SHOWTIME
By
Jacquimac
Part one
The dance teacher asked all the girls which of them could do splits comfortably, she was trying to get some sort of show ready for Christmas.
The boys were across the other side of the room and Brian and me were sitting against the wall about half between the two groups.
Me and Brian lived next door to each other and were best of friends, well to tell the truth we didn`t have any other friends.
We didn`t play sports due to being small compared to to rest of them, and soccer and rugby were the sports they played. The only time we mixed was at school and at dance class
The girls kept to themselves and only mixed at school and at dance class, but even at school everyone ignored us except for if they needed a target for they`re latest prank, and we were always the target.
To everyone at school we were knowned as the four eyed weirdoes because we always did well in the exams, what`s so wrong about reading a book or being good at subjects like science or maths?.
We didn`t do a lot that night in dance class and went home early, Brian`s mum picked us up in her car as usual and we went to the local fish bar.
The next day was saturday and as we didn`t have school to attend we could our own thing, the pair of us were out back trying to make a snowman without much success there wasn`t enough snow yet but we had fun trying and there was no snow left on the paths.
Later on we went watched some film on Television then attacked our homework when both mums decided to partake of their saturday afternoon fix of soaps.
On sunday morning Brian came round with his mum we were all going to the nearby retail park to shop another fun day, but we were there as pack mules carrying all the shopping to the car and returning for another load.
We hadn`t been home long before the three women who ran the dance studio arrived, they were friends of mums and had been invited for sunday dinner.
As soon as dinner had finished me and Brian disappeared to my room before we got roped into something.
To be fair both mums and the dance teachers were good to us, they didn`t treat us like freaks but they usually put is into some embarrassing situation at times, especially when it concerned dancing and no doubt it would happen again this year.
Yes this year was definately going to be another year were we were going to feel ridiculous and yes it was dancing again. We could never refuse to do what the Ladies asked us, but they didn`t treat us like mugs that would do anything for them.
Size, stature and that we wore spectacles limited us in gym and sports at school, so we took up dancing after our mums suggested it as way to keep fit and we took to it like fish, we were more supple than the rest of boys and most of girls and enjoyed what we could do.
For the next few weeks those of us that free in evenings would be attending the dance studio to get ready for new show, whatever they had chosen this year.
We knew the five women were plotting going by the sudden silence if we appeared near by and they kept their down so we couldn`t hear what they saying, but with the giggles and looks we got of them we knew they scheming again.
Both our fathers had been brothers and killed in the same crash a few years ago and the way we brought up we were well mannered and respected women as equals, and unusual for boys were tidy in our habits.
Monday at school went as normal for Brian and me with everyone either ignoring us or calling us names, after school we went to the dance studio and when everyone else arrived the teachers started seeing who could do the splits.
Most of girls managed it but when it came to the boys anly Brian and me could manage them with no problems, oh yes what a fun evening. Maybe we could manage better than the boys because we did ballet twice a week but it was laughable watching the other boys try.
The week continued like this every evening everyone was doing or at least trying to do the splits with those that manage okay helping were we could.
School was fun in a way after tuesday evening watching the boys hobbling a round at least none of them got hurt but they were a bit sore, the girls thought it was hilarious.
Try as we might we couldn`t find out what the show was going to be, I had snuck into the main office when no one was around but still couldn`t find out what planned and I didn`t like it.
I decided to try the room were they held the costumes and found it locked, looking through the glass panel on the door I saw a pile of newly delivered boxes and a rack filled with costume bags. I got caught during my snooping and was taken to the office, there was no punishment but I was told that we would be told on friday on what we were going to be do doing and as I left the room the giggling started.
As we walked to the dance studio I said to Brian " Have you noticed that when the teachers start giggling me and you usually end up in dresses ?"
"thats true and the fickle five start giggling when they see us" said Brian
We arrived at the studio and they started splitting us into two groupsall the girls were in one group and the boys in another and it finally came to me and Brian and we were told to join the girls, nothing unusual in that so far.
I notice most of mums and some of dads had turned up this evening and all the mums were looking at me and Brian and giggling, yes we were going to be doing girls parts again.
