! We'll be waiting 😃

* ‘Hanamaru Market’ was a very popular Japanese morning show.

** Their uniform looks:

*** Sento-kun is the character mascot for Nara. Here’s Mana’s drawing:

**** The 2014 centennial sports meet was approaching at the time.

[crysj88]

Phylax ch 4 Who you’d be today Avengers x OC

Bennett stood in the hotel lobby, the sun was beginning to set outside. She surveyed the area. Entrances/exits, windows, emergency exits, stairs, elevators, security personnel, housekeepers, receptionist, valet, doormen, security cameras, safes, keypad entry doors. This place would take a while to get locked down. With Happy helping though they would get it done. “Alright, kid,” and speak of the devil, “do you wanna room with Tony for security purposes,” he gave his head a few subtle nods, “or sleep in the room across the hall,” a few subtle shakes. He held up the room keys in turn. 

“What are Tony’s late night plans for the next few days?” She asked apprehensively. 

“Happy and I have big plans. Gonna make friendship bracelets, a spa day, manicures, I am thinking movies and facials tonight,” Tony walked up to their conversation.

The girl reached out and plucked the card for the second room with a smirk. “My decision has been made for me.”

“Lancaster?” A man approached, the head of security for the hotel according to his uniform. He held a hand out to Happy. Happy looked from the man then to the blonde and back. 

“That would be me. Nice to meet you Mr?” she shook his hand.

“Alvarez,” he had the same shocked look they had all seen many times before.

“Mr. Alvarez, Bennett Lancaster. I would like to talk to you about the security layout in the hotel,” she followed the man calling over her shoulder, “Hap, take my bag up for me. 2306. You and Tony are in the other room. Meet you in half an hour, yeah?”

The hotel’s security only needed to be buffed up in a few areas. Camera coverage was good, minimal blind spots. Setting motion sensors on their hallway would make up for those. Extra cameras in the fire escape stairwells. Mr. Alvarez was more than happy to help wherever needed and assured his staff would be as well.

She made it up to the rooms to settle in about 9. Late room service, a shower and sleep. The next few days were more than likely going to be a nightmare.

She slid the room key into the slot before opening the door. Shutting it quietly behind her she heard the sound of a hair dryer.  “Tony? Hap?” It was probably just Tony or Happy borrowing the shower, it wouldn’t be the first time. They didn’t do well having to share space. She shut the door, deciding to just wait it out. After grabbing the shorts and tank top she packed for pajamas she surveyed. A giant king sized bed, two night stands, a dresser, flat screen tv, it looked just like any other hotel room. A rich, fancy hotel but a hotel. She walked toward the window on the far side of the room. A couch was pushed up against the wall. 

The bathroom door opened and she spun. There in pajama pants and a t-shirt, long red hair hanging straight down her back, was Natalie. “Ms. Rushman? Tony never told me you were joining us.”  

"I was a last minute addition. Mr Stark is a bit impulsive if you haven't noticed." She gave a teasing smile. "Have you eaten? I thought about seeing if I could find a pizza."

"Sounds like a good plan to me. Tony has been on a health kick, low carbs and weird teas. I could use junk food.” Bennett shifted from foot to foot.

"Great!" She hopped onto the bed and grabbed the phone calling the front desk. 

Bennett headed into the bathroom to take a quick shower, stopping by her bag on the way to trade the tank top for a t-shirt. The shower gave her time to think and formulate a plan. Heading back into the room she grabbed one of the pillows from the bed, and the throw blanket from the back of the couch and tried to make herself comfortable. The room was freezing. The blanket was too small to cover her body unless she curled up and even at that it was thin. The couch was only slightly more comfortable than the floor. She adjusted the pillow again. Nope, the floor was probably more comfortable.

“What are you doing?,” Natalie hung up the phone. Long phone call for pizza?

“Finding the comfy spot on the couch to sleep,” the bodyguard answered. 

“The bed is huge beyond enough room for both of us,” she pulled back the covers to emphasize the size.

“I’m good. The couch is perfectly fine.” The couch was one of those that is made for looks not comfort. 

“I am calling bull on that,” she raised one eyebrow looking the couch over sceptically.

“I’m good,” she insisted, pulling the blanket up, only for it to slide off her feet at the other end. 

