Tobias was lost in thought, buried in the noise that was his music and his own thoughts. There was something about the current sequence he was fiddling with that was wrong and he couldn't decide what it was. But every time he saw the dancers go through that part of the routine, it felt off. Not as if one of the steps were wrong, but as if there was a part that was still needed.
He'd been working on it all day and even he recognized when all he was doing was tiring the dancers out with seemingly no benefit. He sent them on his way and then went to find one of the unused classrooms. All he needed was a room empty of distractions and maybe he could figure out what was missing.
He was halfway into the room before he saw the boy and that was only because the boy had nearly leaped into Tobias.
He replayed the last few seconds. His choreography. The boy had been doing his choreography, though he clearly wasn't old enough to be in the piece Tobias was putting on. And he'd been injured if the jumps were anything to go by. His landings were fine, but he wasn't getting the power he should have been getting.
"You're doing it wrong. It's whoop, pow, whoop, pow and then--" He followed the words with a vague gesture and then continued, "bada, bada, bada, pow. You're only doing two badas." He said all of that while backing away from the strange boy. He could handle touch, but usually only from people he knew and he didn't know any strange teenagers.
"What are you doing here?" He had made sure to check the schedule to make sure this room wasn't in use, hadn't he? He couldn't remember.
He'd got a little lost in the dance, Spot can admit that to himself even if not out loud, so no wonder he doesn't even notice the door opening or somebody coming in. Not until he turns, stepping automatically into the jump only to realise at the last second there was somebody standing in front of him. He lands inches away from the man and promptly steps sharply backwards, breathing heavily.
Well, shit.
His eyes dart to the door, but his phone and his backpack are at the edge of the room and the man is between him and a swift exit so bolting isn't exactly an option, which means he's going to have to come up with a good excuse to avoid being hauled back to his teacher and the rest of the class.
His mind is racing through options when the man speaks and... what? He's doing it wrong? That's the first thing he says? Backing away from Spot like he's intimidated and it's really hard to brainstorm a good lie when you're too busy trying to work out what the hell is going on. Then it clicks that this guy is the fucking choreographer.
And he's right, because Spot also realises in that moment that he was doing two badas, that's where he'd been losing the beat. He desperately wants to take it from the top and try again but he still has to deal with this situation. The question earns a shrug.
"Thought nobody else was using it." he says glibly, knowing that isn't what he's really being asked but he lives by the rule of never give adults too much information if you can help it.
He tried to ignore it. He really did. But now that Tobias had seen someone else do it wrong, he couldn't help himself. The part wasn't written with the boy in mind and he was still too young to really do it justice, still coming into the muscles and endurance he'd have as an adult. But he'd seen it now and there was no going back.
He sighed heavily and slipped his headphones down around his neck, tapping his smartwatch to stop the heavy metal from playing. He walked to one side of the room and sat down cross-legged before staring at the boy intently.
"Again," he demanded, having dismissed whatever excuse the boy had tried to use. Even if he had been here first, it was Tobias's now. And would be his after he'd satisfied his need to see the section done right. Sort of.
Ironic how this was the very section that was giving him trouble.
Spot's brow furrows in confusion as the choreographer walks away and sits down, still utterly mystified by exactly what the fuck is going on here. Does the man not know Spot isn't supposed to be here? That he isn't one of his dancers? Surely he must, they had definitely all been adults and Spot is under no illusion that he looks all that much older than he is, so what?
He turns, meets those staring eyes for a moment, his own narrowed in something like suspicion, like he's waiting for the other shoe to drop - but it doesn't last for long. He's not going to waste time questioning it when he's getting exactly what he wants; more time to dance.
He nods, moves back to his phone to skip the track back to a few bars before the section, giving him time to get in position before he starts again, this time with three chasses instead of two. He turns into the jete that nearly had him colliding with Tobias, only this time he continues - though it's only a few more steps before he stops again, having reached the end of the section he saw.
"Yes," he said when the boy was done, one of the highest praises he generally ever gave his dancers. And then immediately he groaned. "No." The steps were correct inasmuch as they were the ones that Tobias had given his actual dancers, but they weren't right. He went to turn back the music on his watch and frowned when he realized he wasn't controlling it. He glanced around and...right. The kid had it. He got to his feet only to grab the boy's phone and return to the position he'd been in.
"All right," he said, scrolling back to a section just before where the boy had started. "Let's try again from the leap. Instead of that, do a--" and he made a trilling noise as if the boy was supposed to know he meant doing a tour en l'air instead of a simple jump.
He had perfect aim on the music and it started four beats before where the boy was supposed to come in and Tobias watched expectantly.
