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'Taking it easy' for Colin Hargrove didn't necessarily mean what it might have to someone that wasn't him. His body was nearly healed from the horrific Negaspace fiasco but going back to the very unhealthy all work, no rest schedule he'd had previously wasn't feasible. Even going back to the lighter-but-still-heavy schedule he'd dropped to after Quenton had confronted him was a bit much, but Colin didn't like to be idle for long.

He was all kinetic energy and movement, and one of the ways he'd started keeping himself occupied without over-doing it was by teaching ballet to children. It was a bonus that he absolutely adored kids and really liked being able to affect a young person's life (hopefully for the better).

Today he had a private class for a little girl named Giulia Montgomery, whom he needed to go fetch from reception II, where she was probably waiting with her parent or guardian. Colin rolled his shoulders a bit to release some tension before heading out to collect his new pupil. The danseur wore a fitted black shirt, striped fuzzy blue leggings, and white dance boots; the gauges in his ears were solid, matte black, and he had turned up his septum piercing so that it wasn't really visible.

In the waiting area of the reception II station, a woman sat reading with a pretty little girl wearing dance appropriate clothes beside her. Perfect, that must be Giulia. Colin moved to greet them, nodding and blowing a kiss to the receptionist (Gail) before stopping near the waiting women. "Hi, I'm Colin Hargrove. You must be Giulia and....?" Oops, he didn't know the older woman's name, but he still offered his hand to her in greeting before giving Giulia a courtly bow.

"It's very nice to meet such lovely ladies."

Giulia seemed to be very much an excitable little girl, bright-eyed and even bouncing, with a laugh like bells. Briefly the idea crossed Colin's mind that he would have very much liked to have a daughter with Bjorn, though it wouldn't happen now. Pushing such thoughts aside, he gave his attention to "Nanny".

Amélie's hand would be warmly grasped, the curly haired danseur behaving in a respectful but also inviting manner. The French rolled from the woman's tongue, fond even as her words gently admonished Giulia. "Madame Fournier, Bienvenue." While he had a distinctly American accent, his French was quite good - clearly something he'd learned young and used often enough to be fluent.

"Of course you may come and watch. I certainly don't mind." He was well used to be watched, "Should Giulia decide that ballet is something she wants to do long-term, she'll want a proper dance bag, but for now it's not entirely necessary. If you ladies will follow me?" Colin waited for affirmation before leading the little girl and her nanny to an elevator, "We'll be on the second floor, in one of the practice rooms since this is a private lesson instead of a group one."

"Merci, Amélie. It's a point of pride that I speak well, as much of my family continues to live in France." That he was able to put a light blush of pleasure from hearing what he hypothesized was her native tongue made Colin quite happy - he enjoyed bringing joy to people, however he could manage.

"Of course. We have recommended equipment lists for each class offered. I'll get one for you before you leave. The biggest thing she needed for today were the dance shoes, which she's already wearing." The danseur's expression was fond and perhaps a bit wistful; it had been many years since he'd been around Giulia's age with his mom patiently escorting his wiggling, energetic self to gymnastics - anything to burn some energy, really. Or keep him interested.

The little girl's enthusiasm was warming - and when she wobbled around on her tippy toes he couldn't help laughing. "Very nice! I think we have the makings of a wonderful ballerina here." As for what he'd be teaching, well...they weren't nearly as exciting as Giulia probably thought they'd be. "First we'll stretch, then work on the basics....and if we're very good we can do a few leaps. How does that sound to you?"

The elevator let them out on the second floor, Colin politely allowing the ladies to exit before he did, though he quickly took the lead, guiding the way to a small private room a short walk down the hall. "After you, ladies." Inside, the room was like any other practice room for ballet, with floor to ceiling mirrors on two walls, wall mounted barres, sprung wooden floors, and a bench with a CD player resting on it. He'd cleared out some of the extra things before hand - young children often got overwhelmed if there were too many things in one space.

French really wasn't difficult for Colin, and in ballet the various moves and positions were in French anyway, so he had absolutely no objections to doing as Amélie had requested. "Perfectly understandable as a request, and it would be my pleasure to do so. I can also put a note in her file so those of us that speak French fluently can continue per her guardian's wishes." Supposing, of course, that Giulia would interact with any of the other danseurs or staffers on more than a casual basis.

Colin couldn't help smiling when the excitable girl sounded disappointed about learning 'the basics' - he knew that she would find them challenging, and also enjoy herself just with those...plus, he'd promised to show her how to do a jump, which was the perfect carrot for kids.

"The floors are what's called 'sprung' - it helps make your steps bouncier and also makes performing ballet moves easier." Colin spoke in French, as Amélie had requested, "The mirrors are there so that you and your instructor can see how well your form is - ballet moves are meant to be beautiful as well as powerful." He placed his hands and the smooth wood of the barre and gestured Giulia over. "This is called the barre, and it's where we will warm up and begin working once we have stretched properly. Amélie, if the bench isn't to your liking I can bring in a folding chair?"

