Dancing Queens On Pointe Dance Club Meeting #1 Fin

interactions with @Anastasia Beckett | interaction status closed
mentions new arrivals, all gathered

abilities terrible presence, lovely creature, spell spread
position pretty obvious?

Fortunately for young Astrea's dear heart, it seemed that Anastasia's ideas matched her own. The simple routine of familiar steps becoming more of an automatic grace than anything else, swaying her into her following role with all the elegant naturality of one who's had years of perfectionistic practice. Worry not for the perpetual buzz of rushing thoughts as the music lulled on, for she was in good hands. "Tad early to tell, but decent enough." She allowed an agreeable hum to pass, the strange feeling of it already being October without the usual fuss or fare of chaos sinking in with every passing day. It was a-coming. That much she was sure of, it was only a matter of when and where. "And you? You expressed an interest in Divination once, I wonder if the class lives up to it's reputation. I fear I have not heard much from you or your family since early summer, barring the fiasco with our cats." Orpheus had been slighted over Ana's cat for hours afterwards, draped over her shoulder a few hours before dinner to meow opinions and glare haughtily at anyone who dared stare at Astrea for longer than a few seconds like a regal advisor, or perhaps a spoiled prince.

Truly, she was not particularly close to the Becketts- not technically friends with their young heir, more almost-allies, someone whom she would trust in a duel and yet not somewhat strangers past the superficial personality- but pureblood society often meant that gossip was frequent and acts of exposure kept reputations afloat. The Neptunes made it a habit to remain neutral in times of distress unless called upon, content to lie in wait until in need- Astrea inherited that trait from the entirety of her clan- but rumours spread quickly in such a selective community. So how strange it was for her to have heard of Anastasia's care being mysteriously relocated, quite often a matter discussed with the Head Lord and Lady unless their authority compromised in some way- now less of a matter of power struggles so much as an unnaturally tragic circumstance in the twenty-first century. A month ago, the girl seemed relatively fine, but Astrea knew first-hand the triumph of internalisation. Passingly, she hoped her partner good tidings.

Extensive experience in such an activity as ballroom dancing meant that Astrea's eyes were free to wander past the pattern of her feet, something that it seemed Ana also enjoyed judging from the quick rectifying of partnerless members. Wonderful nicknames, though she could only see part of the people's visages from where they were dancing. Of course, said others were more stranger than anything else but the idea of it still mattered. At least a few of them were dressed on the opposite side of the spectrum of formality, fit for perhaps a more muggle dancing, and yet others had taken the hint of leotards. The long skirt she wore suddenly felt just a tad out of place. Hmm.

text colour #274E13
wearing outfit

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Ana's dance shoes

Ana smiled pleasantly as Astrea mentioned Divination. Truth be told, her interest in that class had been far lessened once the professor had mentioned that changing the future wasn't truly possible. Why the bloody hell would people want to see the future if there wasn't anything they could do about it? "It's interesting, I suppose, although not for the purposes I had hoped," she said. Her polite smile shrank slightly at the mention of her family. That was a spectacularly loaded subject, and not one she was eager to discuss. "Ah, we're as well as can be expected. You know, I suspect Jasmine still holds a grudge about that incident."

Astrea was an odd person, who didn't fit into any of Ana's normal categories. There was the general population, who had earned neither her trust, familiarity, or fondness. Then there were many loved ones and friends, who had either earned her fondness or at least had known her long enough to be somewhat familiar with her. Those who had her trust were severely limited, and most had earned it after a combination of acquaintance and fondness. Astrea somehow had Ana's trust without much of either other elements. Still, she seemed quite pleasant, and certainly, someone that, were things normal in Ana's life that year, Ana would have made a substantial effort to befriend.

As the song finished, Ana clapped her hands together. "Now that we're warm and have hopefully all arrived, we're going to move on to a Viennese Waltz. I'll demonstrate a few basic movements for those of us that are newer. This first one is a Natural Turn. Both partners will begin to turn to the right with their right foot, finish the turn with their left, then close with the right. Like so," she said, glancing at Astrea to confirm she knew the movements Ana was referring to. Considering their similar upbringings, Ana felt safe in that assumption and positioned her arms accordingly. The pair whirled across the floor, seeming to glide.

