Page 36 of Bluebird

Adrien

Adiemus - Adiemus

“Hi, I’m here! Ready to go?”

I stand nervously in the doorway of élias's apartment, waiting for my best friend to finally get changed. Honestly, what's taking so long? Is he taking another shower or what?

“élias!”

“Yes, damn it! Just a minute! I can't find the t-shirt I want to wear!”

“Which one are you looking for? I'll help you.”

“The one by Dead by April with the heartbeat on it.” He yells from the direction of his bedroom.

I let the front door close behind me and after a short detour to the bathroom, I stop in the next doorway. The sight is delightful. élias is standing on his toes and rummaging through the top shelf of his closet. His dark curls are sticking out in all directions and I almost suspect that a hair tie will be the only way to tame his mane tonight. He hates hair ties.

“You meant this one, right?”

Surprised, élias turns around. “Where did you find it?”

“In the laundry basket, you were wearing it the day before yesterday.”

“Shit, you’re right! I'll take that then!” He quickly throws the dirty t-shirt on his bed and pulls a black Bad Omens shirt over his head before trudging past me to the front door.

“Can we go?” He grins cheekily at me at this question and I stop, perplexed. “Hurry up, will you?”

Unbelievable!

I just want to get to Philipp and Nika's studio early to watch them dance for as long as possible.

Since Philipp went home last night, we've been texting back and forth. Usually we only do that when we set up a date. This is new and my stomach is tingling a little more than usual.

I knew the movie night at my place would be difficult for Philipp, but three months ago I didn't understand what was going on with him. What was going on in his head, what had happened to him.

We had one or two difficult moments, but Philipp didn't shut down, he stayed and we had a great night and an even better next day. We laughed so much together and the exciting (and unexpected) thing is when he feels free, doesn’t think and just can be, there is this playfully dominant air around him. Who would have thought that? He has so many facets and I can't wait to discover them all.

Recently, Nika and Philipp started recording their impros on video and uploading them to YouTube and Instagram. As they already had quite a few followers from dancing with their crew, it wasn't that hard to branch out and they quickly gained over ten thousand followers.

***

Philipp and Nika are standing close, facing each other, waiting for the music to start when élias and I slip into the studio and sit down on the floor in front of the mirror.

The song is... strange. Certainly it’s Philipp's choice, as his taste in music is… unique. I quickly tap an app to identify the song: “Adiemus” by Adiemus. Okay, never heard of it. Nika takes in the sound of the music, gently moving her body to the first beats. With the first strike of the timpani, Philipp begins to dance. Light, flowing movements, arms swinging, his feet drawing patterns on the floor. Nika quickly gets into the music, following his motions. Their hands find each other again and again, their bodies intertwine in slow twists and turns.

The song has something natural and native about it, with percussions, timpani, a pan flute and something that leads the melody in the background. A woman sings in a language I don't understand. Is that even a language?

Nika and Philipp twist close together until they are kneeling opposite each other on the floor. There's something different about the way Philipp is dancing today, I can't put my finger on it yet, but… Suddenly the dynamic of the music changes, the single voice turns into a powerful choir. Philipp grabs Nika's wrists and pulls her up in a sweeping twist. A short, sharp cry reveals that Nika wasn't expecting this move and élias flinches when he sees his girlfriend literally flying through the air.

But she recovers from the small shock quicker than we do, because the very next moment her feet find the floor again in a feather light touch and she leans into Philipp’s side.

With a little tug on her wrist Philipp lets her twist quickly and he takes off across the room. Three quick steps and he spins high in the air and, while still landing, he drops to his knees again, facing Nika.

The music is powerful and captivating, building up tension. Nika runs and the moment she jumps off, Philipp drops onto his back on the floor so that she flies over him in a perfect split. When Philipp turns his face in my direction again, I see him laughing. I've never seen him laugh like that before, but they've never danced like that either.

Even when the music slows down again, the choreography is characterized by lifts and almost acrobatic elements.

“I’m impressed that Philipp can keep this up for so long…” élias mumbles to himself next to me.

“What do you mean?”

“Honestly, that woman is no featherweight. She's 5’10”, easily 140lbs. I'm lucky if I can get her from the living room to the bedroom without collapsing.”

I have to bite down hard on my cheeks to stop myself from snorting out loud. Nika doesn't have an ounce of fat on her body, but she's tall and muscular, so élias is probably right. It's amazing, I didn’t expect so much strength from Philipp's toned but slender physique. It’s probably all about technique here.

The music picks up again and so do Nika and Philipp. They chase each other across the dance floor with spins and jumps, like two children trying to catch the waves on a beach. Or butterflies on a mountain meadow.

Out of nowhere, Philipp grabs Nika and throws her into the air. I've never seen him dance so carefree and light-hearted, so powerful and strong. While Nika is a powerful dancer who always radiates an incredible amount of tension and energy on stage, Philipp is very elegant with soft, flowing movements. At least when the two of them are doing their modern thing. It's different in HipHop, of course, but here, as a couple... I've never seen him like this before.

It's almost as if he's challenging Nika over and over again. Both are concentrating fiercely, not taking their eyes off the other for a second to make sure they don't miss a possible move. But they both laugh. Nika squeals when Philipp makes an unexpected move and whirls her through the air, her eyes lighting up. I watch Philipp as if I haven’t seen him before, because I haven’t, at least not this version of him.

The music comes to an end. The two of them sway gently to the last notes, but it's more like breathing out together and gathering strength than actually dancing.

After the last note, Nika falls around Philipp's neck, screeching and talking to him in loud, animated German. élias raises his eyebrows questioningly.

“What?”

“I haven't heard Nika screech once in the last ten months, at least not outside... never mind, forget about it.”

A smirk plays around my lips as we stand up. “And I've never seen Philipp laugh so freely and uninhibitedly.”

The two of them break away from each other and come running towards us with quick steps. Nika jumps into élias's arms and wraps her legs around his waist. He’s only lucky that he’s tall, otherwise I’m sure she would’ve knocked him over.

A firm body against my chest and two arms around my neck pull me out of my thoughts. Instinctively I wrap my arms around Philipp's back and pull him tightly against me.

“Did you see that? That was so cool!” His voice is low but he exudes enthusiasm with every word. I can feel the tension and excitement running through his body. It's the first time I feel like I'm seeing the real him, Philipp without fear, Philipp without any inhibitions. Just Philipp, the way he would be... without the ex-boyfriend. But the moment passes far too quickly. Embarrassed, Philipp uncrosses his arms from behind my neck and puts his hands on my chest, creating distance. His smile is uncertain again. But there's still a little spark in his eyes and I hope this tiny flame doesn't go out completely.