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it-happened-one-fic · 3 months

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Dancing With Visions - Beautifully Vulnerable - Rumba - Kaeya

Author Notes: So, some of you may know that I did a dance-inspired series of fics for Twisted Wonderland. This is going to be the first fic for a series of fics inspired by varying dances for Genshin Impact: "Dancing with Visions." I'm actually really pleased with the way this one turned out! The rumba is a very romantic, Latin dance and, as it says within the fic itself, it is sometimes referred to as "The Dance of Love." I listened to "Night Moves" By Lissie while writing and editing this fic which influenced the general tone of this fic. Reader is technically going to be female throughout this series of dance fics simply to accomdate the fact that a fair number of dance styles work better with a male and female couple due to lifts and what not. I hope you enjoy!

If you would like to read more of this series, the fics can be found here: Dancing with Visions Masterlist

Type: Female reader/ Romance/ pining/ fluff/ comfort/ dance/ sfw/ technically childhood friends to lovers

Word count: 1712

I watched the people swaying rhythmically to the music with a slight smile on my face. It had been quite some time since I’d been to one of these parties. But Adelinde had insisted I come, so here I was. In the Dawn Winery once more, as if nothing had ever changed.

There was a comfort in being back in this building where I’d spent so much of my youth. Playing hide and seek with Jean, Barbara, and the brothers, running through the halls giggling as children will do.

I waved slightly to Diluc and Jean as they passed, mingling with the guests despite how much I knew they’d like to rest on the sidelines. All of our lives had changed so much as we’d all grown.

Diluc had suddenly become the head of the Dawn Winery after his father’s unexpected death; Jean now led the Knights of Favonius; Barbara was at the church; and Kaeya…. Kaeya was filling the position of cavalry captain and had been ever since Diluc had left the Knights.

I idly swirled my glass before finishing my drink. Kaeya was one of the reasons I hadn’t wanted to come. Because even after all this time, there was still that tension between us that a large part of me wished had never appeared.

Being attracted to someone like Kaeya was always risky business, but it felt like that was even more the case since I’d grown up alongside him.

I knew more about him than he really cared to let people know. Because Kaeya preferred to be mysterious, and for reasons known only to him, he kept his walls up.

Both of the Ragnvindr brothers did, but Diluc was a little gentler about it, and I hadn’t fallen in love with him. No, I’d fallen for Kaeya, and it hadn’t been just the dance lessons from all those years ago that had caused it.

Though, to be fair, those certainly hadn’t helped considering Kaeya had chosen the rumba.

I could still hear Crepus' laughter at his son’s choice of dance and him asking if Kaeya had asked me if I was alright with that before making his choice. And of course Kaeya hadn’t, but it wouldn’t have mattered. Back then, we were still young and didn’t entirely understand how embarrassing of a dance the rumba could be.

I noticed Diluc stop off to the side next to his brother, who’d been lingering on the opposite side of the room. Directly in my view, but separated from me by an entire horde of people.

They were talking about something, and the sight brought a slight smile to my face. Because it was a relief that they’d made up to some degree or another after their fight.

I didn’t think I'd ever forget Kaeya showing up on my doorstep that evening, with a bloodied eye, burn marks on his face, and a new vision glowing in his hand.

I still didn’t know why he’d come to me instead of Jean or someone more skilled, but I hadn’t turned him away, despite how shocked I’d been. How could I when he’d been in such shape?

He’d stayed with me for at least a week, though it was hard to say how long it had been now. But during that time, we’d somehow, impossible as it may have seemed, become closer than we ever had been before.

A part of me wondered if it was because I’d ended up being the one supporting him through that time that he’d withdrawn from me. Perhaps the fact that I had been the one with him throughout all of that meant I’d become a reminder of what had happened back then.

But I doubted I would ever know now. Somehow we’d become more distant, and it caused a twinge in my heart when I thought about it too long. Most days, it was fine, but events like this only served as a reminder of what I’d lost.

It made me wonder if that connection I’d thought we had was just something I’d dreamed up, just as much as I questioned the reason why these feelings persisted.

