Hogwarts' Got Talent: Showtime! Locked

There was definitely an air of nervousness around Elena as she made her way on stage. However that was somewhat the point of this show, for the students to realise their talents and conquering their fears, doubts and anxieties by showing everyone what they could do. AJ could only smile and gently sway his bob his foot from left to right along with Elena as she played, satisfied that things seemed to be going well so far, blissfully unaware of any conversations that may be going on in the audience.

The playing of the violin was indeed masterful. AJ had always wondered how anyone could manage to make anything more than a screech emerge from dragging a string against more strings, but he supposed he just didn't understand the ways of a true maestro. He smiled and clapped along with everyone once the performance drew to a close. He jumped up on stage and gave Elena a smile and a congratulation, hoping to somewhat ease her nerves.

Once the crowd had settled down and he'd checked his list once more he made his next announcement. "Wull am ceertun am nae tha oonleh wun tha foond tha teh be a luvely piece ah music." He said to the audience. "Und noo teh rutern us to tha moor voocal seed. Wu've go' Mee Moonstur who's gonnae be sungun' fer us." He welcomed the next act to the stage before taking his seat once more.

@May Moonstar

Another uniquely talented performance from another uniquely talented performer. A fairly jaunty little tune to keep the audience in a happy enough mood. As Miss Moonstar concluded the emcee applauded her act and gave her a smile as he took her place on stage.

"Wull eh pursonully couldnae beh happier wuth hoo thungs are turnin' oot." He said happily, an excited lilt in his heavily accented voice, accompanied almost with a sigh of relief that there had been no major disasters...yet at least.

"Ut's kindae herd teh kep thenken uf clevur thungs teh see." He half-joked with the crowd, chucklingly slightly nervously. It would be easy enough to just walk up on stage and announce the next performer but the boy wanted his show to have some flare as well as some Flaer so he tried to add a little bit of himself into every new announcement. Almost like he was mentally trying to hit some arbitrary word count just so his spirit could feel at ease.

In either case, there was only so much introspection he had time for before the crowd would be expecting the next act. "Wull wuthoot unny feerther ado. Please join meh un wullceming Flush Hulmwood and Rufeeul Dehspuhceto." He began applauding, wincing slightly at his butchering of his Quidditch captain's name, hoping that wouldn't come back to bite him later.

However AJ had moved the rather heavy Piano, so perhaps that netted him so bonus points.

Song: Last Flowers to the Hospital by Thom Yorke

Expect a post by Rafael next for his point-of-view
Permission given to lightly godmod Rafael
Mentioning: @Jack Burnett
Interacting with: @Rafael D'Spacito

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Interacting With: @Flash Holmwood
Mentioning: AJ MacAllister

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[font=Segoe Print]“ …ado. Please join meh un wullceming Flush Hulmwood and Rufeeul Dehspuh…"

There was no amount of pretty words or proverbs that could stifle the wave of anxiety that was now washing over Rafael in that moment, his breath catching in his throat at the very indication of their looming performance. It was almost amusing, funny even, how the contagion infected his every limb with a shaky sort of weakness, leaving him bare and emotions utterly clear for every onlooker – in all his years alive, he wasn’t sure his knees had ever felt as weak as they did right now, his eyes wide and mouth slightly agape as he stared out into the audience, and his impending doom. God, why’d he ever agreed to this? He crossed his arm tightly, his lip tucking between his teeth in a subtle show of his discomfort, his brown furrowing slightly as he began to ponder his existence, and what it would mean, should he brutally fail –

– no, no, no, no, no. What was he doing, panicking? What kind of coward was he marking himself to be? Oh, hell no, this was unacceptable. A grimace crossed his face in that moment, as an acute sort of disgust filled his stomach. Really, he was better than this. He’d been threatened by grown men, kidnappers, mysterious letters, ogres – and, of all those instances, he was shitting his pants over a little piano playing? Bloody hell, he wasn’t doing this for him! A glance over at the Slytherin beside him quickly confirmed as much – Flash was the only reason he’d ever even put himself through the hassle. Alone, he had much better things to do, but regarding the other boy? What was bloody wrong with him, making this all about himself and his own feelings?

There were times to panic. Now was time to perform.