“You will kill your back if you sleep over there.” She went for a logical approach. When that failed she decided to go with a little truth.  “The day your uh...friend came to see you. I was the one that brought her to your office. I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop, but her voice carries. So I kinda figured some things out.”

“So you understand why I am sleeping on the couch.” Bennett pointed out the obvious. 

“You were raised with too much southern respect, or whatever you call it. I can trust you” she smiled, “besides I heard something else that day.” Bennett closed her eyes, Emily had not been kind. 

“What she said about me, it isn’t the first time those things have been said. But it is the first time someone has stood up for me. So...I trust you,” she looked up meeting the other woman’s eyes. Bennett got lost in the green of her irises.  “We can even put pillows down the middle of the bed if it makes you more comfortable.”

“You are really okay with this?” She slowly made her way to the bed.

“Since I started working for Tony, I have seen you open the door for people at least a hundred times, you know the names of everyone down to the mail guy and call everyone Mr. or Ms., every request you have made of me has been delivered with a ‘please’ and received with a ‘thank you’. You were raised to show respect. I can trust you.” She shot a dazzling smile in the blonde’s direction as she scooted to the far side of the bed. “Besides it gives us a chance to talk. I think we both could use a friend.”

She threw the pillow back on the bed then tentatively sat on the edge of the bed opposite Natalie. She reached for the remote, turning to the movie channels “So movie preferences?”

“Action is good or horror. I love a good thriller,” her eyes lit with something akin to mischief but...more deadly? 

She hid the shiver, flipping to the right channels and reading the titles.  “Ok we can do any of these. Except “IT”. I don’t do clowns. They have scared me since I was a kid.”

“Like run screaming scared or hide under the bed scared,” she teased.

“You never hide under the bed, that’s where all the monsters live,” Bennett shrugged like the suggestion was ridiculous. “What are you scared of?”

There was a knock on the door before she could respond. Natalie went to answer but was stopped as Bennett grabbed her wrist. She pulled the pistol Tony insisted she carry. She checked through the peephole and saw it was the pizza. A quick glance at her phone showed all sensors were clear so she opened the door. She gave the man the money and a generous tip before closing the door and carrying it back to the bed. Natalie headed to the minifridge. “Soda or beer?”

“I never drink when I am out with Tony. Have a hard enough time keeping him out of trouble when I am sober,” she gave an over exaggerated sigh. 

“Alright soda it is,” Natalie took out two of the expensive bottles tossing one to Bennett. It would be on Stark's bill so why not. 

“When I open these boxes I am not going to find anything really weird on them like anchovies or anything am I, Ms. Rushman” she gave the first pizza box a tentative sniff.

“No, one should be canadian bacon and pineapple the other a supreme, nothing too wild.” She opened the second box that turned out to be the pineapple one. “Can I ask a favor?”

They each took a slice from one box or the other, settling back to watch the movie. “You can ask,” Bennett replied.  Natalie had found some horrifying movie about a serial killer. Bennett watched it without flinching but she couldn’t wait for it to end. 

She turned to look at the blonde. “Can you just call me Nat from now on? I am not a big fan of Ms. Rushman.” 

“Of course,” her eyes were a warm, golden brown. “One condition. From now it’s Benn, in extreme cases Bennett. But no more Lancaster.”

“So ‘Kid’ is off the table too,” she smirked. 

“If you must, fine, but it’s not my favorite.” One thing was for sure a couple dozen times of Natalie calling her “kid” and any crush she might be developing would die. 

“No, ‘kid’ I promise, except when I really need to get your attention.” Bennett started to protest but the words died on her lips when she saw her smile. So maybe there was a crush already there. 

As the murder movie marathon continued Natalie began to ask questions. Questions about Tony and what it was like working for him. If everything they said about the Ironman was true. Questions about the tower and some of the people she had met there. 

The blonde countered with questions about her past.  Where she grew up?  Russia. Explains the room temperature. About her family? Abusive parents, several sisters. School? Private. She shared a few stories about playing with her sisters in the snow and the ballet school they all attended.

She then ventured into Bennett’s past. Born and raised in Texas. Public school. Four siblings, Elanora Elayne 33, Leopold Arthur 27, Fitzwilliam Charles her twin, and Zacharias Liam 18. She told a few stories from her own childhood.

