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Overview
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781546266501 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | AuthorHouse |
| Publication date: | 11/02/2018 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 50 |
| File size: | 7 MB |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
CHAPTER 1
Once upon a time, Lavender was just a young girl who loved dancing, music, flowers, and butterflies. She had a magical place in her mother's garden where she could dance and play for hours. When she walked on her tippy toes she believed she was floating. She felt music in her body and it moved her. She made magical costumes and became a fairy, and a dragon princess, a ballerina, and a unicorn. Sometimes in her garden she was a ladybug or an itsy bitsy spider. Lavender's dancing and singing made the sunshine bright and the flowers bloom. Joy sprung from her feet as she skipped and hummed performing for the bumblebees and butterflies. The trees would rustle in the wind, clapping for Lavender. She dreamed of dancing in a huge auditorium to such thunderous applause while adoring spectators would sprinkle the stage with fragrant bouquets. At school, Lavender would get in trouble for fidgeting too much. It was so hard for her to sit still because she liked to express herself with her hands and she would get so excited and jump right out of her seat when she told stories. Some adults reprimand her especially for laughing too loudly, explaining she needs to pay attention to the more serious things and grow up. So she does. She becomes a serious ballet dancer.
Lavender is now part of a serious ballet company. She is going to dance in the ballet called The Butterfly Nation. Townspeople can't wait to see the show. It is a futuristic dance presentation one hundred million years in the future. The tale is of the butterfly people who take refuge on Earth. Lavender's favorite character is a brave wasp girl who saves the butterfly people from a sinister wasp. Of course she imagines the butterfly costumes will be most magnificent with glorious wings in sparkling colors. Brilliantly bold and shimmery colors with magical glitter on every wing!
The ballerinas and danseurs rehearse everyday for months. Lavender is almost always the first one there. As she waits for the others, she eats a sandwich and some jellybeans, she changes into her dancewear, she stands on the empty stage and imagines the room is full of people. She practices pirouettes, laughing and singing as she twirls. Lavender gathers herself for a moment, with her right leg crossed in front, hips turned out, her right heel pressed against her left toe. Her feet now in a perfect fifth position, she takes a deep breath, perfect tondue right, a grand plié in second, tondue left, rond de jambe en dehors and then with her left leg behind her, opening her arms she gives a big curtsy to the empty room. Lavender always wanted to become a ballet dancer. Standing here on the stage, she is the happiest she has ever been.
Just as she finishes this private reverence, a thundering applause is heard ... it's the roar of little feet rushing in! Some boys run onto the stage and slide across on their knees. Everyone is racing to the changing rooms, getting into their tights, leotards, and dance shoes. Girls are twisting their loose hair into buns and making sure it is secure and out of the face.
In the practice hall just beyond the wings of the stage, the dancers start warming-up. A piano begins to play and young dancers do plié exercises at the barre ".... One and a two and a three and a four and a...."
With a combination of demi-plié in first position and grand-plié in first position, then demi-plié in second position, and so on. There are others doing hip-hop, a few dancers warming up on the floor in the split position, as well as jazz and tap dancers.
"... 5!, 6!, 7!, 8! dig, brushhh, step, f-lap ball change! Dig, brushhh, step, f-lap ball change!"
The tappity stomps from the tap shoes and the melody from the piano keys are heard over a consistent cheerful chatter between dancers.
A group of giggly baby dancers sit together in a circle practicing the butterfly stretch. Sorrel says, "I am a red butterfly with fantastic purple and white wings." Cali says, "I am a gorgeous queen teal blue butterfly with purple and pink wings!"
Then Jessamine and Jarred say at the same time, "You can't be the queen butterfly," they laugh and again at the same time and say "My turn." Smiling, Jessamine says "You first, Jarred."
"I'm yellow and orange like Miss Marigold" and Brittany says "Me too!" As she slaps her knees with her hands, "But I have sparkly stuff on my wings and they change colors like ... from orange to gold and shiny lime green."
It's finally Kynlee's turn. She has so many favorite colors it's hard for her to decide ... "Um mmm, blue and purple ... I'm a bright shimmery yellow butterfly with ummmm shimmery aqua blue on the bottom of my wings and lots of purple shooting up into my wings, and I'm a queen butterfly too, just like Cali." she says with a shy smile. They all turn to William ... waiting and staring as he's flapping his wings and stretching spastically. He says, "I'm a chicken ... bock bock bock bock!" and they roll onto the floor laughing. "Bock bock bock ... bock bock bock bock!"