Typically, I ignored the affection I held for the young man and was able to even interact with Kaeya in an easy manner, so long as nothing came up to remind me of that closeness. But here I was, watching people dance with their lovers, and all I could think of was how I’d used to dance so freely with Kaeya in my youth.

Once, before I’d known of the intimacy a dance could cause, and later, after I’d come to recognize that quiet affection that could permeate a space when two people danced.

I sat down my now empty glass, sighing slightly as I made up my mind to say my farewells and go home. It wasn’t as if I was getting accomplished here anyway.

It was beyond clear that tonight was going to be one of those nights where all I could do was reminisce and wallow in the sobering nostalgia of what once was.

But as I turned to go, the song slowly slipped into something slower, with an almost slinky tune that had many of the less confident couples abandoning the dancefloor. And for some reason, I hesitated as I recognized the timing of the song.

Yet another reminder of when I’d dance in that large room, always cleared of furniture so we could better learn the motions of the dance so many called the ‘dance of love.’ And the rumba was a romantic dance, filled with strong emotions once one came to understand such feelings.

My hesitation cost me as a shadow fell over where I stood, fingers lingering on the edge of the table. I turned slowly to see the young man with a star in his eye.

He had that same, perpetually easy smile on his face as he looked at me with a slight tilt to his head as I spoke. His name came out as more of a whisper than anything else, “Kaeya.”

“You weren’t going to leave before I could ask for my dance, were you?” His voice was teasingly accusatory. Playing at pouting just like he so often did.

I found myself smiling, despite myself, as I admitted to my actions that he’d seen through so easily, “I was about too.”

He pressed a hand to his chest, “How hurtful, and after I waited all this time just to get over here to you.”

I almost snorted at his words as I shook my head, “Because I was so busy and you couldn’t make it over here?”

“Oh no, because everyone has been keeping me so busy here tonight.” There was a glimmer in his eye as he paused before continuing, “But a knight always has time for his lady, and I do believe I’ve kept mine waiting long enough, hm?”

I almost wanted to be frustrated with how quickly he could have me slipping back into this easy fondness. Like nothing had ever changed, even though his soft tone showed exactly how much we both knew our relationship had grown throughout the years. Slowly drifting closer and closer to something beyond that of childhood friends as the other companions of our youth watched on. Slight smiles on their faces.

He bowed slightly at the waist, a grin curling across his face as he kept his gaze on me, as if he knew exactly what his attention could do to me, “So, will you honor me with this dance, my dear lady?”

The way he extended his hand made it look like he was offering me something, and I suppose in a way he was. He was offering not only to lead me through yet another dance, to add to the already long list, and simultaneously offering for the two of us to become just a hair closer. And something told me that even though we were already past returning to being ‘just friends’ this dance would seal the deal.

But my hand slipped into his, as natural as it always had and always would, as I responded with a smile of my own, “But of course. My first and last dance has always been yours, Sir Knight.”

His grin spread as I played along with the two of us being a knight and his lady as he straightened and led me out to the dancefloor. Walking backwards as he still insisted on keeping his gaze on me.

It was almost embarrassing, as the crowd around us seemed to go quiet as he pulled me closer so that we were almost nose to nose.

A smile crept across my face as I remembered what Jean had told me the first time she actually saw me and Kaeya complete a dance.

“It was so beautifully vulnerable; I’ve never seen him like that before…. But then, he is more open with you, isn’t he?”

Beautifully vulnerable. It was something I’d wondered about. But I couldn’t deny that there was a certain sensation when it was just me and Kaeya, like there was nothing hidden between us while there was also so much that hadn’t been said and might never be able to be put into words.

Because I really didn’t think there were enough words. Not for this feeling that so often haunted me when it was just me and Kaeya.

And it was true that when we were dancing, there was a difference to Kaeya as well. Almost as if there was more gravity to him, like such moments were of utmost importance to him.

I loved Kaeya’s usual joy, but there was something about his seriousness in this moment, just like it always was, that made me feel oddly secure and like it didn’t matter what else happened; I had him.

It was so starkly different from those moments when I’d question if everything I felt between us was imagined that it made me wonder. It really was like nothing was as it ever seemed. Like these emotions ran far deeper than I could ever realize as we danced through the room. As hypnotic as two shadows that were eternally intertwined, whether surrounded by darkness or blinding daylight.