“Interesting name choices,” Natalie smiled, “so what's yours?”

“That, my dear, is something not even Tony knows,” she drained the last of the soda. 

“Please I won’t tell a soul, I swear,” she pleaded. 

The look on Natalie’s face, Bennett would tell her just about anything. “Give me yours first.”

Her smile was wide enough to show teeth. “Natalie Aleece Rushman.”

Her name was pretty and it flowed off the tongue easily. “Natalie Aleece. I should have asked for something more embarrassing.”

“You promised so” she looked at the woman expectantly. 

“Fine. You have to understand that my mother had a bit of an obsession when my brother and I were born. So he was named Fitzwilliam Charles Lancaster and I got landed with,” she took a deep breath, “Bennett Darcy Lancaster.”

The corners of Natalie’s mouth twitched as she held back a laugh. “So Pride and Prejudice, that was the obsession.”

“All of Jane Austen really but yeah

 Mom's original choice was Elizabeth Jane. Dad said if my brother and I were going to be named after literary characters, it should be painfully obvious.” Bennett pushed the bangs out of her face again. It was drying and she knew the natural curls were making the short locks stick up at unnatural angles. Natalie hadn’t commented yet so maybe it wasn’t too bad.

They talked late into the night. Mainly just small talk but you can learn a lot about someone from small talk. What Bennett learned was that there was something off about Nat, something didn’t quite add up. 

The sparse tree line over the creek offered little shade from the summer sun. The grass under the children's feet crunched, dry from lack of rain and the hot August days. Sweat dripped in the twins eyes as they raced across the field. They stopped when they heard Leo's kite crash to the ground yet again. 

"Let me try, Leo," Fitz ran toward the darker haired boy. Bennett following her brother. 

"No," Leo said, jerking it out of the reach of the two six year olds before running deep into the field. The two gave chase laughing at the game. 

Leo dashed between two trees, the kite hanging on a limb. Fitz raced after his older brother dodging through the trees. Bennett stopped at the kite. She could hear their older sister calling them. It took a few moments but she managed to free the kite from the tree. She hid it in the bushes to throw Elanora off their scent for a little longer. Hiding from her was always fun. She scrambled after the two boys. 

The three young Lancasters chased each other up the incline towards the deepest part of the creek. Being spring fed the water was always flowing deep, crisp, and cool. 

As Bennett crested the top of the hill catching up to her brothers Fitz slipped falling into the creek. Bennett scrambled trying to reach her twin, tripping a few times herself. Reaching the bank she could see Fitz fighting to sit up, fighting to push his way out of the water. His head was slammed back under the surface hard, red began to mix with the water.

Bennett raced to Fitz. She climbed into the water to get a better hold on her brother. She reached for his shoulders but found her hands wrapping around his throat. Bennett tried to move her hands again to his shoulder but they just squeezed tighter around his throat. 

Fitz wrapped his hands around his sister’s wrists fighting her grip. Trying to break her loose. As he broke the surface of the water again. Bennett slammed him under. 

Bennett’s hands slowly constricted his airway only letting up long enough to allow him to breathe in a lungful of water before squeezing again. 

Tears pooled in the small girl’s eyes and streamed down her cheeks as she tried to pull away from her twin. Tried to release her hold but something forced her hand to stay even as she saw the life drain from his body. Face paling and lips tinting blue. His eyes wide, the brown that had matched her own now growing lifeless. Bennett felt her lungs burning at each mouthful of water pushed in and the raw burn from the constriction from her own hands. She felt her body temperature drop with his and her heart slow. She began losing touch with the world around her as his mind became muddled from lack of oxygen. When Fitz’s heart gave its last beat, Bennett’s hands were freed. 

Immediately she tried to pull him from the water but she lacked the strength.  A voice called from behind her, “Benn, what did you do?” Elenora and Leo stood on the crest of the hill looking down at her. 

Panic set in. Her small hands covered in her brother’s blood. Her fault. His body floating in the swollen creek. Her fault. His lifeless eyes staring up at her. Accusing her. It was justified, she had done it. Fitz was dead because of her. Her fault. 

Bennett ran from the creek and through the field back toward their home. 

Her fault.

If she could get to Momma she could fix it. Momma could fix anything. Even this. The house though wasn’t where it should have been. She was lost.