"Everyone, move one position to the left and then feel free to begin," Ana said. Amara mentioned having to step out for a moment, which earned a curt nod from Ana. That left them with an odd number, so Ana sat out this round of dancing, opting to circle the room observing the dancers and occasionally correcting a false step or hand placement. Glancing at the group of newcomers, who had seemed to decide to ignore her instructions, she sighed before attempting to get them involved. "Ladies, you're more than warm now, let's get dancing."

Godmodding of Amara and Astrea consented to OOC.

OOC: Here is the dance and music Ana is switching to for those of y'all who are interested. The next moderation will be December 26. If you want to join but haven't posted yet, no worries, have your character hop in late! As always, feel free to DM with any questions! Below I also have a list of who is partnered with who and who is currently partnerless for ease of reference. I will adjust this as girls rotate and switch partners as the meeting continues, but hopefully, this helps everyone visualize a bit better. The one who is currently leading is above their partner, and the names should represent placement on the dance floor. For example, Astrea is partnered with Sarah and Carolyn is on her left. (Note, Ana shouted partners at those of y'all currently alone, but it is entirely up to you whether or not your character does what Ana says, as Ana is a bit bossy at times.
Astrea Carolyn
Sarah Lucia Ana
Currently In Need of a Partner(will update as they post partnering up): Autumn, Elisabeth, Ashlyn, Romah

Mentioning/Interacting With: @Elisabeth Erner

English: #6B5076
Welsh: #9E8FB9
Uzbek: #874343

Autumn did not wish to partner up. But it was a dance class, and if she had to talk to someone to partner up with them, she would, only with minimal input.

As Anastasia seemed to have already paired her up with the first year wearing pastel pink, she went ahead with it, approaching the girl.

"We are now a pair. If you have any disagreements, voice them."

Wow, she was great at this whole "speaking to people" thing.

Once again, she turned to listen to Anastasia.

Viennese Waltz.

Autumn personally actually quite liked this one. It was fast-paced yet smooth, which was odd, since Autumn often had a preference for more rhythmic and sharp dances.

Natural Turn. It seemed easy enough. Something simple, which would hopefully help get Autumn back into dance, the reason she had signed up to begin with. She wondered if she would come to the next meeting if this meeting did not help trigger her memory and skill. She wondered whether she would come to the next meeting if it did do those things.

She wasn't sure about the answer to either question. She supposed it would depend on how this meeting went. And one dance was already finished and she barely had a dance partner, so right now she could say it was going absolutely amazing.

Michael Hector Miller

Action: realizing he's late, running to ballroom, walking in

Michael had planned for the club meet for a week, finding the perfect suit, completely black suit with white trims and a single white rose charmed to never die. He had practiced all the dances he knew in the ball room, alone which was awkward to say the least, but he had done it. So when he was walking with Henry and was told it was after 1:00 he was shocked. First meeting and he was already late!

Michael hurried through the courtyard, and into the castle. He groaned in frustration every time the staircase wasn't where he didn't it. He ran through the castle, and yelled the password as he got to the slytherin common room dorm. Within ten minutes he was in his room and putting on his suit, he sighed as he looked in the mirror, it would have to do.

He then run back up the stairs, when they decided to be in the right place, and to the rehearsal room. He stopped outside the door, and ran his hands over his suit, as if he was smoothing down the nonexistent wrinkles. Then he opened the door, and walked in.

A nice song was playing, and he smiled. He walked up to the girl in charge, "Sorry, i lost track of time." He said flushing lightly. "What are we doing so far?"

@Autumn Ivy
@Anastasia Beckett
@Astrea Soleil Neptune
@Carolyn Hunt
@Lucia Fox
Etc.

Action: Looking for Partner
Outfit
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Late, late, late, she was indeed late which was not a good first impression. She could hear her mother scolding her in the back of her mind as she rushed and fumbled her way into the rehearsal room, kicking off her normal comfortable shoes for make shift dance foot wear she had found at a hand-me-down store during the summer before her current, second year at Hogwarts.

Embarrassed at her tardiness, Adlai's face flushed as she entered the rehearsal room, not wanting to draw any unwanted negative attention to herself for the timely mishap. Nonetheless, she watched as people began to pair up. Based on the chatter amongst her fellow club members she could only assume they were doing something related to a waltz. Not wanting make a fool of herself any further she looked around the room for a suitable partner. Though she did not want to assume skill from looks.