If you would like to read more:

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peninsularian · 16 days

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From the album Congolese Funk, Afrobeat & Psychedelic Rumba 1969 - 1978 via Analog Africa - essential!

#verckys & orchestre veve #ya nini #afro beat #rumba #congo

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wanderlustinwonderland18 · 1 year

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Juulia Turkkila & Matthias Versluis

2023 World Championships - Rhythm Dance

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ozkar-krapo · 8 days

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Trio MADGJESI & Orchestre SOSOLISO

"Trio Madjesi - Orchestre Sosoliso"

(LP. African. 1974 / rec. 1973-74) [CD]

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#trio madjesi #orchestre sosoliso #1973 #zaire #congo #rumba #records #Youtube

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cinnamoncee · 15 days

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#t. p o.k jazz #o.k jazz #congo #congolese #world #franco luambo #rumba

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soundgrammar · 5 months

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Congolese singer, songwriter, and bandleader Tabu Ley Rochereau (November 13, 1940 - November 30, 2013)

#Tabu Ley Rochereau #Congolese #soukous #rumba #world music #African music

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strictlycomedancers · 4 months

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Layton and Nikita | Rumba - Lift Me Up, Rihanna

Score: 9,9,9,9 (36)

#strictly come dancing #scd 2023 #layton williams #nikita kuzmin #layton and nikita #rumba #week 12 #semi final #Youtube

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selektakoletiva · 9 months

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8 DISCOS DE MULHERES AFRO-LATINAS

No pique desse 25 de Julho, Dia das Mulheres Negras Latinas e Caribenhas, lançamos aqui 8 discos de mulheres pretas que representam a latinidade no sumo e na alta, cada um a sua forma, textura e gênio. Algumas pioneiras, outras amargaram do ostracismos, mas todas geniais a sua forma e em seu respectivo tempo.

Poderíamos, claro, chegar com personalidades de cunho mais famoso como uma Elza, Clementina, Dona Ivone, Juçara Marçal, Slipmami ou Gaby Amarantos. Omara Portuondo, Celia Cruz, Princess Nokia, Nick Minaj, Cardi B, Rihanna entre muitas outras mulheres pretas da mais alta patente. Mas aqui também damo espaço as boas novas, e tamo sempre na atividade, tentando espalhar sons dispintados do grande público, seja ele antigas novidades perdidas, ou novos talentos e sonidos... dito isso bora dá-lhe!

SONIA SANTOS [1975]

Começando com uma das figuras mais injustiçadas da nossa música brasileira.

Em 1975, o cenário musical do samba foi marcado por cantoras de talento notório. Clara Nunes estava na gravadora Odeon, alcançou um sucesso estrondoso com "Claridade", o que motivou a sua antagonista fonográfica Philips a buscar uma voz desconhecida para o samba, trazendo assim Alcione, na época conhecida como "uma cantora maranhense que já se apresentava nas noites cariocas."

Discos Continental com Sonia Lemos em "7 Domingos", e Tapecar disparando com Beth Carvalho em dois discos antagônicos; "Para Seu Governo" e "Pandeiro e Viola". A disputa entre gravadoras era acirradíssima. Paralelamente, a gravadora Som Livre apostou em Sonia Santos, uma cantora carioca que já tinha experiência desde o início da década de 1970 e havia gravado trilhas sonoras de novelas da TV Globo. Foi com a Som Livre que Sonia lançou seu primeiro álbum, "Sonia Santos", produzido por Guto Graça Mello.

No disco homônimo de estreia, Sonia Santos cantou um pouco do nosso Brasil, do choro ao partido alto. Da roda baiana ao samba-canção. Contendo 11 faixas de muito bom gosto, Sonia Santos abre com "Madeira de Lei", sambão de Wilson Medeiros e Lino Roberto, onde assinam mais 3 sambas no disco, que ainda tem composições de Waldir Azevedo, as canetadas em conjunto de Noca da Portela e Mauro Duarte, além de Assis Valente, o sambalanço de Jorge Ben e a parceria de Élton Medeiros e Cristóvão Bastos. Uma das regravações desse álbum inclusive, ganhou um significado premonitório na voz de Sonia. Em "Adeus América" (Geraldo Jacques e Ary Vidal, 1945), Sonia com seu tom elegante e irônico, canta sobre as belezas da nossa terra e a necessidade de voltar. Pois no final dos anos 80 ela acabou migrando para os Estados Unidos por falta de espaço na cena fonográfica brasileira.

