The symphony sounded, I chose a song with a difficult rhythm and many hidden beats. The technical ballet movements are also very well choreographed by me, they are all very difficult and require the ballet dancer to be really excellent. I know that this is a self-imposed challenge and it is somewhat unsafe for such an important competition. However, I still believe in myself to do well.
Every time I listen to symphony music and relax to the ballet steps, I feel like a completely different person. I slowly closed my eyes and turned around a few times.
This ballet performance celebrates the beauty of women, affirming their pride and confidence, so my movements have both feminine fluidity and clear decisiveness.
After the performance, I felt quite satisfied, let out a sigh. At this time, I calmed down and listened to the judges' comments.
I happened to catch Edna's gaze, who was staring at me, her eyes brooding but expressionless. Or maybe I couldn't guess her current feelings.
Just like what the previous contestants said, Edna has a cold and sharp aura. Facing her must have been a lot of pressure, but I felt quite calm. It's not like I'm trying to act like that, but I really don't have any feelings of anxiety or fear.
She picked up the mic, thought for a moment, then spoke.
"Your ballet performance was the best technical performance of the competition so far. The performance was flawless, error-free, and very thorough." Edna tapped her finger on the table, speaking very slowly. For a moment, I felt like I saw Dominic's figure. Her talking style and gestures give off a very Dominic-like feel.
"However..." Edna licked her lips and smiled. "Your emotional side is just too monotonous. Totally... not...impressive."
Edna raised her eyebrows slightly at me, her eyes cold but slightly sarcastic. That's because she saw my face turn pale after that comment. I don't know why, but there's an anger in my heart, like my efforts being denied and laughed at. Until now, I have always been humble and tried to strive and practice hard to prove my ballet talent.
But this is the first time I got such a bad review. Furthermore, it was from Edna, who was rumored to be Dominic's girlfriend.
"Excuse me, but I want to say this." I looked over at Edna, after she nodded, I continued. "During my ballet performance, for a few seconds I was absent-minded and looked at the judges' table, I don't deny this. But just because of that, you judge me as completely unimpressive, I don't agree."
I looked straight at Edna and expressed my true feelings. She didn't seem surprised to hear me say that. She just nodded, then spoke slowly.
"It seems that your knowledge of ballet is still very limited, isn't it?"
"What do you mean?"
"Emotion is only complete when the ballerina gets into the role and conveys the emotion to the audience. But once the emotional circuit is interrupted, even for a second, it is a failure."
I froze when I heard Edna say that, because I knew she was right. Suddenly, I felt like I was overwhelmed by my own rambling and silly emotions. That makes me unintentionally forget that the most important thing in ballet is the feeling, not the effort to achieve high technique.
"Therefore, Miss Esther Joan, if you want to be my opponent, you need to work very hard."
After Edna said that, my legs went limp. I understood the meaning of her words. She not only mentioned competing in ballet, but also implicitly alluded to Dominic and me being in love. She must have known who I was, that's why her words were so harsh and provocative.
It's like she's secretly declaring war on me.
This time, she won. As for me, I am clearly weaker, both in how to control my negative emotions and in performance. It's impossible not to admit that Edna is an extremely elite girl, which makes me nervous.
Kate and Karen also gave me comments in turn. They commented seriously and properly, also gave me a lot of praise, but that didn't make my mood much better.
After I returned to the waiting room, it was also lunch break. Everyone has about an hour before the next exams take place.
I finished sitting on the toilet, opened my phone to check and still no message. The mood was extremely depressed even though I tried not to think about it.
I had a lot of things to ask Dominic, so I tried to compose a private message asking him, so he wouldn't notice my unstable mood.
"Have you had lunch? I just finished my ballet performance. Everything was not as perfect as I thought, the judges also had very frank comments. It’s like, you know, Edna..."
I hesitated for a moment, feeling that this message was a bit inappropriate. Obviously Dominic never mentioned Edna in front of me, if I texted so hastily it would be like admitting I was jealous of Edna. Therefore, that line of unsent messages has been deleted. I thought it over carefully, texted a few words, then frowned and deleted it again.
After repeating this a few times, I finally decided not to text anymore.
Just as I stood up and was about to go out, I heard voices talking. Someone has entered this toilet and is washing their hands.
"I find that girl named Esther interesting. She is definitely one of the most talented and potential ballet contestants in this Americas region selection competition." Kate's voice rang out.
"Um, I think so too. Anyway, Edna seems a bit difficult. Anyway, giving the contestants a little encouragement will make them more excited and confident." Karen said, her voice low but feminine.
"Really?" Edna finished washing her hands, then took out lipstick and some makeup items to make up. "I think compliments just make them arrogant and vain. I'm just helping them see the truth and know where they are."
Edna's words, although somewhat harsh, are not incorrect. Kate looked at Karen and shrugged, and they didn't argue any further on the matter.
"However, I feel like Esther Joan looks familiar. I think I've seen her somewhere, but I don't remember exactly. She has a radiant and very special aura, like a signature of hers. It's really familiar." Kate kept thinking about it, but couldn't remember anything.
"That's right. I have a hunch that she will succeed. She has the qualities of a true ballerina." Karen said.
Edna had no response, she just calmly put away all her cosmetics, covered her lips in the mirror to make sure she was beautiful.
Then they chatted for a bit and then left. When I couldn't hear any more noises, I walked out.
"I didn't expect you to have a taste for eavesdropping, Miss Esther Joan?"