The ED Diaries

Begin upstage left, right foot fifth position croisé devant

Swift notes danced around the ballerina’s ears, but the grande stood in the corner and was still only touched by the dust particles. The song looped through again once the first group of musketeers ended their journey at the far corner. Two girls stood, waiting.

1-2 Double pique turn en dedans.

Tanya was the star. She was prettier, she was skinnier, she was noticed. Ms. Eileen liked her more in Imogen’s eyes. Tanya was the dainty little swan swimming down the river of grace. She avoided all skipping stones in the same sense the same natural sense aves have for migration.

“Watch where you’re going,” Tanya did not have a temper as graceful as her figure and she flitted on ahead of the other girl leaving her to inhale the rosin dust spinning out from under her satin slipper.

3-4 soutenu right.

“Imogen, what are you doing? Spot!” Ms. Eileen snapped from her position beside the music box. A few other company members laughed at the comments, stupid Imogen. Useless Imogen

Imogen ignored them and continued to listen to the piano’s notes. She counted the bars and traced the tempo on her way across the room, humming the well known tune to herself. She rose on pointe her and blistered foot screaming in protest. The noise was quieter then the tank that ran empty and had been for quite some time.

5-6 Battre quatre, battre cinq.

“Move your feet,” Imogen was sure it was her being corrected again, not Tanya. Never Tanya. Tanya was tall, skinny, skinny, skinny. Pretty, pretty, pretty. She was the swan and Imogen was the ugly duckling living in the shadow of suffrage cast by her superior. Tanya reigned high and mighty on her throne of spectacular performances and reviews for the New York City Ballet Company.

7-8 Pump and change spot

“Watch yourself, what are you doing? Where is your spot?” Couldn’t be Tanya, Tanya is perfect, “Concentrate!”

Belly button to spin, head to ceiling, head over shoulders, shoulders over hips, hips over knees, knees over toes and all pulled up. Her toes pointed curving into an unnatural arch while the extended leg soared in patterns.

1-2, 3-4, Hop, Hop, sail, pump.

“Imogen!” the instructor was alarmed now as the one girl twirled out of control unexpectedly and into the other ballerina. They lay flat on the ground the black haired beauty, Tanya, lay underneath the other blonde.

“Get off of me!” the not so good ballerina snarled pushing the sack of bones out of her lap and onto the floor. The bone sack lay still, lifeless.

Pale skin stretched like paper across her cheek bones, the little blue snakes that ran power through her were more vibrant than ever without a source of energy to give. The ducks chest moved up and down, her feet bled into pools wrecking her practice shoes. The blonde mess lay across the ground just like the bone sack she was.