Dance of the Ballerina by Aferisan

Dance of the Ballerina

Katerina was perhaps one of the best ballerinas, not only for her beauty but her lithe grace on the floor. Tonight, she was the star of the show, the first act, a scene of trials and love. Each move was carefully choreographed by a vigilant theater manager, and tonight was the first viewing of the masterpiece.
The opening curtains were pulled back, revealing a setting of a garden, the trees were painted spectacularly one could see the ripeness of the fruit, two ballerinas walked in, pranced about anointing the time and place, spring, and a time heavy with love, a heady night. They ran off, cheerfully into the next-to-the-stage seats, ready to watch the grand performance.
Katerina stepped in, silently and softly, she faced the crowd of wandering faces, the stage lights burned across her skin, cold air whisking upon her skintight costume. She rose her arms, creating a circular stance above her head, and bowed, curtseying with legs crossed over each other. Then she pranced to a stage prop, a bench and laid upon it, in wait for her counterpart actor.

"From the moment I laid eyes upon you, I was lost, and cannot be found until you choose me", mumbled Alexei, staring out the window of Katerina's small apartment, he was anxious. A rich man, Alexei was dressed in garish clothing, ridiculous amounts of purple silk clothed around a muscular body, his face accented with high-cheek bones and soft eyes, though a remarkably ugly face.
"Silly boy, how can I ever choose?" replied a very lax Katerina, legs crossed, answering lazily.
"Oh, you for your heart and money, or perhaps Kevin, for his ravishing looks, Farrel for his influence, my heart is very indecisive spirit" she continued.
"But you must understand, I shall die without your love, already I have stopped eating, my noble mother, the princess, tells me to choose another, but I cannot turn my attention away from one so bright, one I cherish so much within my heart" he pleaded, eyes watering in self-pity.
"Well, I have made a decision, but I shall tell you later"

The male ballerina pranced in, twirling through the air gracefully, and bent down lightly to touch her shoulders. Acting confused by turning her head swiftly, she "awoke" and peered at the ballerina. Pushing herself up quickly she pranced around, careful for her counterpart to be within distance to follow, her graceful steps running over stage props as he followed her, this was the chase, as all relationships have.
She finally let him catch up to her, and fell into his arms, supposedly exhausted in the act, but also in truth, it was very tiring to run about in a light manner. Her breath was deep as the actor caught her in his arms, and stared at the crowd, smiling and waving his arms suggestively.

"You must pick me, how many admirers I have, I could simply walk into the palace and have my pick of the women there, but yet I spend my precious time with you, so how can you refuse me? Those other men? They are hideous, with me we can be beautiful, strong, powerful" commanded Kevin, his hands twirling a paper knife.
"A penniless son of a scandalized merchant? I think not, perhaps you are a porcelain figurine, perfect in form and shape, but my love, what can you offer me other than that thing you call mutual beauty, we should not be together for that, nor should I suffer the agony of poverty" reasoned Katerina, her eyes fixated on Kevin's face.
"A duel I would ask, but how could one risk such beauty as mine?, No, you shall pick me for the sake of preservation of the only true thing to live for, beauty" said Kevin, scoffing at the very idea of his death.

Katerina proceeded to lay within the actors arms, then pushed the actor away, and he showed a face of mock surprise. Standing up she pushed him away further, and ran away, coming back with another actor, prancing once again gaily about, while the previous actor fumed in the background until the lights went off above him.
She pretended to embrace the new actor, pulling his head toward her, then she turned away and once again pranced away.

Alexei stood there by the door, as Katerina proceeded to close it on him. Behind her, inside the room was Kevin with a very smug look upon his face, a look of triumph. Pounding could be heard upon the door, sobbing and crying, Katerina was not completely heartless, she stood there and bore pain at her own guilt and each time would look upon Kevin's heavenly face for redemption.
"Kate, why do you scorn me? Why can I not be beautiful to you, my love is not enough, my money is not enough?" cried Alexei through the door, it now sounded like a single person pounding his head upon it, instead of fists.
What beautiful a face it was, she walked over to him and grabbed him by the neck. Her toes pushed her up to Kevin's ear as she whispered some words.
"We must wait" murmured Katerina into his ear. He was surprised, he expected some sweet promise of lustful intentions, or perhaps an admittance of his own beauty, but those words were a shock.
She led him to the door, like a infant toward a toy, and pushed him out, Alexei had already left, leaving a legacy of tears upon the door opening. Kevin walked out, and stared at her as she closed the door once again, this time to the assumed "victor".

As she pranced away once again, a third man came out, each one of the male actors was distinguished by a certain trait, one wore a pompous suit, one a finely cut dress of fashionable clothing, and the last a business suit. The first actor wore the pompous, the second the fashionable clothing, and the third the suit. Other than that they were indistinguishable to the audience.
The third actor, was much more forceful, in his movements he pushed her to the floor, choreographed, and pretended to be intent on malice, his visage turned into a terrible face. Katerina, acting still, put her arms out to embrace him but he turned away, he pushed her back and proceeded to "fake" ravish her, the audience at this time gasping.
The suited man then pranced away, her left upon the floor, other female ballerinas danced across, leaving red sashes across her body, she used one arm pitifully to her forehead, and wept in front of the crowd, the audience feeling a sudden empathy for this scene, they could feel the reality of such a experience.

"I cannot have you any more, look at you, a defiled woman, and for what?" yelled Kevin angrily, tossing over items in her apartment, her lying upon the couch.
"It was for me, I needed it, why are you so selfish?" she cried, hysterical, upon the couch hugging a lavish pillow for comfort.
"You should've gone to Alexei, you whore, he has the money now doesn't he, but you broke his heart like the heartless crone you are" laughed Kevin, his face suddenly turning from anger to humor.
Each jibe and insult he threw at her the more she felt guilt, she had indeed scorned Alexei who had now moved on, gone away, abroad in America while she languished in her home. She had gotten what she wanted, she was now a ballerina, Farrel forcefully used her and now she was a ballerina. She always dreamed of being a ballerina and now she was, no longer having to depend off men for her wants and needs.
"Leave, just go away" shouted Katerina, face red with tears and pointing to the door.
Kevin could not keep himself from one last comment, one last spiteful phrase to inflict upon her, he grabbed her close, shaking her body and whispered into her sobbing face.
"You have sold your fate as a harlot, and you shall love no longer"
Silence followed that comment, he looked at her with cold eyes as she sniffled, collapsed into his arms. He shrugged her off, letting her fall to the floor, a mess of hair and tears. He stomped angrily away, expressing his anger by slamming the door in his wake.

Katerina walked off the stage, a successful show once again, she heard from her admirers that the reviews would be great. Farrel, the manager was there to meet her in the back, a wolfish gleam in his eyes, unsaid words upon his lips. Katerina feared the life she once admired, but she was a ballerina, and life was the dancing stage, every day she must act, assimilate with human emotions of love, but never would she love.