But once Amélie was seated and could observe without distracting Giulia, Colin would get down to the business of showing his diminutive student how to stretch and warm her body up so that the chances of injury whilst practicing was far, far lower. And as he showed her how to do each exercise, he'd explain why they were necessary using clear and simple words whenever possible - this stretch to help loosen the leg muscles up so Giulia would be able to do more elegant moves, that one to start preparing her feet for turnout, etc.

"I do these and more every single day, just like all the greatest ballet dancers. Stretching is that important."

"You're already beautiful, Giulia, but it will help make you more graceful." Some forms of dance did not quite lend the airs and graces that ballet did, but since they were specifically there to study ballet, Colin had no problems giving his diminutive pupil yet another goal for the future. "I will not lie, so yes. It will be a long time before you are ready and able to perform as either Odette or Odile. It is very difficult, but if you love dance and practice hard, there is no reason you would not."

Young girls always wanted to dance Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, always. But not all of them were willing to stick with ballet long enough to get there, he'd seen it hundreds of times since he began ballet.

"You may share your stretches, they are no secret." Colin chuckled and stretched in half to touch his own toes; clearly this was something he had done often. Giulia would likely not be able to perform the stretches he was teaching as well as he had, but she was young and just learning. Even so, Colin demonstrated each one and stretched with the little girl. He caught her little stumble, but didn't say anything - if she were senshi, that was her business...and if not, he didn't want to open her to that world.

Turning his head on his arms so he was facing Giulia more squarely, "And remember, don't push a stretch so much that you feel pain. A little pull is good and one day you'll be able to put your head on your ankles too, but for today just do as much as is comfortable."

Children were precocious about things they really wanted, it made him want to smile even more. "Well, I believe the children's ballet does a version of Swan Lake each year, but you will have much catching up to do." Realistically speaking, it was late in the year for her to be joining, and Tchaikovsky's ballet had already been done for the year for both children's and junior's groups, and DCBC would not be producing the show on the main stage this year for the professionals.

No one ever realizes just how much work and time ballet takes...I do hope she at least enjoys herself, even if she quits before reaching that point. Colin kept his thoughts to himself though, there was nothing to be gained by dashing Giulia's dreams the first time they worked together. Beyond that, it just wasn't his style to do so.

He listened intently as his diminutive student told him about how she and her schoolmates put themselves into amusing positions. "Kind of, yes, but like this." Colin demonstrated by leaning further so that his head was very nearly on his ankles, a contortion that he was well used to doing; as he sat back up, he smiled down at Giulia, "But do not try to do that yet, it takes a long time before your body is ready for something that extreme..and some people simply don't have bodies that will allow them to do it."

"Your body will tell you, if you listen. You know how it feels really good when you're yawning and stretching? It's like that, but without the yawning. And when you get to that point, you go just a little bit further. Eventually you'll find that you're stretching way more than you did when you started."

He moved Giulia through several other stretches, going slow enough that she understood each one before it was completed, and demonstrating the movements and actions so she could see it as well. "Okay, now we're done with our stretches, do you want to get a drink of water before we continue?" If she didn't, they would start at the barre to learn the positions.

"I am sure you will, Giulia." And he would help her, if that was her desire - him or another of the instructors at the Destiny City Ballet Company, at any rate. It wasn't typical that Colin himself was available for one-on-ones like this, but he'd made the offer since it was his pre-ballet class she'd be working towards joining and it was best if children had consistency. Colin did not teach the same way Mark did, nor did either of them instruct a la the ballet master.

Giiulia going for water let him quickly eat half a power bar while moving the free-standing barre where he wanted it for the next section of the class. It did not surprise him in the slightest when the little girl was back at his side,
lickety split."Private lessons are an hour long, with breaks for water. In the full class it's nearly an hour and a half with all the breaks."

He laughed a bit and crouched down, hands on the barre to test that it wouldn't move if she put her whole weight against it. "Every time we will go over the basics and then expand, yes. You do not need a studio at home unless it becomes your passion - DCBC rents out space by the half hour via reception." That bit was mostly for the listening nanny, but he knew Giulia would hold onto it as well.

"Now, for positions at the barre. Today I will show you first and second position and we will see how to hold it." Colin could have just shown her, but she would have tried breaking her ankles to get the sort of turnout he'd grown to have over the years and that was not optimal. Instead he marked her space with a bit of masking tape on the floor, told her to keep her keeps on the X, and then gently worked her around into the position he wished. "Heels together, feet out like you are a penguin! Hands beautiful at your waist - round your arms, like this--"

"You will 'rest' in this position, it is meant to be held as long as necessary and to facilitate what we call 'turn out', so your feet can make a line, like this." And finally Colin demonstrated, once she had done her best - it took much time for a body to learn to perform the weird contortions a ballet dancer utilized. "It will be some years before your body can do this much, but for now just manage the best you can. I promise, I started right where you are." Encouragement was important for children, after all! "But look how well you're doing already!"