He took a deep breath, filling his lungs with fresh air, and with an exhale, any fear or worry once riddling his nerves was quickly dismissed, now replaced with a newfound confidence, the same sort he carried with him everywhere he dared traverse. He was capable of a lot of things. What did he have to worry about, anyways? Since when did he give a crap, what people thought of him? Offering Flash a quick, hopefully encouraging grin, he quickly walked on stage, his footsteps echoing crisply through the silent air as his gaze narrowed in on the piano, mind shortly clearing of any previous distress. It was barely a moment at all, before he’d situated himself carefully upon the bench, his hands resting on the keys of the piano. The song was simple, child’s play compared to what he was capable of. He was going to do fine.

Fine.

His finger began floating across the keys, hitting every note perfectly as his shoulders lost the tension they once held, the music flowing through his ears and into his very bones, spurring on his inspiration. Piano was fickle, he’d long since decided, an instrument with seven notes, seven octaves, three pedals, and endless possibility. There was no limit to the amount of sounds one could make, nor the emotions one could portray or stories one could tell. Perhaps that was why he’d originally chosen such an instrument to learn, opposed to the guitar or something more sensible. He supposed, in his opinion, there was nothing quite like the piano. Nothing that was capable of producing what the stringed instrument could.

It wasn’t but moments into his intro, that Flash joined in, his cool tones and smooth voice filling the air along with the sounds of his piano. There was something positively comforting about the way the other boy sang… the very sound brought a blanket of comfort over the boy playing, a subtle smile coming over his features as he continued playing, lips pursed in concentration. It was in that moment, that he knew he’d made the right decision – everyone could hear Flash, see his talent at work, know what Flash himself seemed to forget every other time he performed. He was ruddy amazing, one of the best performers Raf had ever seen, be it live or on the Internet. Whether the Gryffindor had sacrificed a reputation or not, he would be happy, satisfied, satiated with his actions. He’d done the right thing. No one could change his mind.

Finally, the song came to a close – the boy’s hands promptly rose off the keys in a perfect show of showmanship, coming to rest on his lap. The applause sounded in that moment – however, Rafael could do nothing to hear the deafening noise. After all, his focus was on Flash, the person in which he’d plated for. A bright grin took his features by storm in that moment, directed towards the Slytherin in question, his countenance radiating his joy towards the situation. They’d performed seamlessly.

He promptly rose from his seat, brushing the imaginary must off his hoodie that he swore fell onto him upon first sitting down – the piano needed to be cleaned, that was for sure. Though, he would give such things no more thought, as there was no need to stay on the stage any longer than was necessary. His footsteps, once taking him to the piano in question, now led him off the stage, when he quickly stumbled, losing his balance – he quickly caught himself, eyes going wide as he glanced down. Goddammit, had his shoelace been untied the whole time? His back turned from the crowd, his cheeks turned a bright, his eyes wide and a grimace slipping over his face. Oh, well,he deducted. More entertainment for the masses. [/font]

Another song that definitely seemed to resonate with its performers. The crowd sat in respectful silence as the performed their piece. AJ was pleased to see the Piano wasn't going to waste even if his arms would probably never forgive him for it. The Emcee himself sat and just let the music wash over him. If nothing else this show was a chance for him to try and see what really made the denizens of Hogwarts castle tick. What they felt, how they saw things, how they enjoyed expressing themselves. He was learning about these people, and that was more than worth it in his eyes.

As the pair wrapped up their performance AJ once again lead the crowd in applauding the performance as he took his place on stage, quietly congratulating both of them and pointing them towards the refreshments.

"Wull am sure am nae tha onleh one tha though' tha wus bloodeh funtastic!" He said with a huge grin. Un noo we've go' unother ameezin' Veeolunust teh purferm fer oos." He gave a pause for dramatic effect before announcing the next name. "Pleese cem on up, Muss Opeela Seeloon!" It was likely he had butchered that name, but hopefully he'd won himself enough good standing thus far that it could be forgiven.

He made his way back to his seat so that Opeila could have her time in the spotlight.

Finally, a song that the boy recognised. The other performances hadn't been bad of course, they had been stunning, emotional and energetic in different instances, but sometimes it was nice to have a little bit of familiarity every now and then. Although it didn't seem that Opeila was entirely at ease whilst performing. AJ wasn't sure whether to chalk that down to nerves or something going on behind the scenes that he wasn't aware of. In either case he decided to just sit back and enjoy the show. He didn't realise running this whole thing was going to be so stressful. Sure he got to sit back and relax every time there was a performer but then he had to get up and try not to stumble on the easy task of introducing the next performance, it was a bit of a nightmare sometimes.