Sure it didn't sound like high praise to Spot when he didn't know the guy, but he was generally suspicious of adults who dealt out praise too freely and he was content with the fact he'd clearly done the choreography right or the man would have told him -
Or maybe he didn't, given the very emphatic 'no' that followed. He scowled a little and opened his mouth to retort only to be briefly mystified when he got up and took Spot's phone without so much as a by-your-leave, and then Spot was too busy thinking what the fuck to really say anything.
The instructions were...not exactly clear, but he moved into position anyway as his mind raced trying to decide what move would fit the noise the choreographer made - it's probably more chance than anything that he lands on the right thing, the noise reminding him of a piece of music he'd used back when he was learning to do a tour en l'air - so that's what he does, and when he finishes he looks over, awaiting judgement.
"The timing's not quite right," Tobias said, folding his hands together and pressing his face to them as he stared at the floor. The moment the kid tried to say something, he held up a finger and then returned to the position. It had nothing to do with the job that Spot was doing. He'd done exactly as Tobias had asked and on the music. But there was a split second of music that needed to be filled. He was probably the only one that could hear it, but as long as he kept hearing it, it wouldn't be right.
"Can you do a double?" he finally asked after going through various ideas in his mind. There wasn't any demand. He knew better than to push dancers past what they could do. Up to what they could do was a definite, but he wasn't masochistic and he didn't have anything to prove. He was already prepping the music to go back to a section that would give him enough time to hit play and get up there and do the jump himself. He wasn't a dancer any longer, but he'd certainly trained enough when he was the kid's age and continued to do some of the variations himself when he didn't want to deal with the dancers.
The flash of a scowl is back and Spot opens his mouth to retort that his timing was fine, thank you very much, only to be halted before he even speaks by a finger in the air. It's so presumptive and vaguely dismissive that for a moment he's only silent because he's speechless in his anger.
He forces himself to breath through it quietly while the choreographer is clearly lost in his own thoughts - anybody else he'd have blown up without a second thought, but when it came to dance he had a better handle on his emotions somehow. He wished he'd found a way to translate that to the rest of his life.
Besides, impulsive and defensive he may be, but he's not so much an idiot that he doesn't recognise that he's getting a one on one session with an MBT choreographer and that sort of thing just didn't happen to kids like him. He wasn't going to ruin it.
He's mostly calm by the time the man speaks, but there's just enough of that attitude lingering that he blurts out his answer before he can stop himself.
"Yea I can do a double."
Okay, sure, so he'd never done one quite as quick as this would be, and even before his injury he hadn't always landed it properly, but his pride doesn't let him say no even if the question is clearly only casual - he wants to show off, so he's going to push himself as far as he (safely) can.
He moves back to the starting position and gives Tobias a nod, and when the music comes he launches into the routine again, this time with two tour en l'airs. He stumbles on the second landing, his weaker leg wobbling for a moment before he rights himself, and he swears under his breath.
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branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2025-06-26 10:37 pm (UTC)He'd been working on it all day and even he recognized when all he was doing was tiring the dancers out with seemingly no benefit. He sent them on his way and then went to find one of the unused classrooms. All he needed was a room empty of distractions and maybe he could figure out what was missing.
He was halfway into the room before he saw the boy and that was only because the boy had nearly leaped into Tobias.
He replayed the last few seconds. His choreography. The boy had been doing his choreography, though he clearly wasn't old enough to be in the piece Tobias was putting on. And he'd been injured if the jumps were anything to go by. His landings were fine, but he wasn't getting the power he should have been getting.
"You're doing it wrong. It's whoop, pow, whoop, pow and then--" He followed the words with a vague gesture and then continued, "bada, bada, bada, pow. You're only doing two badas." He said all of that while backing away from the strange boy. He could handle touch, but usually only from people he knew and he didn't know any strange teenagers.
"What are you doing here?" He had made sure to check the schedule to make sure this room wasn't in use, hadn't he? He couldn't remember.
no subject
Date: 2025-06-26 10:54 pm (UTC)He'd got a little lost in the dance, Spot can admit that to himself even if not out loud, so no wonder he doesn't even notice the door opening or somebody coming in. Not until he turns, stepping automatically into the jump only to realise at the last second there was somebody standing in front of him. He lands inches away from the man and promptly steps sharply backwards, breathing heavily.
Well, shit.
His eyes dart to the door, but his phone and his backpack are at the edge of the room and the man is between him and a swift exit so bolting isn't exactly an option, which means he's going to have to come up with a good excuse to avoid being hauled back to his teacher and the rest of the class.
His mind is racing through options when the man speaks and... what? He's doing it wrong? That's the first thing he says? Backing away from Spot like he's intimidated and it's really hard to brainstorm a good lie when you're too busy trying to work out what the hell is going on. Then it clicks that this guy is the fucking choreographer.