Her fault. 

Fitz was dying. Fitz was dead. 

Her fault. 

She ran and ran. Searching for home, calling for her mother. Getting no closer to finding either. The coldness she had felt from Fitz began to seep in again. 

Her fault. 

“Bennett,” a faint voice called. 

Her heart began to slow, and breathing became shallow. She fell to her knees, tears mixing with the blood on her hands as she cried for relief of some sort.

 “Bennett.”

 Darkness crept in crowding her vision. She deserved this.

 “Bennett”

 She deserved death for what she had done. What she was capable of. Bennett lay in the field curling her small body as tight into itself as she could, surrendering to the end. Breath growing slower, pulse getting weaker, vision growing darker and body temperature dropping by the minute. It was going to be a slow death. 

“Benn.”  

She closed her eyes accepting fate even as the tears continued to fall. Death was scary. She lay waiting for the end but it didn’t come. 

Instead of getting colder the next minute she felt an added warmth. The minute after that her vision began to soften if not lighten. She began to slip into a peaceful sleep. Breathing returning to a natural pace, listening to a soft heartbeat that was not her own but promised safety.

[miraculouskatsukii]

*ROLLS IN* FIC TITLE MEME: EVACUATE THE DANCEFLOOR (btw this is my new blog, unfollow the other *cringes* ~noc)

hi babystar!! this title got seriously close to a fic idea i’ve been nurturing for a few months so excuse the shitty try at something else

“What do you mean, we need to get out?” Phichit stepped in front of Yuuri, taking his place in facing off the angry ballet student from second floor. They were halfway through their morning practice today, and things were getting increasingly intense. End of year repetitions were making everyone go crazy, because auditions would be going on soon, and no one wanted to be unprepared for that.

“I said,” he stomped, shaking his blonde hair out of this face, “You guys need to get out because our studio’s been flooded and we need floor space. And obviously, we should take your studio, idiot!”

“Oh,” Yuuri’s and Phichit’s eyes widened. “Oh, I see, you’re one of those people who place ballet over every other dance form. Uh, yeah, That’s an even bigger no. We’ve had this place reserved for weeks.”

“Idiots! Wait till Madame Baranovskaya gets here, she’ll-”

“I’ll what Yura? Make them move? I certainly will,” A tall, slender woman walked - no, that was wrong - floated into the room as more ballet students crowded at the door to their studio. Victor peered in carefully, catching Yuri’s eye and winking at him. They had just started going out and Yuuri still wasn’t past the point where he blushed overtime Victor so much as looked at him.

“Well, then? What are you waiting for?” she snapped. “Show me that you are all working at something worthwhile, and I’ll leave you to it.”

An awkward silence settled around the room as modern and ballroom dancers stared at each other in confusion. “Do you- do you mean you need us to dance ballet?” Yuuri asked quietly. They all knew what was coming.

“Well, of course, boy! What else would I ask you to dance?” Madame Baranovskaya snapped. “Clear the floor, and I better see your best dancer on there.”

Phichit’s gaze steeled over. He turned quickly on his heel to face Yuuri and the rest of the room. “I think we all know who’s going to bedding this. Yuuri - you better show them what you’re made of.”

Everyone hurried onto the benches to the side of the room. Yuuri was still standing in the middle, mouth gaping. He looked over the crowd of proud-faced ballet students sneering at him and knowing that they were all waiting for him to fail only determined him to prove them wrong. With an encouraging nod from Victor, he reached for his phone and pressed play on Aurora’s first act from Sleeping Beauty.

They wanted to watch him fall on an arabesque? How about watching him complete thirty-two fouettes? He knew he could do more, even. 

This isn’t a competition, there’s no reason to be anxious, he assured himself. I can do this. He caught Victor’s eyes again as he arranged his feet into fifth. I can do this.

As the song played he spread his arms, transporting himself into the mindset he  always needed for ballet. ballet was precise, controlled, every movement a perfect calculation of human capabilities; modern was so freeing and unbridled, that was mostly why he had chosen it over ballet.

Fourth, and, arms bent, 1, 2, 3, 4- fingers stay fixed, chin up chin up, shoulders down - keep those shoulders down! - more height on this leg, no don’t bend your back there-

Minako’s voice floated through his head, old instructions guiding him carefully, and luckily enough, he had retained his flexibility from practicing pole so it really wasn’t very hard to fall back into through these familiar movements. 

