Snippet of Perfect Rhythm, if you've got one?
Unfortunately, PR is still in the woefully unedited state I left it after NaNo23 BUT I'll happily share! Have a judge's table moment from one of the shows! With a little bit of ... drama! *jazz hands*
Threepio's voice echoed through the ballroom, as the applause died down. "That was Obi-Wan and Anakin with their Jive. Whee, what a lively performance, you two! Obi-Wan, that looked positively exhausting. How are you feeling?"
"Was that a jab at my age?", Obi-Wan asked, only half in jest, but smiled graciously for the camera, making a show of catching his breath a little more, Anakin's hand warm and steady at his back. "I'm, as you can see, a little out of breath, but thankfully, Anakin included a rigorous cardio training into this week so that could get through it without collapsing. I should say, it worked out well." He winked at the camera and the audience broke into exuberant cheers and laughter once again. Obi-Wan kept his eyes on Satine, who raised a very pointed eyebrow at him, her lips pressed together in a thin line.
"Well, well, well. I would agree. It has worked out but I'm just a humble host", Threepio tittered, the turned towards the judges table. "Let's asked the real professionals. Yoda, what did you think of this springy performance by our Team?"
"Springy it was, certainly. But a little stiff at times, hm? A little lifeless, yes? More emotion I hope to see from you next time, more you. A solid performance it was, nonetheless."
"Oooh", Threepio cooed, getting the audience to joining him in his exclamation. "Is the star sinking already? Mace, do you agree with your colleague? Was it lifeless?"
Mace Windu scowled, as he said leaned back in his chair, arms crossed. "Well, I wouldn't say lifeless, but I gotta say, I expected a little more. That felt like a school dance jive. Your technique was flawless and I'm glad to see you've overcome the issue of leading versus following, Obi-Wan, but I liked last week's dance better, too. This one was just a little bit too correct."
Anakin's hand on Obi-Wan's back balled into a fist again. Obi-Wan leaned into him a little more, trying to project a calm mind, while keeping his eyes focused on the last person to speak. Satine's nostrils were slightly flared, her eyes narrowed and Obi-Wan feared he may have taken it a bit too far with his earlier comment, but when Threepio addressed her with all the dressings of a royal courtier, she was perfectly cordial.
"I am with my fellow judges here. I saw an extremely well executed jive. In fact, there was not a single flaw in any of your steps and it would be remiss of me not to mention that fact." She waited indulgently as the audience graced that announcement with another round of cheers. Then she continued and Obi-Wan already knew what was coming. He wrapped his arm around Anakin's waist in a preemptive gesture of restrained and plastered his best neutral smile onto his lips. Satine's tone was equally neutral. "It lacked character. While I was watching I wondered which pairing I was judging, because nothing in your performance told me it was the both of you. I have seen the same performance a hundred times at a hundred competitions, not to mention all over social media and it was, frankly speaking, boring. I'm sure we'll be seeing you again next week, because again, technically, this was a flawless dance, but I really do urge you to bring more flair next week. Perfection gets boring very, very fast."
~*~
Please overlook any typos/grammar errors/senseless stuff ... like I said ... this is raw as a turkey!