And he's right, because Spot also realises in that moment that he was doing two badas, that's where he'd been losing the beat. He desperately wants to take it from the top and try again but he still has to deal with this situation. The question earns a shrug.
"Thought nobody else was using it." he says glibly, knowing that isn't what he's really being asked but he lives by the rule of never give adults too much information if you can help it.
no subject
Date: 2025-06-26 11:38 pm (UTC)He sighed heavily and slipped his headphones down around his neck, tapping his smartwatch to stop the heavy metal from playing. He walked to one side of the room and sat down cross-legged before staring at the boy intently.
"Again," he demanded, having dismissed whatever excuse the boy had tried to use. Even if he had been here first, it was Tobias's now. And would be his after he'd satisfied his need to see the section done right. Sort of.
Ironic how this was the very section that was giving him trouble.
no subject
Date: 2025-06-26 11:53 pm (UTC)Spot's brow furrows in confusion as the choreographer walks away and sits down, still utterly mystified by exactly what the fuck is going on here. Does the man not know Spot isn't supposed to be here? That he isn't one of his dancers? Surely he must, they had definitely all been adults and Spot is under no illusion that he looks all that much older than he is, so what?
He turns, meets those staring eyes for a moment, his own narrowed in something like suspicion, like he's waiting for the other shoe to drop - but it doesn't last for long. He's not going to waste time questioning it when he's getting exactly what he wants; more time to dance.
He nods, moves back to his phone to skip the track back to a few bars before the section, giving him time to get in position before he starts again, this time with three chasses instead of two. He turns into the jete that nearly had him colliding with Tobias, only this time he continues - though it's only a few more steps before he stops again, having reached the end of the section he saw.
no subject
Date: 2025-08-09 08:39 pm (UTC)"All right," he said, scrolling back to a section just before where the boy had started. "Let's try again from the leap. Instead of that, do a--" and he made a trilling noise as if the boy was supposed to know he meant doing a tour en l'air instead of a simple jump.
He had perfect aim on the music and it started four beats before where the boy was supposed to come in and Tobias watched expectantly.
no subject
Date: 2025-08-11 11:48 pm (UTC)Sure it didn't sound like high praise to Spot when he didn't know the guy, but he was generally suspicious of adults who dealt out praise too freely and he was content with the fact he'd clearly done the choreography right or the man would have told him -
Or maybe he didn't, given the very emphatic 'no' that followed. He scowled a little and opened his mouth to retort only to be briefly mystified when he got up and took Spot's phone without so much as a by-your-leave, and then Spot was too busy thinking what the fuck to really say anything.
The instructions were...not exactly clear, but he moved into position anyway as his mind raced trying to decide what move would fit the noise the choreographer made - it's probably more chance than anything that he lands on the right thing, the noise reminding him of a piece of music he'd used back when he was learning to do a tour en l'air - so that's what he does, and when he finishes he looks over, awaiting judgement.
no subject
Date: 2025-08-18 07:55 pm (UTC)"Can you do a double?" he finally asked after going through various ideas in his mind. There wasn't any demand. He knew better than to push dancers past what they could do. Up to what they could do was a definite, but he wasn't masochistic and he didn't have anything to prove. He was already prepping the music to go back to a section that would give him enough time to hit play and get up there and do the jump himself. He wasn't a dancer any longer, but he'd certainly trained enough when he was the kid's age and continued to do some of the variations himself when he didn't want to deal with the dancers.
no subject
Date: 2025-08-19 10:41 pm (UTC)The flash of a scowl is back and Spot opens his mouth to retort that his timing was fine, thank you very much, only to be halted before he even speaks by a finger in the air. It's so presumptive and vaguely dismissive that for a moment he's only silent because he's speechless in his anger.
He forces himself to breath through it quietly while the choreographer is clearly lost in his own thoughts - anybody else he'd have blown up without a second thought, but when it came to dance he had a better handle on his emotions somehow. He wished he'd found a way to translate that to the rest of his life.
Besides, impulsive and defensive he may be, but he's not so much an idiot that he doesn't recognise that he's getting a one on one session with an MBT choreographer and that sort of thing just didn't happen to kids like him. He wasn't going to ruin it.
He's mostly calm by the time the man speaks, but there's just enough of that attitude lingering that he blurts out his answer before he can stop himself.
"Yea I can do a double."
Okay, sure, so he'd never done one quite as quick as this would be, and even before his injury he hadn't always landed it properly, but his pride doesn't let him say no even if the question is clearly only casual - he wants to show off, so he's going to push himself as far as he (safely) can.
He moves back to the starting position and gives Tobias a nod, and when the music comes he launches into the routine again, this time with two tour en l'airs. He stumbles on the second landing, his weaker leg wobbling for a moment before he rights himself, and he swears under his breath.
"Let me try again, I can do it."