Dance studio in the gym, Tuesday night

[nadiathesaint]

Nadia was in the mood to dance a bit since her mun just got back from a modern ballet performance. She set herself up in the dance studio she'd noticed in the gym and put Moby on the stereo at a moderately high volume, then started stretching and improvising some dance steps.

It kept her in shape and kept her from beating the crap out of someone or something, so she figured she was doing well.

[ooc: open to anyone who might notice the music or wander into the dance studio]

Comments

[union-jane.livejournal.com]

Seras poked her head into the studio.

"What's this song called?"

[nadiathesaint]

Nadia paused in the middle of a piroutte. "Porcelain."

[union-jane.livejournal.com]

Seras nodded and watched.

"You're good," she said, tilting her head, "You're very graceful."

[nadiathesaint]

"Thanks. The orphanage had dance classes for the girls, trying to make us into proper ladies. It's one of the few things I learned there that I kept up."

[union-jane.livejournal.com]

Seras smiled a bit.

"My mother...tried to turn me into a proper lady. It never really took," she said wrinkling her nose, "I mean, I could hold my own at a high tea, but I'd hate every second of it."

[nadiathesaint]

". . . I don't know what I high tea is? But it sounds really boring."

[union-jane.livejournal.com]

"It is. Unless you like standing around and being generally pleasant. And, eating cucumber sandwiches. Ballet was dreadful too because I could hear the boys out in the park, playing foot ball. Waltzing was less awful..."

[nadiathesaint]

"You should learn to tango. That's fun. Or salsa, or samba, or . . . okay, I really like ballet, too."

[union-jane.livejournal.com]

Seras laughed.

"I saw people tangoing in a movie, once. It looked fun. And, who knows. After my time in the book, I might learn to appreciate ballet."

[nadiathesaint]

"I love how dancers make it all seem so . . . effortless."

[union-jane.livejournal.com]

"Exactly!" said Seras, nodding, "You watch them and it just looks so...fluid. Like they're up their just having fun. But, behind it all, there's just hours of practice. I never really understood that before."

[nadiathesaint]

"Hours of practice and some of the most physically demanding work out there . . . you know some football players take dance as a way to train?"

[union-jane.livejournal.com]

Seras tilted her head.

"I didn't. But, that makes a lot of sense, really. Because there's so much going on at once while you dance."

[nadiathesaint]

Nadia nodded. "And the flexibility and power and control involved? Those things are so important to everything else."

[union-jane.livejournal.com]

Seras nodded laughed a bit as she imagined bopping the ball into the net with one of those neat little hip swings the Seraglio's dance masters had taught them.

"Well, if tango lessons improve my football, I'm all for it."

[nadiathesaint]

"Maybe when I graduate, I'll teach dance classes for the summer."

[union-jane.livejournal.com]

Seras smiled.

"I think that's a brilliant idea. Lots of girls would sign up. And have their boyfriend's sign up too, I bet. And, if you let it slip about the footballers taking dance, they might not even have to be poked that hard."

[nadiathesaint]

"That's a good idea. And if I can get Walter to help me do a demonstration, I might not even have to let it slip about football. Tango is fun for both the guy and the girl."

[union-jane.livejournal.com]

"Really?"

[nadiathesaint]

"Oh yeah. You should see some of the things that the guys do. And the girls do. It's amazing."

[union-jane.livejournal.com]

"Could I see? I mean, if you can show me with out a partner?"

[nadiathesaint]

"Well, not the really complex stuff, but. . . ." Nadia went over to the stereo and after some liberal button pushing, cued up a tango to dance to. She raised one hand and held the other out in front of her as though around a partner's waist and closed her eyes.

She proceeded into a number that involved a fair amount of stomping as well as some complex footwork and kicks, all the while trying to pretend she had the partner on the other end, doing the comparable moves. There were a few low knee bends and some hip twisting, of course, as well.

"I can't really do the dips or lifts, but that's pretty standard tango stuff. That I've seen, anyway."

[union-jane.livejournal.com]

Seras watched, appreciating the precision that went into each movement, and smiling a bit at the stomps and the twists.

"That was beautiful, all on it's own."

[nadiathesaint]

Nadia blushed. "Thanks. The guy's part is a lot of the same, actually. It's funny, but there's a lot of equality in the tango."

[union-jane.livejournal.com]

Seras nodded.

"It looks as though the partners would be very much...in sync. The partnered dances I learned were...Well, you moved together, but there was distance between you, as well. Which is a different sort of romance, I guess."

[nadiathesaint]

"Really? Most of the dances I know are all really . . . touchy. Which I guess is the kind of romance I prefer, too."

[union-jane.livejournal.com]

"Mm...or maybe waltzes are meant for the beginning, and tangos are for the middle."

[nadiathesaint]

"Then what's the end?"

[union-jane.livejournal.com]

"The end is when the music stops, and you walk away."

[nadiathesaint]

"That's . . . rather abrupt. No cool down session?"

[union-jane.livejournal.com]

Seras thought, then shook her head.

"No. I think I'd like a clean break."

[nadiathesaint]

"Well, to each their own."

[union-jane.livejournal.com]

Seras shrugged.

"Well, it's not like I'm an expert on the matter," she confessed with a wry smile.

[nadiathesaint]

"Give it time," Nadia replied with a similar expression.