He pushed his leg around for the last time on his final fouette, setting down into a graceful ending with his arms extended outward to his side. There was only silence for a couple of moments; the sound of his heart, beating and his gasping breaths the only sounds in the room.

Then the tension snapped, all of his colleagues jumping up and cheering him on for his amazing performance. Yuuri broke character, smiling shyly as he reached for the nearest water bottle. Yuuri met Victor’s eyes again and his smile bloomed in tandem with Victor’s heart-shaped one. You were amazing, Victor mouthed. Yuuri knew they would probably talk later about this, but for now he wanted to know what Madame Baranovskaya had to say.

She surveyed him, eyes critical and closed off. he couldn’t read her at all. “You did fine.” 

Her students were whispering and pointing behind her. No doubt they were beginning to spread rumors about the ‘just fine’ ballet dancer at the modern dance section. Yuuri would have to deal with it, as always. 

She flipped out a business card and handed it to Yuuri. “Call me when you graduate.” Madame Baranovskaya turned around, her heels clacking on the floor as she left, followed by her students. Yurio was the last one in the room, and he shot Yuuri a scathing look as he left.

~~~

or, in which all of the characters are signed to a famous dance company and when the ballet students led by Madame Baranovskaya are left with no where to practice, they challenge the modern dance students for their studio - in a battle of ballet, of course.

ok i didn’t want to let this get any longer, I’m making these longer and longer rip its probably riddled w typos

[gramilano]

Nikisha Fogo, photo Yousik Kim

Swedish ballerina Nikisha Fogo will soon take up a new position in a new company when she becomes a principal dancer at San Francisco Ballet. After seven years with the Vienna State Ballet, passing through the ranks from the corps de ballet to first soloist, director Manuel Legris’ decision to leave the company after ten years (he will take over at La Scala in December 2020) was a stimulus for her to move on.

When the Opera House in Vienna cancelled its performances from the 11 March, Fogo stayed in Vienna, not knowing whether it would be possible to finish the season, not being able to go home to Sweden, or on to San Francisco to find an apartment and settle in.

Lockdown

It’s a strange time, especially for dancers. We’re used to moving in big spaces and being able to jump around, and that’s not possible at the moment. But at the same time, it’s been an interesting journey: everyone’s in it together, and I think there’s a chance to grow with having more time than we would normally.

At the beginning of the lockdown, I just took my time to relax and just chill a little, but now I’m doing classes at home, and there was even the chance to be in the studio in Vienna because the company organise Zoom classes with just one dancer, one pianist, and one teacher. So that was really nice to be back in the studio – alone, but with my colleagues watching me through the camera.

It’s a surreal time. What are your plans now for moving to San Francisco?

It’s all a big question mark. Now I’m in Vienna as we weren’t allowed to leave because we didn’t know what would happen. So we are waiting, the whole company is waiting to know when we can come back to work. There’s also the question mark regarding going to San Francisco. I’m supposed to start in July, and I finish in Vienna at the end of June, so let’s see.

I don’t have an apartment or anything yet in San Francisco. It’s really strange not knowing when you can go and also where are you going. And when I can leave, will I be able to go home to Sweden beforehand? With all my luggage?

Beginnings

Nikisha aged three at the Balettakademien in Stockholm

When people ask me where I’m from, and I say, “Oh, I’m from Sweden,” I always get a funny look because I don’t look typically Swedish: my mom is Swedish and I was born in Sweden, and my dad was born in England but his parents are from Jamaica.

Fogo is my father’s name and means’ fire’ in Portuguese, and I feel like it’s a fitting name for me, especially when I’m on stage: energetic and fiery. In Sweden, I was probably the only Nikisha, but when I went to Jamaica last summer to dance, they were more Nikishas, which was different for me. I’m used to standing out and being a little bit different.

Both my mom and dad were dancers. Not ballet dancers, but show dancing and hip hop, and sometimes background dancers to artists. They met in London when my mom worked there, and when they decided to move to Sweden, they opened the first, or at least one of the first, hip hop dancing schools in Sweden.

Nikisha in Hairspray the Musical playing Inez for two seasons from 13 14 years old

Nikisha during her time at the Royal Swedish Ballet School 2

Nikisha during her time at the Royal Swedish Ballet School

Nikisha In the Swedish film “Änglagård Tredje gången gillt”