Embora Sonia tenha lançado um segundo álbum pela Som Livre, intitulado "Crioula" (1977), com músicas autorais e tudo, ela não alcançou o mesmo destaque no meio do samba, que ainda encontrava uma identidade e passava por processos de descolonização do próprio gênero, trazendo apenas pessoas com a pele mais clara para uma carreira de longevidade maior na indústria fonográfica.

Fiquem com essa pérola, lançada há quase 50 anos e relançada em 2017 em versão remasterizada. A daqui é a do chiado mesmo.

ALIKA MEETS MAD PROFESSOR [2009]

Isso aqui é aquele clássico instantâneo. Uma das artistas mais influentes do reggae latino, a uruguaia Alika deixa de segunda o habitual reggae roots em que é a base de suas apresentações com seu grupo Nueva Alianza - e se junta ao lendário produtor e engenheiro inglês Mad Professor, alquimista máximo da cultura do reggae music.

Em Alika Meets Mad Professor, lançado em 2009, a chapação fica por conta de batidas mais secas, com baixos graves e loops, delays, echos e reverbs tomando conta do ambiente. Batidas de Ragga, Dancehall e Dub, fazem a frente do disco, que mistura ainda elementos latinos e da cultura Hip-Hop.

O disco é um dos mais bem aclamados pela crítica e público, levando a artista nos tops da billboard de Uruguai e Argentina - país em que foi radicada desde o final de sua infância - além de uma série de shows em tour latina. As 14 músicas (na verdade sete, cada uma tem uma versão adubada) trazem clássicos como "No les des fuerza a Babilonia" - lançada originalmente em 2011 no disco "Razón, Meditación, Acción"- aparecem com nomes alternativos (esta por exemplo virou The Lion Of Judah), mais músicas inéditas em letras sobre resiliência, amor e com teor político como de praxe da rapper e cantora. E por essas e por outras que trazemos aqui para relembrarmos o auge desta guerreira regueira. Importante principalmente em tempos coléricos na nossa América Latina, trazer um pouco de mensagem de amor, consciência e revolução!

CUBAFONIA [2017]

Herbie Hanncock Já disse, os países mais musicais do mundo são Brasil e Cuba. E aqui, agora, nesse instante só, trazemos uma das artistas mais celebradas dos últimos tempos. Daymé Arocena é uma daquelas artistas atemporais, que assim como muitas no nosso solo sagrado Brasilis, tem em sua voz a força e o poder da natureza. Cantora e compositora, nascida no município de Diez de Octubre, na província de La Habana, a cubana traz consigo um legado musical único. Inspirando-se nas clássicas raízes rítmicas de Cuba, Daymé expande sua música em "Cubafonía" - segundo álbum da cantora e terceiro registro em estúdio na época, antes de lançar Sonocardiogram (2019), que sucede o disco aqui em questão - com outros ritmos e continentes, no qual gastou dois anos viajando numa espécie de intercâmbio cultural.

Apesar de sua crescente carreira internacional, Daymé Arocena mantém firmemente sua dedicação à cultura musical cubana. Neste novo álbum, ela busca fundir diferentes dialetos do país, desde os ritmos enérgicos de Guantánamo até os ritmos cativantes do guaguancó e as baladas dos anos 70. Cantando principalmente em espanhol, Daymé também explora versões em inglês e francês, além de exaltar a cultura iorubana, demonstrando sua habilidade para se conectar com diversos públicos.

Ao longo dos últimos anos, Daymé foi guiada pelo mentor Gilles Peterson, um renomado DJ, locutor, pesquisador, produtor e promotor musical. O disco foi produzido ao lado do artista Dexter Story, com arranjos de cordas de Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, e lançado pela Brownswood Recordings, gravadora de Gilles. "Cubafonía" é uma jornada única pelas raízes e sonoridades contemporâneas de Cuba e a riqueza da música afro-latina e caribenha, com muito mambo, rumba, salsa e otrás cositas más.