He took a gentle sip of water to calm his nerves, giving @Lark near the back of the crowd a small nod of appreciation. He planned to thank her properly once this was all over, but that should suffice for now.

After a short while Opeila's performance concluded and the crowd all clapped politely for her. AJ shot her a smile and took her place on stage after she had soaked up her share of admiration. "Yut another stunnun' peerfurmance!" He complimented. "Buh now ut's teem fer sumthun' a luttle meer on tha weeld seed!" He nodded for the two boys to take the stage.

"Please join meh un weelcomin'! Rooka Tun an' Jack Burnutt!" He gestured for both boys to take the stage when they were ready.

Mentioning: @Flash Holmwood, @Rafael D'Spacito, @Opeila Seilun, & @Allister-Jameson MacAllister

"Yut another stunnun' peerfurmance!" the Gryffindor Chaser declared as Opeila gradually traded places with him from on the stage to off it. As she left, Jack thought about how nearly almost all those he had signed up - Flash, Rafa, and Opeila - had by now performed and done so quite admirably. However they may have felt about him as a person and whatever they may have thought of him for volunteering them without their permission, he was proud of them each. Proud that they not only rose up to meet his little challenge posed to them, but also that they had blown his - and hopefully their own - expectations way out of the water.

He would gladly accept whatever consequences they had in store for him after in exchange, but he wondered how angry they could really be with him after how well they'd performed and how they had to have been at least somewhat pleased with themselves, perhaps surprised by how well they'd done in comparison to how they feared they'd do. Now, though, it was his and Ruka's turn; and while this wasn't so much of a challenge for Ruka as it was a usual occurrence, Jack had not quite meant to take part at all. It was that bit that worried him.

Though he had only meant to sign up Ruka and Ruka alone for the fire-dancing act, he had hesitantly added himself in as a potential afterthought, wondering if his upperclassman would enjoy the experience of performing their duo act for an audience for once. It was nice to think that all the practice he, Jack, had put in could amount to something thanks to Ruka's instruction; as if this was a recital they had planned from the start and had been working toward since the second year had initially started teaching the first year in the art.

However, no amount of innate ability or talent could make up for the very obvious contrast between the gap of their experience. Ruka had accumulated around a decade of fire-dancing practice by then whereas Jack had only started practicing in February, making his grand total amount to a little under two months worth of experience. Even so, he hoped he could at least enhance Ruka's own performance well enough as opposed to detract from it. Thus, rather than attempting to show off whatever meager skills he'd been able to pick up from the lion, Jack focused instead on adding to the atmosphere and making his fire-dancing teacher look good as the main performer.

Dressed in his newly-donned performance outfit of a black long-sleeved top and black pants accented with the black ink, charcoal, and soot across his eyes like a mask, Jack followed swiftly after his brunette housemate as if he were her shadow, only the pair of flaming fox images on his clothing and his red hair causing him to stand out in the least. He hurried along in Opeila's footsteps not to sneak up on her, but to move past and blow out all the main torches illuminating the Rehearsal Room.

"Buh now ut's teem fer sumthun' a luttle meer on tha weeld seed!" AJ was continuing to speak.

'A little more on the wild side' indeed, Jack mentally agreed. He thought it had been rather trusting of AJ to allow him and Ruka to perform their fire-dancing routine despite not having witnessed their act before. As someone else had pointed out before, though, much more dangerous risks were often presented to Hogwarts students daily in class, so what was a little fire show overseen by a kid who had been practicing it pretty much his entire life? Not to mention one who was well-versed in the dangers of and how to deal with said fire, both magically and non-magically.

Once he'd made a quick sweep of the room's outer perimeter to accomplish his task, the Welsh boy went over to set the record on the correct music for their accompaniment. Then he rejoined his nearly-identical twin onstage - nearly identical in that they differed in appearance only by a few inches in height and a more metallic, shining, coppery hue to the Gryffindor's hair against the Slytherin's red with brown and blonde streaks. It was just in time, too; their Master of Ceremonies was already nodding toward them in the now-dramatically-reduced firelight of the room.

"Please join meh un weelcomin'! Rooka Tun an' Jack Burnutt!"

((OoC Note: Performance takes place from 0:00 to 1:02 in the video with Jack playing the role of the female fire dancer and Ruka playing the role of the male fire dancer.))

