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Post by Abby Foster on Aug 16, 2011 14:54:05 GMT -5
Abby hesitated outside the dance studio’s classroom. One hand twisted around the strap of her gym bag, the rough material manipulated reassuringly under her nervous touch. Abby had been to Aidan Taylor’s dance studio once before and had attended one of his dance classes. It took only one to make her realize that she was not ready to handle a crowd of people; the cluster of bodies and their oppressive closeness; their anonymous faces and her overpowering shyness. Abby had gone home with her newly found confidence shaken and had reacquainted herself with disappointment and self pity.
A few days had passed for she plucked up her courage again; her love of dance rekindled her determination. Too shy to phone the studio and risk having to leave a voicemail, Abby had used the library computers to email Aidan Taylor and set up private dance lessons. Now the day had come and she stood nervously outside the door, a part of her wondering if she could creep away unnoticed.
Abby imagined the new ballet slippers that she had spent ages breaking in; the smoothness with which they now encased her feet. Those slippers belonged there.
Taking a deep breath, Abby tapped gently on the door and then opened it. She hesitated for a moment in the doorway and then spoke up.
“Hi. Um. I’m Abby.”
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Post by Aidan Taylor on Aug 26, 2011 14:51:10 GMT -5
Aidan had recognized the name Abby Foster from the sign in sheets from one of his group classes, however he couldn't picture the face. It wasn't that he didn't pay attention to each of the people in his groups, he did his best to give as much individual attention as possible, but amongst the crowd of people, she must not have stood out, neither an attention seeker trying to show him how good she was, nor someone messing up every 2 moves and slowing down the progress of the class. He was a bit grateful at the chances that she wasn't either of those types though wished he remembered more so that he'd have a better idea of how he could help her.
Aidan was a very hands on teacher, dancing along with the student and demonstrating each form, until they were able to master it, not like some teachers who just stood in the corner giving direction. He also rarely had anyone teach his classes for him, liking to do it himself, only calling in someone else if it was a good teaching opportunity for them, or if he was unable to make it to class due to an emergency. He had light music playing in the dance studio while he waited for his new student and was doing a few warm up stretches when she arrived. "Come on in!" He called out as he heard the knock before she entered.
He gave her a warm smile and walked over to the young woman. "Abby, it's nice to meet you, I'm Aidan" He said going over and offering his hand to shake. "Why don't you start by telling me a little about yourself and what you're looking to get out of the lessons" Aidan said, liking to know what his students were hoping to get from him early on, whether they wanted to compete, audition for top dance troupes, enjoy the art of it, or just add a fun workout to their routine.
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Post by Abby Foster on Aug 1, 2012 22:21:35 GMT -5
Abby took Aidan's hand shyly, keeping the handshake brief. The warmth of his smile brought out a small, polite smile of her own. First meetings were always hard for introverted people like Abby, and she felt her cheeks warm as Aidan introduced himself. “It's nice to meet you too,” she replied quietly. Abby hesitated as Aidan asked to know about her, the polite smile freezing in place and her eyes widening. 'Don't say you just got out of prison, don't say you just got out of prison, don't say you just got out of prison.'
“Um...” Abby stalled, struggling to find something to say. “I love ballet.” There. A start. “And um... I started dancing when I was three; all types, um, jazz, hip hop, salsa, tango...but um, I really liked contemporary and ballet the best.” She paused, feeling bashful while simultaneously hoping she wasn't coming across as arrogant. Her doe eyes flickered about the studio, taking in the wide space, the mirrors, the ballet bar. She felt a sudden hunger and longing laced with apprehension at the familiar sights. "I, um, haven't danced for a few years though." A nervous smile touched her lips as Abby briefly brought her gaze back to Aidan's.
“I'm not sure what I want out of the lessons,” she answered honestly. “I just want to dance again.”
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Post by Aidan Taylor on Aug 7, 2012 16:16:51 GMT -5
As Aidan shook Abby's hand, he got a better look at her than when he first said hello. He thought she looked familiar, and assumed he must have recognized her from class afterall, though he still couldn't place anything about her dancing abilities or the way that she moved. Hearing just how softly she talked, and seeing the hesitation in her face as she spoke he could see she was obviously very shy. He hoped that he'd be able to get her to relax a little bit, and wouldn't end up making things worse for her. "It's okay if you haven't danced in a few years, the body actually remembers things a lot better than the brain sometimes, your muscle memory comes back pretty quickly, just like someone going to ride a bike after not riding one for 10 years, your body knows how not to fall off" He told her reassuringly.
"Wanting to dance again is a great reason to be here, and so much easier to teach than the girls who come in wanting to become a featured dancer at Julliard within a month" He joked with her, hoping to lighten the mood.
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Post by Abby Foster on Aug 9, 2012 10:37:16 GMT -5
“I bet,” Abby smiled in response to Aiden's joke; knowing full well how competitive and gruelling the training to get into a dance school was. She remembered when dance was her life, filling up every waking hour and even permeating her dreams. The morning of her own admissions interview, Abby had woken up from a horrific nightmare in which she had gone to perform and kept forgetting to point her toes.
Abby took notice of the music playing softly in the background. Her head inclined slightly as she caught the tone of the song, and a small smile touched her lips again. It was a familiar one, one that she had trained to several times before. The old ones were always the best.
She was surprised to find herself feeling more relaxed. The sights and now the sounds around her were familiarities from a past life, and rather than awaken in her the terror which her memories usually brought, Abby found herself feeling reassured. This was old territory, safe territory. After all, nothing bad had ever happened to her in a dance studio. She had had injuries of course, sprained and twisted ankles, pulled muscles, she'd even been dropped by her partner once, but those were dance injuries. Her body had healed and she had thrown herself back into the sport with increased determination. The studio had always been a second home to her, and she silently hoped it would be that way again.
“Did I interrupt your warm up?” Abby asked, turning her gaze back to Aiden.
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