CREATURE! [2017]

Nitty Scott é uma rapper e ativista conhecida por explorar temas de espiritualidade e empoderamento. Afro-Boricua americana, sua música reflete sua identidade afro-diaspórica e suas raízes caribenhas. Seu estilo musical é uma fusão de subgêneros da cultura Hip-Hop com elementos afro-caribenhos, trazendo percussão, flauta e outros instrumentos de tradições latinas e africanas.

O álbum "Creature!" é uma narrativa mágica e de autodescoberta que abraça todas as complexidades da identidade diaspórica de Nitty. Com 13 faixas, o projeto combina sons afro-caribenhos e latinos (inclusive brasileiros) com densos 808s, resultando em uma sonoridade que é uma pisa à parte... Se em seu primeiro disco, The Art Of Chill, Nitty falara sobre sua sexualidade, abusos, depressão e problemas da vida cotidiana, em "Creature!" a porto-riquenha do Bronx celebra suas raízes afrodescendentes e explora a luta por uma identidade descolonizada, apresentando a personagem Negrita, que a leva a um mundo ficcional que representa seu ancestral em tempos pré-colonial. "Creature!" também aborda temas de feminilidade e lutas enfrentadas pelas mulheres pretas de todo o mundo, em específico as que tem um pé ou os dois na cultura latina e sua exotização mundão afora, assim como pretos de pele mais clara são indagados sobre sua 'negrititude'.

OYE MANITA [2018]

Este disco é uma espécie de ode à arte duma das mulheres mais incríveis do nosso continente, e também as raízes afro-latinas que Totó la Momposina representa, dos fundões de Santa Marta e Bolívar, Colômbia, diretamente da América do Sul, do sol e do sal pro mundo. "Oye Manita" resgata tempos difíceis, mas de muito aprendizado e memórias douradas, onde a jovem colombiana chegara a Paris recém refugiada, em 1979. Sem falar francês, sem dinheiro e sem um lugar pra cair dura. Foi acolhida por uma companhia de teatro no mesmo ano e logo ela estava viajando por toda região da Provença com esse grupo de artistas de mímica, artistas de rua e músicos, juntamente com seus balão de ar quente, ônibus de dois andares, carrossel e cinema móvel. A voz formidável, o carisma e as músicas de Totó foram um sucesso imediato, e a França então se tornou um trampolim para sua carreira.

São 16 canções, trazendo melhor da cúmbia e da música do povo e do folclore colombiano, reunindo músicas de três discos lançados em mais de 40 anos de música e cultura. As faixas são primeiras gravações que Totó fez em Paris na década de 1980 e abrange sua carreira até os dias atuais, incluindo músicas inéditas. É um pacote de alta qualidade com o melhor da boa música.

GUAMAENSE [2019]

Guamaense, primeiro álbum do duo paraense Guitarrada das Manas, traz uma sequência de músicas instrumentais e experimentais que caminham entre três vertentes: oitentista, música latina e guitarrada paraense. Beá e Renata Beckmann buscaram referências primeiramente nos sons das ruas da periferia de Belém como o brega, tecnomelody, a guitarrada com sonidos de calles amazônidas, como a cumbia, a lambada e o reggaeton. A base está aí na cidade de Belém e seus arredores, ilhas e igarapés. Trazem ainda a vinda dos sintetizadores da década de 80 e a world music, como Daft Punk e New Order dançando num terreirão de sonoridades da Amazônia afro-futurista e cyberpunk. Na visão de Renata, “o álbum é fruto de uma grande viagem que tivemos pensando nos variados tipos de sons que tocam na cidade. Belém é muito musical e os sons se misturam pelos bairros: a guitarrada, o brega marcante, o tecnobrega, tecnofunk se mesclam com pop mundial, entre samples, versões e o autoral”. Isso pode se confirmar passando pelas ruas do Guamá, bairro de onde vem o gentílico que dá nome ao disco, e também uma das maiores periferias do norte do país, e a mais populosa da cidade de Belém. Marcada pelo contraste da violência e ausência policial, com a também crescente efervescência cultural. O resultado é transcendental, dançante e celebra o encontro do ancestral, o periférico e da tecnologia, além de carregar o sotaque nortista e os valores de duas mulheres nortistas fazendo música, algo que sabemos que para além de gênero, raça, a geografia também é um problema eloquente no nosso país.