If the thrill of performing hadn't been enough to get the adrenaline pumping, the darkness and low beat of the music were certainly doing the trick. As they stood center stage, Ruka pulled his wand from his pocket, pointing it at the tip of one of the two double-ended staff-style torches they were holding between them, muttering a quiet "Incendio" to cause the tip of one of the torches to light up with a crackling flame. The small source of light was enough to illuminate their faces, showcasing the black charcoal they had applied around their eyes and smeared across the rest of their faces like an artfully disheveled mess.

As the music started to pick up, the two boys moved in opposite directions, each holding a torch as they took their positions on either side of the stage. Both twirled the flames by their sides to create enchanting rings of fire. Despite the practiced routine and steady pace of the dancing, there was no lack of emotion in either boy's strides. The record they had playing for their background was a simple ensemble, but the instrumentals, beat, and rhythm reminded Jack of another song that played at the back of his mind as he performed, fueling even more passion behind his actions.

While the less-experienced Jack continued a relatively simple twirl of his torch above his head and behind his back, deftly keeping up with the routine they had practiced, Ruka moved into light-footed skips and twirls and jumps, beaming brightly in Jack's direction as their steps matched up again. Both of them stepped and leaned in each other's directions, torches pointed at one another before their soft, careful steps met in the middle.

Like a language spoken fluently, their steps were clearly practiced; no trace of reluctance or hesitation as they danced around each other. Hands held onto wrists, arms wrapping around each other as they turned with flames dangerously close to hair and cloth but never quite close enough to catch.

The heat of the flames beat down on them in such close proximity. Jack recalled that Ruka had impressed upon him the advice that whatever he did, it was best if he made his movements as big, noticeable, and exaggerated as possible so the audience could see them from afar. In this way, even if a mistake was made (so long as it didn't cause a fire), if the movement was large and carried out with enough enthusiasm, it was less likely to be recognized as a mistake and more likely to be considered part of the performance instead.

One of the things the first year had the most difficulty getting used to was the concept of attempting to communicate purely with his body rather than with his words. Instead of being easier, however, as he thought it might have been, dancing was arduous in its own ways. It required one to exercise their muscle memory rather than intellectual thought, so while there was little critical thinking to be done, he still had to stay focused lest he risk an absent-minded slip of the hand. It wasn’t exactly like singing or playing an instrument either, he wagered; not when the coordination of multiple limbs at a time was imperative to the act.

Being in constant motion left no leeway for uncertainty; no room for error or hesitation with each second pre-planned in accordance with a specific position. On the plus side, however, once they got into the flow of things, Jack found there was practically no time or thought left to focus on his nerves. It was all he could do to pay attention to his dancing, his torches, and the way they complimented his partner’s.

Watching the fluid grace of the older boy’s maneuvers, the younger was amazed – as usual – by how effortless he made the whole thing seem. Ruka seemed to have instinctively learned how to disperse his attention to the right aspects of their dance at the right moment, spreading it evenly or centering it on a particularly tricky gesture. His elegant liquidity appeared to be second nature to him and Jack wondered if, even after practicing for a lifetime, he would ever be able to imitate even a fraction of the Gryffindor’s talent.

They separated again to move to their respective sides of the stage, torches twirling through the air and casting light and shadow across the audience. Their steps were in nearly perfect synchronization, weeks of hard work paying off to create something spectacular. The impressive feats of Ruka's jumps and twirls were almost matched with the confident way Jack had learned to handle the torch in such a short time. While Ruka's steps may have been more advanced and complex, there was something quite admirable in Jack's dedication; the way his portrayed self-assurance gave the illusion he had been working on his technique with the flames for far longer than was true.

The music still echoed through the room, making the stage feel like it was trembling under their feet as they moved into the final part of their choreography. Meeting in the middle once again, Ruka swiftly took hold of Jack's double-ended torch, accepting it from the taller boy to perform a few more jumps before tossing in the air and catching it easily once it descended. As the record player emanated the final measures of notes, Ruka let himself pant in exhaustion, slowly going down on his knees and holding both torches out so Jack could take one back. Once he had re-accepted the staff-style torch, each boy twirled their props once more, mirroring the other’s actions as Ruka stood from his kneel and they took their bows in a single, coordinated motion.

That done, Jack then darted over to stop the record player and the pair then exited from opposite sides of the stage to re-light torches around the room that had originally blown out right before the performance. Only when all the main sources were re-lit did the boys rejoin each other onstage to extinguish their own torches.