Alex Ko by Alex Ko

Author:Alex Ko
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2013-03-24T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

Callbacks, Part 2

In the final moments of my solo, I leave the chair behind, gesture up to Dad, and bring his spirit down into me as the lights go out onstage. It’s my way of saying he’ll always be with me. Never have I felt his watchful eye and protective hand more than at the callback for Billy Elliot.

As soon as the music stopped, the applause began—and my foot burst into terrible pain. I forced a smile. I knew I’d done well. And if the pain in my heel was anything to judge by, I hadn’t held back. The panel seemed impressed. Peter, the choreographer, was nodding energetically when I finished. He whispered something in Stephen’s ear, and they both smiled. All the pain was suddenly worth it.

There were a few solos after me, but to be honest, I don’t remember anything about them. I was focused on how I was doing in the audition, and how my foot felt. I couldn’t wait until the break, when the dancing would be over and I could check on it.

“All right, everyone,” Nora said. “We’re on lunch for forty-five minutes.”

Finally! I thought. I probed the heel of my foot with a tentative finger. Just touching it hurt. I could tell it was swollen too. Getting the shoe off was going to be painful. But at least we were done dancing.

“After lunch, we’ll be working on acting and accents. But don’t put your dancing shoes away yet,” she hurried to say. My stomach lurched. “There will also be some individual dancing later in the afternoon.”

No! I thought. All I wanted at that moment was to get my ballet shoes off and look at my heel. But if I took the shoe off, and it was really bad, I was worried I wouldn’t be able to get it back on.

I half raised my hand to get Nora’s attention, but as soon as she looked over, I yanked it back down. I didn’t want to be the problem kid.

It’s only a couple more hours, I told myself. I thought back to my days as a gymnast. I’d hurt myself way worse back then and still performed. That awful competition had been a blessing in disguise, because knowing I’d done it once gave me the confidence to push through a second time. Pain is temporary, I thought.

After lunch, it was time for our individual auditions. One by one, they ushered us into a separate room. The rest of us had nothing to do but sit, wait, and worry. I spent most of the time trying to assign myself points for the various parts of the auditions. If my ballet was a nine, and my tap was an eight, and my solo . . . etc. This kind of thinking can drive you crazy, but it’s hard not to do it when you’re stuck at an all-day audition. Let me tell you, it was a long afternoon.

I was one of the last names Nora called. By that point, my foot wasn’t throbbing anymore, but it hurt as soon as I stepped on it.

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