Before we left we each handed an untitled Video and told that we would be doing a dance that originated in the 1890`s in Paris France and that it would entail a lot of hard work, the giggling from the mothers got worse and the dad`s started laughing when we were told we would be doing
"THE CAN CAN"
It didn`t mean anything to us but the parents must know what type of dance it was going of the all the giggles and laughter.
SHOWTIME
By
Jacquimac
Part Two
Over the weekend Brian and me watched the video we had been given, it was called " Can Can" and was about the dance. It was amazing watching those dancers perform all those acrobatics in their long billowy dresses with layer upon layer of lace underskirts. We did a search of the internet to see what else we could find out and were surprised that it actually had it's beginnings in the 1830's although it was later in 1890's that it started to become the dance we know today.
When it was first performed it was usually performed by individuals in France and it wasn't until came to the UK and USA that it choreographed and line ups were used. Usually it was failed ballet dancers that did the Can Can and I could see why when I saw some of positions used. WE definitely weren't looking forward to performing that especially if we had to wear heels.
If mum hadn't paid our tuition for the year and if we hadn't promised to perform without being told what we were doing we might have stopped going to the dancing but dancing was something we were good at and enjoyed despite the number of times we ended up in dresses. When it came to the ballet performance in the summer we both ended up in tutus doing Swan Lake because they short of girls. they were always short of girls or so it seemed to us.
We had just started to watch the film for the second time when both our mums came back from shopping, for some reason they didn’t want us with them this time. They told us stop the film and they would make lunch and we could all watch it together, we of course had to unload the car and take the bags of clothes to mums room and the groceries to the kitchen.
Because our two houses were next door to each other and we had 6 bedrooms in ours, Brian and his mum were going to rent their home and move in with us over the next few weeks. Both mums were business partners though what they did we didn't know but they weren’t short financially.
After lunch we all went back into the living room and watched the film, Brian’s mum said "I can't wait to see you two in Can Can dresses with all those frills" and both women started giggling. Just before 5pm the dance teachers arrived, once again they had been invited for a meal, mum told them we had watched the film and all five of them started giggling. I was beginning to get embarrassed and annoyed with all their scheming and signaling to Brian stormed out of the room.
We were talking in my bedroom when we were called down to eat an hour later, when we arrived in the kitchen nobody said a word, this had me worried a bit. They were always making remarks or giggling just lately but tonight we all sat and ate in silence.
Mrs Hendricks who usually took us for ballet told that our ballet lessons would be changed so that we could practice some of the more extreme moves in the Can Can, boy oh boy we could hardly wait some of those moves looked like forms of torture. Mrs Dickens told us that she didn’t think we would much trouble learning the dance and Ms Blake said nothing just sat there smiling in a world of her own.
Before they left they gave us a folder and told us to start on the exercises shown in the photographs, I thanked them for the folder and promised we would start the next morning, they all smiled and left for their homes. The mums had gone upstairs and were starting to sort out the bags we took up for them earlier, we were put to start getting two of the empty rooms ready for new beds and furniture that were arriving on Monday afternoon.
Sunday morning we had a light breakfast instead of our usually greasy spoon offerings, as soon as Brian came round we went down into the basement which had been turned into a practice room for us and had a look at the first exercise. The first exercise started with the splits as normal but slowly progressing until we able to do the splits up a wall, it didn’t help that we kept falling over at first but we got to a stage were we could manage it. God it wasn’t an easy exercise to perform, and one I'd never seem before we were a bit bruised and battered and after a couple of hours decided to call it a day as far exercising went.
We arrived at school on Monday and were immediately surrounded by boys who attended the dance classes wanting to know what was happening, all I could tell them was that I only knew what everyone else had been told on Friday. A lot of them were threatening to quit but I had a feeling their parents wouldn’t let them, not after paying for a years tuition.
At least we getting picked on today and classes went pretty quietly for a change, even the teachers were a bit worried with the subdued atmosphere.
At break I had to go to the Headmasters office were he asked me if I knew why everyone in our year was so quiet so I told him what had happened at Fridays dance class and he started laughing " I must get tickets for that show" he said as I left. He passed word to the teachers what was going on and the giggling and laughter started and the bullies didn’t like that one bit.
When we went to dance class that night quite a few of boys were dragged in by their fathers and told to stop being wimps, although we didn't know it the boys were not going to be wearing dresses except for Brian and me as was getting to be customary. That night was spent getting measured for costumes and everyone got measured, the girls were handed folders and like Brian and me were told to work through the exercises.