Miss Marigold gives them a serious look and instructs them to get back into a neat circle, stretching and rolling through their spines, with a straight back then rolling through to a curved back touching their noses to their feet and pulling up straight again, then pressing their knees to the floor gently, fluttering like a butterfly. They all have magical wings and pretty feet.
Lavender smiles listening to the baby dancers. She completes her stretch at the barre pulling her leg by her ear extended over her head. She points and flexes her foot, then lowers the leg slowly and stretching to the floor with her arms following all the way through her fingertips. Her fingers and toes tingle a bit as she prepares to go onto the main stage. Every dancer has to deal with nerves like butterflies in the stomach or tingled fingers and toes. She shakes it off. She grins.
On stage with the ensemble of dancers is Miss Camellia, the choreographer. She is a tall woman wearing a long sleeve green leotard, black tights, and a long black chiffon skirt. Her dark hair is very long, pulled back in a tight braid. She is lovely. She has a French accent as she counts, directing the dancers. They have to learn the choreography. They are wearing practice leotards and tights, some with rehearsal skirts and legwarmers. Later they will have dress rehearsals in full costume. They already look amazing dancing in unison. The chorographer addresses some of the dancers with notes.
"Hold your hands with the fingers grouped together lightly and don't get ahead of the music.
Lengthen the spine with a breath before each movement. Create a straight line but also maintain the effect ... gracefully.
Unlock your hips and engage the core for the ponche, lifting your chest, do not drop the leg!" she says with a smile.
"Très bien. Oui, Oui, c'est correct. Oui."
"Very good."
She snaps her fingers,
"Tournez-vous, pointez! Turn out, turn out, point!"
The music is cued to begin again, "Oui. Now, let us do it again. Perfectionner!" she says.
After months of preparing, "The Butterfly Nation" is ready for opening night!
People are now pouring into the theatre and begin taking their seats. The room is swelling with excitement and anticipation, vibrations from all the talking is bouncing off the walls. A little boy climbs over his grandparents' laps to get to a seat in the middle of the row. He accidentally hits his sister with his elbow and she starts to cry. Violins from the orchestra pit start to play. The little girl stops crying and her eyes are opened wide. Whispers and movement from the audience settles and all attention is on the tall majestic curtain in front of them as a man in a tuxedo addresses the audience from the apron of the stage in front of the curtain. He has silver hair and a full mustache. He says, "The following story is from the heart of the people who tell it. If we don't take care of our planet ... if we don't take care of each other, we could lose one or both. It is a futuristic presentation one hundred million years in the future when planets are left to their own living energy. This planet that we call Earth has been healing itself from the damage inflicted by its previous human inhabitants. As Elixitines are in search of a safe haven because their planet has become dangerously close to a burning star, this blue dot, known in the past as Earth, becomes a place for them to take refuge during an elliptical revolution. On the travel craft you will notice large symbols of squares, circles, and crossed triangles. This writing translates to English meaning "New Home, Peace, Love." The Elixitines are in search of a new home. They are a kind, intelligent, hard working, and peaceful people."
With a pause and grand gesture of his arm, he continues, "Without further ado, The Butterfly Nation."
All the little eyes in the audience are widened with anticipation. The kids are smiling so big their lips curl over their ears. The little ones stop squirming as the music begins to fill the air and lights captivate their attention. A projection is illuminating the upstage backdrop; a large triangular shaped craft is glided effortlessly through the eerie silence of space at incredible warp speed. On the front of the craft are the large symbols of squares, circles, and crossed triangles. The mother ship looks like a small floating village. The vehicles look like life rafts, or pods, floating through space. The extraordinary set design takes shape and parts of the vehicle are now moving to the center stage. Dancers are in the wings awaiting their cues.
As the set unfolds, the spot light is shining inside the pilot's area with an amazing array of colorful technical equipment, looking mostly navigational with buttons, and dials, and monitors. Seated in control of this technical equipment is a robot creature with multiple arms capable of multitasking with great ease. He looks and moves much like an octopus.
The robot creature has enormous eyes. This is why he gets the nickname "Eyes." He has the ability to magnify things at a great distance for closer detailed examination. The dancers exaggerated gestures of the head and arms with acrobatic skills make some children in the audience giggle. In this exciting and fun opening number, Eyes is in constant vigilance, in complete control of the enormous vessel. It is being guided with pinpoint accuracy.
The orchestra music is popping as the lighting dims to a soft mystical glow. The set changes as pieces unfold on stage like a classical pop-up book. A large wall rises from part of the floor as other pieces drop in from above. As pieces fold in and out, compartments from the walls open with pods resting on various levels. As the pilot's room walls disappear into the floor, the sleeping Elixitines are revealed in their see-through glass cocoons. The persons in the cocoons look amazingly similar to the ancient inhabitants of the planet called Earth millions of years earlier but their skin tones are vibrant colors.