Because of their background, my sister and I were always dancing. There was music playing all the time at home and we danced and danced, sometimes in front of the mirror… it was always kind of a party at home. It was very happy. I went to dance school to do hip hop, tap, and all of that, and I really enjoyed myself.

My sister doesn’t dance anymore – she’s a singer and I’m really proud of her. But I wanted to dance even more and going to the Royal Swedish Ballet School meant I could dance also during school hours, which was really interesting for me.

So you left behind hip hop and tap for good?

If I’m with my friends and there’s dancing, I do, but I don’t take any classes. If I slipped on a pair of tap shoes now I could do it, but I’d be very rusty!

Why ballet?

I was always interested in ballet from watching the Vienna New Year’s concert every year. I was fascinated by the ballerinas. Ballet is a good beginning for all dancers giving a good ground to stand on. If you have ballet, you can move forward in any direction in dance, and that’s one of the reasons why I thought it was a good idea to go to the ballet school. When I started, I fell in love and just focused on ballet.

Nikisha Fogo at the Prix de Lausanne, 2011

When Fogo was nine, she started attending the Royal Swedish Ballet School, but her life changed dramatically in 2011 when she participated in the Prix de Lausanne, just after her 16th birthday.

I went to Lausanne, and although I didn’t reach the finals the competition gives you the chance to show yourself to different schools, so I got offered a lot of different scholarships and I’m really grateful for that opportunity. I didn’t get any prize, but if you don’t win it doesn’t mean you can’t make it. Gailene Stock, the director of the Royal Ballet School at the time, spotted me and offered me the chance to come to the school.

They put me up a year, so I did the second year and third year of the Upper School. I was with Marcelino Sambé, Matt Ball, Anna Rose [Sullivan], Esteban Hernandez… a lot of talented people. We were a very good year, we pushed each other to be better and we learned from each other. It was a really good time.

As her time at The Royal Ballet School was coming to an end, she looked to joining a company, which meant the audition circuit.

The Vienna audition was the first audition that I did outside of England. It was very nerve-wracking because I did the open audition. There were a lot of people there, and auditions are a stressful situation to be in, but it was fun in the end. Manuel [Legris] let me get through to presenting my solo, and then I made it through having a talk with him. He told me he was interested and would let me know. Two or three weeks later, on 18 January which is my birthday, I got the call to say that I had got the contract. That was a really nice gift! I started in September.

Vienna

Nikisha Fogo as Medora in Le Corsaire by Manuel Legris, photo by Ashley Taylor, Vienna State Ballet

Nikisha Fogo rehearses Medora in Le Corsaire by Manuel Legris, photo by Ashley Taylor, Vienna State Ballet

Nikisha Fogo as Sylvia by Manuel Legris, photo by Ashley Taylor, Vienna State Ballet

In September 2011 she found herself in Vienna – a member of the Wiener Staatsballett.

I began in the corps de ballet and I worked my way up the ranks.

The company has a challenging mixed repertoire, rather like her new company in San Francisco. The interrupted current season, for example, included new commissions, with works by Forsythe, McGregor, Duato, Van Manen and Kylián, alongside modern classics by MacMillan, Ashton, Cranko and Balanchine, together with the 19th-century classics Coppélia, Le Corsaire, and Sylvia.

I feel really lucky as in Vienna I’m doing everything. I am happy that I’ve been able to have a part in almost every piece. I guess I’m kind of used to jumping from contemporary and to classical and vice versa – it’s hard, but it’s also very exhilarating.

Going from contemporary to classical actually feels like it helps me with the classical. Sometimes it’s nice to break away from the typical ways of doing things and maybe see things in a different way and approach classical steps with different eyes. I always find that after I’ve come back to the classical, I’ve improved in some way by even not doing classical work. Maybe from classical to contemporary can be harder because you’re used to being formal.

Nikisha’s ‘big break’ came in 2018 when she was chosen to dance the title role in Legris’ new production of the ballet Sylvia.

Manuel is very good at seeing the potential in people and then giving them the chance to explore and prove that they can do something. He encourages a lot of young dancers.

I was the first person to do the role of Sylvia, which was very special – to have a role created for you is incredible. Not many people can say that. The ballet is very demanding, but I love that… I love the challenge.