Many of the people in this room she had never seen before, then again her eyesight wasn't the greatest and neither were her ears, thus if there were any rumors spreading here and there about her club members she was least likely to know of them, and over all believe them.

Interactions @Michael Miller
Mentioning @Adlai Rod
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Ana's dance shoes

Ana circled the room, offering tips and corrections to the pairs that whirled around her. It was a pity they had an odd number now, since she vastly prefered the Viennese Waltz to the Foxtrot, but it was just as well.

Two more latecomers trickled in. One was a boy, wearing a suit, which struck Ana as odd. This was just dance practice, what on Earth was a suit for? He approached her and she glanced down at him. There were several things she could say about his losing track of time, but most of them were less than pleasant, so she kept them to herself. "Viennese Waltz," she told him. "Get warmed up and find a partner and I can demonstrate again." With a glance at the other late comer, she continued her instructions. "Once both of you are warmed up, pair up. This first turn we're working on is a Natural Turn. Both partners will begin to turn to the right with their right foot, finish the turn with their left, then close with the right. If you need help, it's perfectly fine to peek at the pairs around you or ask for help."

Ana continued to circle the room, switching the music once she reached the phonograph. The gentle music that floated through the air and the sounds of chatter and dancing were rather pleasant and Ana paused for a moment to watch.

OOC: Hereis the dance and music for those of y'all who are interested. The next moderation will be January 10. If you want to join but haven't posted yet, no worries, have your character hop in late! As always, feel free to DM with any questions! Below I also have a list of who is partnered with who and who is currently partnerless for ease of reference. I will adjust this as people rotate and switch partners as the meeting continues, but hopefully, this helps everyone visualize a bit better. The one who is currently leading is above their partner, and the names should represent placement on the dance floor. For example, Astrea is partnered with Sarah and Carolyn is on her left. (Note, Ana shouted partners at those of y'all currently alone, but it is entirely up to you whether or not your character does what Ana says, as Ana is a bit bossy at times.
Astrea Carolyn Autumn
Sarah Lucia Elisabeth Ana
Currently In Need of a Partner(will update as they post partnering up): Ashlyn, Romah, Micheal, Adlai

@Astrea Soleil Neptune @Carolyn Hunt @Lucia Fox @Sarah Lightwood @Autumn Ivy @Romah Neobey @Elisabeth Erner @Ashlyn Winters @Michael Miller @Adlai Rod

Interacting with n/a
Mentioning n/a
Wearing outfit

To feel, once again, the touch of soft fabric against her bare skin was an awakening for Karlina. It coaxed her out of the hole she had hid in, offering warmth and reassurance, welcoming her return to a world she had distanced herself from. It began to come back to her quickly enough, spilling past her eyes like a movie reel, reminding her of days she had forced into insignificance. The feel of muslin on her fingertips as she brushed them across the fabric, porcelain-white and fine; the movements of old dance routines winding their way through her mind, matching the rhythm of the music with each carefully-timed step; the breath of a partner against her ear as they clung to each other with their hands locked together, hoping not to make a mistake. Oh, how she missed it all! And now, finally, she had a chance to feel it again.

Fear. Sudden, inexplicably-haunting fear seized her in that instance just before she entered the room. It's a natural thing to question oneself — people do it all the time — but Karlina hated the hesitation that had captured her in her moment of weakness. Why was she so uncertain? The girl had faced situations more challenging before and never had she frozen quite like this. Maybe because this decision, compared to those, was far less important. She had nothing to lose by walking into the rehearsal room, dropping her bag of belongings in a corner, and joining the others on the dance floor. Nevertheless (or perhaps exactly because of that), Karlina felt nervous, more than she could ever recall being. It made her want to laugh, and she almost did. What would mother say? Best not to think about that.

Karlina pushed the heavy doors open, the corners of her mouth turned downwards in a pensive expression. The music was painfully familiar and she recognized it almost immediately (with the help of the accompanying dance) as Strauss's Vienna Waltz. Karlina grew up listening and dancing to compositions like those, and though they were all similar in nature, they were also so incredibly unique that she never tired to hear them.