TROPICALISIMA [2020]

Alejandra Robles é uma artista nascida e criada em Oaxaca, zona litorânea do México. Conhecida como La Morena, Alejandra é um dos ícones femininos da música e da dança mexicana, representando mulheres negras dentro e fora do contingente mexicano, o que inclui outros imigrantes latinos que tentam a vida em terras saxônicas como cubanos, colombianos e venezuelanos.

Nascida em 1978, Alejandra começou na arte tocando violão e cantando pelos vilarejos de sua cidade quando criança. Quando jovem, estudou canto lírico e atuava em óperas regionais. Hoje é uma cantora, musicista e compositora que se tornou uma voz essencial para a comunidade afrodescendente no México.

Por meio de sua música e ativismo, ela tem ajudado a preservar e promover as únicas tradições culturais da comunidade afro-mexicana, aumentando assim a visibilidade e disseminação da cultura de suas raízes.

Apesar da narrativa dominante, os pretos ainda tem uma presença muito forte e que cria uma identidade com teor cultural e afetiva para os mexicanos. O país também têm uma história e presença forte do extermínio do povo periférico, e por algum motivo que não por acaso coincide muito com os daqui; cor da pele. No México, ainda hoje, muitas pessoas desconhecem a existência dos afro-mexicanos, algo que vemos com afro-índigenas e outros povos originários que foram saqueados, colonizados e miscigenados com outras raças e culturas. Com mais de 20 anos dançando e cantando e 4 discos de estúdio, a afro-mexicana representa mulheres afro-latinas ao redor do globo com sua voz de rara beleza. Seu último lançamento é Tropicalisima, onde explora os ritmos afro-cubanos que eram trilhas dos chamados era de ouro do cinema Mexicano, entre 1936 e 1959. O mambo, a rumba, boleros e chachachás se juntam a gêneros mais contemporâneos como a cúmbia e a salsa, que formam este combo tropicalíssimo, pronto pra refrescar esses dias quentes de fim de semana.

BE SOMEBODY EP [2020]

Nessa nova década, o reggae jamaicano floresceu com uma nova geração de talentosas mulheres, trazendo uma energia autêntica e rechaçando estereótipos de exotismo. Essa presença feminina no gênero era anteriormente reconhecida apenas nos coros de apoio, mas finalmente ganharam espaço e autonomia. Hempress Sativa, Jah9, Etana, Xana Romeo e outras têm sido expoentes dessa transformação, mantendo vivo o espírito do reggae roots para as novas gerações.

Dentre essas artistas, Sevana se destaca como uma força ascendente na cena musical. Nascida em Savanna-la-Mar, a jamaicana começou a decolar em 2008 quando fez parte do grupo feminino SLR e conquistou o terceiro lugar no reality show Digicel Rising Stars, algo como o American Idol jamaicano. Após o fim do grupo em 2009, Sevana entrou em um hiato artístico até 2016, quando decidiu mergulhar de cabeça na música e lançar seu primeiro EP solo, intitulado simplesmente "Sevana". O EP foi um sucesso e proporcionou à artista sua primeira turnê solo pela Europa.

Já em 2020, Sevana presenteou seus fãs com o lançamento de seu segundo EP, "Be Somebody". O trabalho é uma jornada íntima de autorreflexão, abordando temas como relacionamentos, amor e crescimento pessoal. Em uma entrevista, ela revelou que a última faixa do EP, "Set Me On Fire", foi escrita após o término de um relacionamento abusivo, tornando sua música e figura pública ainda mais importante e significativa.

"Be Somebody" conta com seis faixas, todas escritas pela própria Sevana. O registro conta com misturas autênticas de r&b, soul e pop com o reggae roots e seus seguimentos, de forma moderna e ensolarada. A autoestima das mulheres pretas também é refletida em suas letras e clipes, com cores e fotografias impecáveis, o que completam o conceito mor do EP.