A sound is heard from the pilot chamber, "The destination of 'New Home' is within 36 hours of touchdown."
Suddenly, the orchestra transitions with a melody that wakes these colorful beings. Within seconds the lids of the cocoons pop open, the bodies rise up and the eyes of each dancer opens wide and a great amount of staring takes place. As they begin to port de bra with the arms and some extending legs like synchronized swimmers, the black dot on the pilots screen begins to move hither and thither. The ship slows from warp speed to a minimal. Suddenly, darkness fills the auditorium. Audience members gasp. A light projection creates an atmosphere around the stage like the view from a space observatory, looking out from inside the space ship. The impression of galaxies, distant planets, beautiful ice crystal rings, and stars ... and midway between a deep red planet and a golden looking planet is the one, Earth, which is the destination of "New Home."
The rest of the Elixitines yawn and crinkle their nose as they sit up from their long sleep. The music is soft but present. The dance within the cocoons is as gentle as a lullaby. After this graceful dance they begin to leave their cocoons. The first to stand and shake his legs and arms is Jonquil, his cloth is shiny, in shades of yellow and golden tones and white, it is fitted over his body, his body is muscular and although there is something unusual about him, he is handsome and gentle in nature. These beings have huge muscular growths emanating from each side area of their backs as though they have huge muscular backs. The skin colors range from every flower ever created, all colors are considered equal and considered beautiful.
The lead male dancer performing as Jonquil exudes excellence as he walks to the front of the stage, turns and faces the remaining exiting crowd of butterfly people. His stature makes it obvious he is the leader. He stands waiting for the others, Lavender takes a deep breath from within her cocoon and moving briskly to her feet, she gracefully bourrees on her tippy toes to her mark on stage as part of the butterfly people ensemble. The principle ballerina as Solimine joins Jonquil. Standing by his side, she is beautifully dressed in a jewel crusted costume. She has rich blue locks of hair twisted in a braid and pinned in a beautifully designed bun. Her colors are aquamarine and white with streaks of brown dividing each one, her legs are muscular yet thin in appearance, and her face with large violet and green eyes separated by white lines is lovely and kind. Jonquil towers over her. Jonquil sighs and lifts Solimine and holds her as if he feels a great relief that they are safe.
The music sounds uplifting as colorful cosmic images are displayed on the walls and ceiling of the auditorium. The ensemble now dances a beautiful farewell to the planet Elixitine and a song of hope for all their friends and family left behind that they too find a new home.
Jonquil and Solimine's dance takes the audience back in time to the day of the alarm that resounded through every nook and cranny of their entire planet Elixitine. All were warned that Elixitine could soon explode and they had little time to prepare for evacuation.
Solimine desperately holds her son, Azul, in her arms as she carries him off the stage.
Jonquil expresses how lucky he is to have his wife and son. He drops to his knees to pray to the creator to allow him to protect them and their new land. The young boy, Azul, runs back to him and vigorously clasp his arms about his father's waist.
They share a dance and it is as if the boy mirrors his father's every move. Jonquil bends forward and kisses his son's forehead, then bides him to go.
Azul exits, Jonquil following his son.
Eyes, in a fantastic series of flips and stunts, comes back on stage juggling more tools.
New Home's auto mechanism begins to slow to an orbiting speed around this unfamiliar aqua-blue and green planet. Behind Eyes, the Elixitines slowly begin filtering in. As they come on stage, they line up leaving a space on each side of them. Jonquil is the last to enter from an upper deck overlooking the vast crowd. Floating above them, he begins to speak.
"Welcome to the 18th hour my friends, in only minutes we will begin to descend to the surface of Blue Dot. So, it is important that we now have a final physical inspection." He steps back as Solimine joins him and she addresses the crowd. "If by chance any damage has incurred, it can be repaired on board by our New Home Medical Department. Please follow my instructions: lift your arm high in the air. Yes, like that!" Solimine continues her instruction "Now all rotate rapidly to the right." Her instruction is enchanting to watch as her movement is graceful and each step interesting. As they do this, a beautiful multicolored diaphanous wing emerges from the hump or muscle on that side. It is like watching a miracle as the soft, delicate wing unfolds and becomes whole. Each wing is uniquely designed with stunning color with magical translucence. The wing stretches to the area above each head and spreads out to a few feet on each side. She repeats the instruction for the left and a beautiful multicolored diaphanous wing smoothly and delicately emerges from the hump on that side.
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "Lavender & Butterflies"
by .
Copyright © 2018 Mandy Fason.
Excerpted by permission of AuthorHouse.
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