Page 32 of Dancing Fools and All That Jazz

Ingrida

The competition has started, and we have only one hour until our first dance.

We are eating the delicious French snacks Monica has brought as we watch the other dancers on the television screen high on the wall.

The teams all look very glamorous in their costumes and with the special lighting, different effects for each number.

Sheila’s group, who are now ready for their first dance, they wear tight pink sparkly leotards with bunches of large pink feathers on both their heads and sticking out in a clump on their behinds – I smile when I recall what Ruby say at the airport, that they look like flamingos.

‘Wouldn’t be out of place in Las Vegas,’ Cath mutters to Bonnie.

We all watch the screen and Sheila talks very loudly, giving a commentary on each performance.

‘Look at this lot.’ Sheila points to the screen where a group of women in wide peasant-style skirts are turning full circles on the stage with little variation in the routine.

She snorts with laughing. ‘Totally uncoordinated. Like the Sound of Music on speed. How did they get into the bloody semis?’

Although I agree the dance is not very good, I do not nod like the dancers in Sheila’s group. They bob their heads up and down every time she speak; it make them look even more like flock of birds.

Fay whispers to me that Sheila has verbal diarrhoea, and this make me giggle so much I have to pretend to blow my nose to cover the sound.

Sheila’s language is full of swearing. Bonnie calls it effing and blinding and this also creases me up as this is probably not correct expression knowing Bonnie.

I am quick to laughing as I am feeling a combination of being nervous and also of being excited.

I look at Monica as she glances up at the screen now and then. She was very quiet when she returned from what she said was a good walk to clear her head. She did not say much at all, although she is now smiling more. Fay say she has a spring in her step.

Maybe Asha make a mistake when she tell us about Ruby and her husband?

I think perhaps it would have been a good idea if I had gone out on a walk too but I do not want to miss Neil’s call if he rings me.

I am hoping he will ring when we are inside the Opéra House; the theatre has wonderful Wi-Fi so I will not be charged for taking a call here.

The cost of using phones outside is very high.

After Kazimieras called last night at our hotel without any Wi-Fi, there was a large fee added to my bill. I checked before bed.

I also checked my bank account which is not yet closed and can see I do not have much money left.

Perhaps I will stop my nurse salary going into the new joint account?

I think I will need it. I can always tell Neil it takes the NHS a long time to do the changes, but I know as I think it, I cannot lie to Neil – not if I do not want him to lie to me.

I finish my baguette and thank Monica again for getting us all lunch. Fay asks her for the receipt, saying she will deduct it from Monica’s total and divide it up, adding it onto what everyone else owes.

I must have frown again as Fay says, ‘Ingrida, you must not worry about these costs. Janine will be paying us back. I will ensure this happens.’

I am tempted to tell Fay I hand all my worries to God, but I know she does not go to church anymore, so I keep quiet.

Now we have eaten something, I am eager to get ready for our first dance. But it is a bit squashed, and we are pushed very close together. Sheila’s group, they are taking up a lot of the space. Asha says we can change when they leave for the stage.

Monica has her phone in one hand all the time and looks at it almost continuously. She must be waiting for a call, as I am waiting for Neil to call. Her mobile buzzes and she reads a text message before smiling and typing in a reply.

‘Happy message?’ Asha asks.

‘Oh, just planning a surprise get together.’

‘Lovely. Er… Monica, do you know when Ruby is coming back?’

Monica shrugs. ‘No, and if she doesn’t, we can manage without her.’

I am not at all sure we could do this. We have not practised the dances without Ruby, and it would leave a gap for all the times we move together. “Dancin’ Fool” especially would not work correctly. Even Asha say it would throw the dance out and this is exactly what it would do.

Sheila’s group finally leaves the dressing room in a flurry of feathers to go to the stage.

‘Thank goodness for that,’ Bonnie says. ‘Those blasted feathers have got everywhere.’ She pulls a feather from her hair.

‘And finally, we have room to spread out,’ Cath sighs.