Karlina propped her bag against the wall, pulling off the shoes on her feet and swapping them for the dance shoes in her bag. She allowed her eyes to wander across the room, silently absorbing the details and judging them in the comfort of her mind. It was the first thing Karlina did whenever she was in a new place and in new company, for she thought it important to be more or less acquainted with the atmosphere of a room and the people in it before throwing herself into the action. Preparation. Her life seemed to revolve around that one word, and though one might expect her to find it monotonous, she actually welcomed the routine and considered it rather necessary.

She approached the group of unpaired students with quiet steps, hoping to catch a few words of their conversation (if there was any to hear) before she reached them. However, they appeared not to be particularly talkative at that moment and she easily found her place among them. By the looks of it, they had been ordered to warm up, so Karlina busied herself with some of the exercises she could remember from her dancing years.

The Viennese Waltz had always been one of her favorites: it was fast enough to be exciting and not boring, but still retained an element of grace and delicacy that was so often found in ballroom dances. Her mother had loved it, too. That was probably the reason why it had left such an impression on Karlina, whose first encounter with the dance would have left anyone in awe. She had stared in wonder at the hall of extraordinary size, embellished with masterfully-crafted decorations and the beautiful dancers who spun across it's varnished floor, forcing wide smiles onto their faces to make it more festive. But most of all, she had adored the way her mother swayed to the music, with her eyes closed and her body gently rocking from one side to the other and her hand placed lightly on Karlina's.

Karlina recalled the memory with nostalgia, the last hint of her nerves quickly fading into non-existence as she hoped for a chance to join the others on the dance floor.

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Michael sighed as he moved over to the girl, he had already warmed up. He didn't see why he need the lessons, as he could already dance, haven't been trained as a child.

He smiled and went to a bow, " My I have this dance?" He asked politely. He knew that they had already been pair and everything, but all his lessons said to be nice and to ask.

He wondered why the girl had asked about their skills of she was going to try and teach them. He wondered if, that when asked this, if she'd give a clear answer. Maybe he had misread the sign up sheet, maybe this was classes and he was in the wrong.

He knew they were doing the Viennese Waltz, as the girl had said offhandly. As he looked on, he noticed how natural, light turned were being made not so natural, as the others weren't as taught as he thought they would be. He hummed, being the only male on the floor might help, as he will always be the lead, but still it would be a challenge, as he wasn't use to same sex partners and didn't think they could dance as beautifully being two girls.

Reducio

@Astrea Soleil Neptune

@Carolyn Hunt

@Lucia Fox

@Sarah Lightwood

@Autumn Ivy

@Romah Neobey

@Elisabeth Erner

@Ashlyn Winters

@Anastasia Beckett

@Adlai Rod

☆ Open to interactions ☆
English • #2E8B57 | Welsh • #0080BF | French • #804080
Interacting with @Amara Dragamior @Karlina Ackerman
Mentioning: All
Action: Contentedly twirling around the floor. Looking for a new partner.

Outfit | Shoes

Sarah smiled at the introduction; the girl’s surname slightly familiar to the young Slytherin. Perhaps a friend of my father’s she thought absently as the girls continued to move perfectly in sync with one another. Sarah might have thought it strange – how she could move so effortlessly with a stranger – had they not been dancing. For Sarah, everything about dance was effortless. Not that she hadn’t worked hard to be where she was, nor was she perfect. She still had a lot to learn, but she found dance, moving and interpreting music, oddly effortless. Natural. And dancing with another seemed to bare the same ease. “Second year has been interesting, plenty of excitement, we're at Hogwarts after all,” She replied after a few moments thought. “Though I’m more than happy to be back,” She added with a smile. The casual conversation continuing.

When she saw Amara glancing around the hall, she let her own eyes wander. They flitted across other members of the group – the slightly unprepared girl from before, a girl dressed in clothes more fitting to an urban style than ballroom, the brunette who entered slightly late. She was mildly fascinated by the mix of people here; houses and blood status apparently bared no heed when it came to dancing. It pleased the girl to no end, only further proving that her father’s prejudices were as misplaced as she always believed them to be.