Com sua autenticidade e talento inegáveis, Sevana é uma das muitas vozes femininas e representante caribenha da lista, que enriquecem o reggae jamaicano e a nossa. Sempre emanando boas vibrações e amansando os corações de pretinhas e pretinhos pelo mundo.

__ espero que curtam a lista, em breve upamos o link

kelafé!

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andrewckeeper · 2 months

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LIDMF AI + PHOTOSHOP "Camel-A.I."

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genevieveskingdom · 2 months

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After 6 years I bought a new dancing shoes 🙈 The old ones were literally falling into pieces and I felt like Barbie in 12 Dancing Princesses 🩷🩰 where the girls' shoes were in desolate condition every morning after they spent all night in an enchanted world dancing and dancing and dancing ✨

Old ones vs. new ones 🖤 I hate to let them go, because they experienced so many dancing adventures with me; they were here when I first entered the ballroom; when I learned the first basic steps of all 10 ballroom dances; when I had my first performance... 🪩 They will always remain in my heart and stored in a box so that everytime I look at them, the beautiful memories will come back to me 🫶

#barbie in the 12 dancing princesses #old barbie movies #dancing #dancing shoes #ballroom dancing #latin and standard dances #samba #cha cha #rumba #jive #paso doble #viennese waltz #slow waltz #slowfox #quickstep #tango #old vs new

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it-happened-one-fic · 1 year

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Rumba - That Unfamiliar Side - Strictly NRC Dancing

Author Notes: I'm posting early because I don't trust myself to remember to do so later. Today has been a little busy. But anyway, this fic was nerve-wracking because it is always nerve-wracking to write this character. I really want to do him justice but that is easier said than done. The dance in this fic was heavily inspired by Courtney and Gev’s Rumba to “Wishing on a Star” by Rose Royce from Season 4 of So You Think You Can Dance. Just like the rest of this AU/series the reader is female for this fic. I hope you enjoy!

If you would like to read more this AU/series, the fics can be found here: Strictly NRC Dancing AU Master-List

Type: Dance AU/fluff/kind of romantic/female reader

Word count: 1419 words

We genuinely seemed to be unable to get out of the Latin/rhythm dances since we were doing the second one in a row for this class. But this one was, according to both Trein and Crewel, different from the others. It wasn’t as aggressive, fast-paced, or energetic as the samba or the paso doble.

No, this one was a slower, slinkier dance that was sometimes referred to as the Dance of Love. This time, I was dancing the rumba.

A dance that required a heavy amount of intimate, non-verbal communication between partners. The results could be both beautiful and steamy depending on who performed it. But my first partner of the day was Floyd, so steamy was definitely not to be expected.

Not that Floyd was a bad partner. In fact, he already knew how to perform several different dances and, according to him, swing was best.

I wasn’t surprised by that statement though, since this wasn’t the first time I’d danced with Floyd. There had been numerous times when I would enter the Monstro Lounge and be swept into some sort of dance. Be it swing, disco, or something else entirely.

Floyd was definitely well-versed in dancing, and I could not deny that the rather chaotic young man was also elegant in his own strange sort of way. Though he didn’t necessarily show it through his everyday motions like his twin, Floyd did have a certain innate grace, which often came out to play at the strangest of times.

My only concern was whether or not he would get bored and ditch part of the way through the performance. After all, since the rumba was a slow dance, even with Floyd’s innate love for dancing, he could grow bored. But choreography practice had wiped that fear from my mind.

During practice, it quickly became evident that Floyd was not going to abandon our performance. If only for the choreography Crewel had devised for us, with Floyd allowed to make his own contributions.

So I was, if anything, excited when it came time to perform.

The room was dark as the music started, and I sat on Floyd’s shoulder with one arm outstretched towards the ceiling and the sky beyond it. I smiled to myself as I recalled Floyd’s earlier teasing about whether or not I was afraid of heights.

I couldn’t deny that this was indeed incredibly high in the air considering I was just sitting on a man’s shoulder. But then Floyd was incredibly tall. Either way, I wouldn’t be up here for long.