‘Time to get changed,’ Asha grabs her costume. ‘I just hope Ruby will be back in time.’

All but Monica murmur agreement and we change into our costumes: black jazz trousers and bright red tunic tops.

We all have the same colour red, but we wear different styles, made by Monica.

Some are one-shouldered, some are halter neck.

Mine is what Monica she call ‘cold shoulders’, with a little slit at the top of each arm.

It is not as loose-fitting as it was when it was first made, as I have gained a little weight, but I can see it still looks flattering for my figure.

We also have a small swatch of the same red material to place in our hair.

Mine is a wide headband, and it holds my hair back in a pretty way.

Monica has a red scrunchie – I think that is what she called it – and a thick strip of red ribbon.

She has tied her lovely hair up in a high ponytail and the red material hangs down her back.

When she dances her solo, it will fly around with every head roll and catch the eyes of those watching.

Monica is such a very attractive lady; like a film star.

She is also an excellent dressmaker, and her dancing is close to that of a professional.

I think she could have make a career as a dancer if she had wanted.

‘Right, we need to set up our outfits for the next dance so we can put them on quickly. There is only a short gap to change before our second number.’ Asha announces.

We get our white pin-striped trousers, matched waistcoat and brightly coloured bowler hats from the central rail and drape them over and around the backs of our chairs.

We all have a different colour hats – mine is orange – and wrist bands in matching colours for the “Dancin’ Fool” jazz number.

Monica, she has make cloth flowers in each colour and she carefully uses pin to put them on each waistcoat.

They look like professional costumes. I cannot help but smile when I see them all lined up waiting for us to step into them until I realise one outfit is missing. Where is Ruby?

Asha shrugs when I look from the gap to her eyes.

Without words, we all lean into the mirrors to line our eyes with black liner pencil and put on bright red lipstick.

It is the same red as the tops so we all match.

Clarissa always insists on what she calls ‘attention to the detail’ and I like this detail very much.

I do not usually wear make-up, only moisturiser and a little lip gloss. Fay helps me with putting on the false eyelashes and bronzer. She has even put the bronzer on the small patch of arm showing at my cold shoulders, which make me smile.

‘You look very pretty, Fay… Fay?’ I say this again, but I do not think she hear me.

I am not sure I have seen her so full of excitement and anticipation as she is today.

She keeps looking at the television screen and then the programme fixed to the mirror and then her watch, which she has left on the dressing table as we cannot wear watches on stage.

I think she is wanting to look at a particular dance on the screen; I can guess the one.

It was the best one we saw this morning.

I also want to see the four dancers of Corps et Ame in their actual costumes for the Coldplay “Fix You” routine.

They look like professional dancers, not amateurs like rest of us.

‘There. That is your bronzer done.’ Fay smiles, glancing up at the screen again. ‘You look like you have been in the sun for a week.’

I turn my head from side to side to see my new face.

It is a lot of make-up. I have tanned flawless skin and very big eyes.

To me, it looks like a mask, and it make me feel very good as I think no one will see Ingrida Valenko – I mean, Ingrida Goodman – they will see me as one of the group of Clarissa’s ladies capturing music in a scintillation of dance.

‘Oh look, Sheila’s on next.’ Bonnie points to the screen and we all watch the women strut to their opening positions.

I do not know how they will check their spacing is correct as they did not have a run-through after they were ejected from the rehearsals.

Their dance starts and even though we cannot hear the music, we can see it is not very good.

Some of the arm moves look very awkward and angular and I see Sheila make a mistake in the first few bars.

‘Did Sheila just bump into that woman on the left? Was that supposed to happen?’ Bonnie asks Cath.

‘She’s made a right mess of that move. Look, it’s befuddled the rest of them, they don’t know who to follow.’

‘What a mess.’ Asha has a smile on her face, but I feel sorry for Sheila.

I know what it is like to go wrong in front of many people.

I am, however, relieved Bold as Brass have left our dressing room.

They not only swear all the time, but I saw them pull ugly faces at us when they think we are not looking.