Tuesday night was our ballet night and as we had been told our routine had been changed, tonight we practicing or in my case learning to do cartwheels, yes I know 13 yr old boys can do cartwheels no problem, but not in my case I'd never tried them before or had the inclination to try them. I knew people that could walk on their hands, but like I always said "what was the point if you can get around on your feet".
SHOWTIME
by
Jacquimac
Part Three
I finally solved the problem about falling over when I did the splits up a wall, If I kept one leg away a couple of inches from the wall and leaned into the wall at the same time I found I didn't fall over. As for the cartwheels that what a different matter, I didn`t find them easy at all due to my spectacles flting off all the time and me trying to grab them. In the end we got hold of a strap that was designed to keep them in place but in the end It got that I could them no problem.
Brian had no problem with cartwheels and after I showed him how I figured out the splits we moved on to next exercises, the next exercise was going to cause a real problem as we had to wear shoe with a heel. When our mums went had done the shopping at weekend unknown to us they had bought us both shoes with a two inch heel, no wonder they were giggling their heads off.
Wednesday evening the pair of us spent the evening walking around in the damned shoes and our feet were killing us at the end of the night. We noticed that our mums had been doing more and more shopping lately and not groceries either, they had taken a couple of weeks from work and left the business in the hands of one of their managers.
We had three weeks before the performance and a lot of hard work in front of us. There was dance shop in town and thursday aftre school thats where we were taken, the dance teachers were there when we arrived after they said hello to our mums we went inside. We went over to shoe section and were fitted with the shoes that we would be wearing on the night, these were specially made the soles were supposed to non slip, which made me wonder as we normally slid down into the splits.
That evening we got used to wearing the shoes around the house, we had worn heels before but this time usually wearing tight but now they had us suspender belts and stockings. We had resigned ourselves to the fact we making up the girls numbers again, to be honest we didn`t mind as we both went into the dancing with heart and soul. It may seem funny but looking back it made sense in a perverse sort of way we knew both the male steps and female steps by the time we finished.
As the days and practice sessions went by it was soon time for costume fittings and rehearsals, this year only the girls were dancing and sure enough they two short. The boys were going to be sitting around small tables as if they were in a french cafe and at different times teams of girls would come on stage doing a different variation of the Can Can.
The final scene was to be the complete Can Can with all the jumping, twirls, splits and of course the lifting up of the dress skirt showing the frilly panties.Each team of girls would be dressed in different colours Red and white, Yellow and White, and Black and White, the principle dancers were in Black and white with gold edging.
The rehearsals went ok and the dresses were fitted and before we knew it the night of the show arrived, actually there 3 nightly performances as the hall could only hold around 200 seats.
\our mums took me and in early than the rest, we already had on the underwear, stockings and padded bras, so all we had to do was wrestle into umpteen layers of lacy slips, and the dress before our make up and wigs were put on and before we went on stage the feathered headwear. everyone commented that Brian and I looked fantastic in full costume, the teasing had stopped days before when everyone saw easy the two of made it look.
The show was great success and everyone loved how realistic the dancing was with the principle dancers doing mid air splits, slipt were one leg was straight up in the air and touching the other 3 principles feet while we hopped around in a circle. I thing the audience really enjoyed when we all bent over and flicking our dresses above our waists shown our frilly panties.
Everynight after the show the whole cast and audience gave Brian and I a standing ovation, the local rag had said that we were boys and had dance the girls parts becuse they were short on girls and were very complementary about the whole show.
Now we are looking at our own dance studio many years later and thinking back how we roped into doing girls parts stood us in good stead, when we left school we went to dance school full time and eventually formed our own dance company that was continually on tour. Even as a professional we sometimes had to dance girls part and nobody gave it another thought as they say "The Show Must Go On"
We had invested a lot of money in new studio, it was purpose built and any form of dancing could be taught in here.Well I have to go and meet our first students and their parents.And no we didn`t end up wearing dresses or becoming girls, our teachers had seen our love of dancing and made sure that we had an grounding in all types of dance that they taught.
"Good evening Boys and Girls and Parents welcome to Brian and John`s Dance studio"
The End