I leaned back with my arms reaching back over my head as I arched my back and began to slowly slide back and over Floyd’s shoulder as I grasped his leg. His arm wrapped around me, supporting me as he helped me along and down to the floor, where I was then lying on my back, looking up at the young man who now towered over me.

I held his gaze as he leaned over, a slight grin appearing on his face as he reached down and pulled me back up to my feet like I weighed absolutely nothing. I smiled back briefly, but we didn’t stay still long before we started across the floor.

My hand was still in his as I sashayed along the floor, exchanging glances with the young man as I followed his lead.

He pulled me along in front of him, and I twisted, almost like I was trying to keep him in my field of vision, only for him to rapidly twirl me. But such rapid motions were a big part of what made the rumba such an interesting dance.

While it was a mostly slow dance, it was interspersed with sudden rapid motions that, if done incorrectly, made for a jarring effect. But, when they were done correctly, they created interest and a sense of intensity that was found in many of the Latin/rhythm dances.

But that rapid pacing didn’t last long as we slinked across the floor with our hands interlocked but our bodies a fairly wide distance apart. Then I spun once more, put my back to Floyd, and leaned against him. Allowing him to lean backwards with me before I knelt in a low spin and was pulled back up into a dip in yet another surprisingly fast transition of positions.

That didn’t last long either though, since I was soon back upright and entering a closed hold for the briefest of moments. I let my gaze flick up and meet his just before we separated and I danced across the floor and away from him.

The song built as I rejoined him though, twirling across the floor and kneeling as he grasped my arms and spun freely with me in a low hold.

It was then that the song truly began to pick up in tempo as we raced towards the climax of both the dance and the song. I leaned back, relying wholly on him to support me as we spun, before I straightened and locked my arms around his neck in a close embrace while he pulled me backwards across the dancefloor.

It was here that we stayed our closest. In a dance where we had been largely separate, our bodies were now plastered together and our breaths mingled in the minimal space that was between us as we moved our hips in the manner that rumba was so well known for.

Those figure eight patterns that added the sensuality to our dance as we both dipped closer to the ground.

But then the song relaxed once more and I spun out before Floyd whipped me back around. My leg wrapped around his waist as my arms wrapped, almost instinctively, back around his neck.

We stared at each other for a beat and I realized that this was a Floyd I was less experienced with. This one retained a certain seriousness even as his mismatched eyes sparkled at me.

And then that brief moment of realization came to an end as he slowly, and with incredible gentleness that I hadn’t known he was capable of, lowered me to the ground with me still looking up at him. He followed me down though, lowering himself into a kneeling position as he looked down at me with an indefinable expression.

The crowd erupted in applause, and I blinked, briefly startled at the sudden, loud noise that surrounded us. But in truth, I had somehow managed to forget about our audience’s presence.

At some point I’d become so totally wrapped up in the dance that it had just been me and that unfamiliar side of Floyd which now disappeared as he tugged me to my feet with a wide grin on his face.

Floyd had, to me, always been a fairly free being who was unpredictable, but ever true to himself. And I suppose in that way he was like the rumba itself. A technically slow dance that would suddenly have a fast motion to accent its overall mood. Ever true to itself and, when executed properly, mesmerizing to see.

As I glanced over at the now grinning merman on legs, who was once more his usual happy self that moved to his own rhythm, I found myself smiling. Who knew Floyd was capable of such delicacy and intentness?

It truly had felt like I was the only thing in his world while we danced. And, embarrassingly enough, I could say the same was true for me. During our performance, it had just been me and Floyd, with nobody else in the world.

I couldn’t deny that, in an odd way, I was still slightly dazed as we received our scores. I didn’t even realize that we’d passed until Floyd had picked me up and was hugging me while he spun, laughing all the while.

Startled laughter bubbled out of me while Trein scolded us both, telling Floyd to put me down so the rest of rumba class could be graded.

There was a pout on Floyd’s face as he complied, mumbling something about how everyone else may as well call it quits since ours was bound to be the best performance of the evening.

But then he glanced my way, a distinct sparkle in his mismatched eyes as he gave me one final squeeze of a hug and wink before releasing me and walking away. Assuring me all the while that he would watch the rest of my performances before he ditched.

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