The girls continued their dancing, only stopping when Ana deemed it time to move onto the Viennese Waltz. Sarah knew she liked this style more, enjoying the speed the movements and the thrill they gave her. She had always found something strangely therapeutic about spinning around a dancefloor and losing oneself in music. It was comforting, and Sarah had long since learned to cling onto every comfort she could get hold of. The Slytherin was unsure whether the pair were to continue together or whether they’d be changing partners. The question was seemingly taken out of her hands when Amara politely excused herself and walked towards the edge of the ballroom. Sarah supposed helping run the club made her want to mingle. It was understandable. Still, she found herself partnerless for the dance and glanced around to see if anyone else was.

When the rehearsal room doors once again swung open, signalling another late-comer, Sarah’s eyes landed on the brunette as she frowned. She recalled seeing her sorted into Slytherin house at the start of the year, though her slightly smaller size would have given her away as a first year anyway. Her eyes subtly followed her as she moved to set down her bag and began to warm up. She looked as though she knew what she was doing, and she’d come suitably attired unlike some of the members. Sarah’s lip quirked upwards slightly, still mildly amazed at the mix of people here.

After only a second’s hesitation, she started towards the girl, letting her lips fall into a small smile as she stopped before her. “It looks like I need a partner,” Sarah said, extending her hand towards the girl and silently praying that her forwardness wouldn’t scare the girl away. It had happened before – her sharp features and bright hair had been deemed intimidating more than enough times. “Would you like to dance?” She added, hoping if her words had been off-putting, the question might help.

Interacting with @Sarah Lightwood
Mentioning n/a
Wearing outfit

Karlina had drifted into her own world as she stretched half-heartedly, a chain of distant memories coming back to her little by little, bringing with them a flow of contradictory emotions that would be a joy to sort through later. Fortunately, a voice pulled Karlina out of her own head, serving as a sudden reminder that she wasn't alone and that her burdensome contemplations would have to be put on hold. Karlina wasn't disappointed in the slightest at the interruption, for she was dreading the inner dialogue that would be sure to plague her whenever she had a moment to spare. The girl was particularly prone to overthinking, always inspecting everything from all its different angles before coming to a conclusion.

Karlina was struck by the appearance of the girl who had spoken to her. Her hair was pale green, bright against her fair complexion with dark eyebrows that stood out against her lighter features. Karlina had, of course, seen people with unnatural colors in their hair before, but for some reason, it had never made such an impression on her as it did at that moment. For a split second, Karlina was mesmerized by the girl's appearance; she combined common features with a uniqueness that made it difficult to look away.

"Yes, it appears so," Karlina said flatly, watching with mild interest as the girl extended her hand. It was a pretty scene, Karlina thought, though why such a notion occurred to her, she didn't know. There was something about the invitation that felt... nice, which left Karlina confused. But she didn't have much time to consider her reaction, so she accepted the offer with a quick smile. "I would."

As the two girls approached the dance floor, there was a moment when everything slowed down. Karlina could feel her heart beating out a steady rhythm in her chest, eager but not overly excited; the music seemed to get louder in her ears, but not uncomfortably so; and her breathing became surprisingly stable considering how nervous she had been earlier. Karlina had expected something more dramatic than that — a flurry of butterflies going up inside her or a sudden shortness of breath — but instead she was greeted by an all-consuming calm. Strange.

For a moment, Karlina was worried she would forget everything. Where to put her hands, how to move her feet, where to turn and how to do it — she was worried she would forget it all. But there really was no reason for concern, for her feet seemed to move on their own, carrying her across the hall with familiar steps, moving to the hum of the music. At first, her form and her movements were shaky; she was still uncertain about how to carry out the dance properly due to lack of practice, but it didn't take long for her to adjust to the setting and soon enough she was spinning across the dance floor with ease.

What Karlina found strange about the experience was how tranquil she remained through it all. There was no sudden rush of excitement that announced to Karlina that it was all worth it, no moment of realization when she knew the right choice had been made. There was only calm. It settled over her like thick snow, sticking to her with no intention of melting away; it warmed her from inside like a sip of rich mulled wine and a mixture of bittersweet flavors erupted in her chest along with it. It felt refreshing to be dancing again, but to be doing it how she wanted to, not how others did. To say that she felt free would make Karlina scoff (she thought the statement tacky and unrealistic), but there was certainly something appealing about finally being in charge. Karlina loved it and despised it all at once.

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