Legris must have had great faith in you because it’s a long and difficult role, requiring a lot of stamina –  so many jumps!

Jumping is kind of my thing, so that was ok, but it was my first full-length ballet. To carry a whole ballet is different than if you come in to do one solo and so on. Knowing when to push more and knowing when to hold back was challenging for me in the beginning, because I was just pushing through with everything I did. This is also good, but in the long run, you want to be able to do the last part of the ballet well too! It was something new for me, and I really learned a lot from that.

After seven years with the company, her first, Fogo has decided that it’s time to move on.

I’ve really had a good time in Vienna and I feel that I’ve developed nicely. I’ve never been given something that I couldn’t handle and I’ve had chances to dance many nice things, including Balanchine which I really enjoy.

I love working with Manuel because he’s a great coach. If you get the chance to be in the studio with him, you learn so much, and he knows how to pull out the best of you. I really enjoy that and I’m going to miss that a lot. But who knows what the future will bring?

I’m going to miss the company too, because I have a lot of really good close friends and I mean, after seven years in a place, it’s kind of like home. But I’m really excited to explore San Francisco and to meet new people and new friends and learn new things from the company too.

San Francisco

Nikisha Fogo, photo by Marian Furnica

I found out that Manuel was going to leave Vienna, though I didn’t know where going – no one really knew where he was going for a long time. So, I thought yeah, ok, I’ve been here a while now and I think it’s time to explore new places and learn new things.

Last year the San Francisco Ballet was on tour in London. I’d already seen the company when they were in Paris before. I thought, wow, this is such a good opportunity for me to actually do an audition in London because it’s quite hard to do auditions overseas when you’re working. I had some days free from performances, and so there was the possibility to go. It just felt right. So, I went for it, and I took company class in London and [company director] Helgi Tomasson was there. I got a contract.

A contract as a principal dancer. However, apart from Sylvia, Manuel’s production of Le Corsaire and Pierre Lacotte’s Coppélia, she hasn’t danced other leading roles in a full-length ballet. There will be a steep learning curve in San Francisco.

Yeah. It’s going to be really exciting. I’m excited about that challenge. And I also know that the working process is very different there than in Vienna, for example, or in Europe. We would rehearse for something and then directly after three or four weeks rehearsing it, we’d perform it. In San Francisco, they have a performing season, so they start by learning all the pieces in the season. So that’s also going to be interesting.

Although Fogo’s moving date is up in the air, she did get a chance to go to San Francisco last year.

I went for the first time last summer. I was dancing in a gala in Mexico and thought that it was a good opportunity to check it out. I was there for four days, but unfortunately, I got food poisoning from a restaurant so I couldn’t do class, and then when I did a tour of the building, I was feeling so bad that I don’t remember anything I saw, I was just concentrating on not being sick.

Well, they say a bad dress rehearsal means a great opening night.

Yes! But it’s going to be tough… especially in the beginning. It’s exciting, though also sad because I’m leaving friends and family such a long distance away.

I’m looking forward to exploring new roles and different roles from the ones I’ve done so far. And artistically I’m really excited too because each company has its own character and energy and I’m eager to explore that. Obviously, it’s a big deal to become a principal and I’m excited to take on that task and work really hard.

There are some clips of Nikisha Fogo on YouTube. For those who have not seen her dance, she not only has a strong technique but has been blessed with big eyes and a wide smile: an expressive face and such a very useful tool for a dancer.

I find that when you can express the joy or whatever emotion you’re trying to give off from the dancing, the audience can see when you’re truly feeling it. Also, for me, it’s essential when you’re with another dancer, to have a connection and communicate with each other, and not only through the steps that you’ve been given. The audience knows when an expression is just stamped on. It’s very important for me and luckily it comes naturally to me too.

San Francisco is lucky to have you.

I feel lucky too. I’m looking forward to growing not only as a dancer but also as a person.

[Interview] Meet Nikisha Fogo, San Francisco Ballet’s new Principal Dancer Swedish ballerina Nikisha Fogo will soon take up a new position in a new company when she becomes a principal dancer at San Francisco Ballet.