Abigail Fredrickson

Now, y’all remember the Autumn Festival in Nozomi? Ah, in so many ways it felt to me like the heart of the book, right in the middle, chapter 17. It’s an event that’s warm and inviting and engaging to everyone attending it.

The entire scene was considerably longer, and it was cut because of that. I remember sitting early in the morning, listening to lively folk music, having watched videos upon videos of folk dances, and the dances were originally longer.

Since they didn’t add much to the actual plot and dragged out the scene, I did have to cut them, but it’s still a fond memory, and today I’m sharing the scene with you all, long as it could be.

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The music suddenly changes, and a bunch of people turn to the center of the plaza, spreading out.  I step back, “What’s happening?”

“Just a guess, but I’d say the ribbon dance is about to start,” Rowan shrugs, pushing off of the wall.

“Ah,” I lean against it sulkily.

He rolls his eyes and grabs my arm, “Come on.”

“I-  What?  No.  Let go of me.”

“Nope.  You’re going to see what real dancing looks like.  Seriously, how many things did Saber mess up for you?”

I refuse to acknowledge the hint of concern in his face, “Probably everything.”

“At this point, I wouldn’t even be surprised.”  And just like that, I suddenly have a view of the now cleared plaza center.  And sure enough, five girls are whirling about, long, colored ribbons trailing behind them as they step in time to the quick, engaging beat.

I blink a couple times, then begrudgingly admit, if only to myself, that it doesn’t look much like the stuffy, disgusting dancing Demien would have at his parties.  The girls dancing twirl their ribbons in sync, skirts flying out around them, wide, genuine smiles on their faces as they weave in and out between each other.  I recognize Viridian flash by with a start.  The ribbons flick over their heads, shimmering golden in the reddish-orange light from the lanterns.  The two dancers on each far end link their arms together and start dancing in a circle as the dancer in the middle executes a perfect flip.  Then they join together, creating an intricate shape, which, after a moment of scrutiny, I realize is a maple leaf.

As the music shifts again, a couple of the dancers motion to the crowd.  The people around us start clapping to the music’s rhythm.  I watch them warily, “Um…what’s happening now?”

Rowan just grins, “Wait.”

As the dance progresses, some of the ribbon dancers flick their ribbons at random people in the crowd, who then come forward and begin dancing in a circle around them, hands joined together.  More and more people join the circle until their hands are no longer merely joined, but their arms are also crossing over each other in a sort of way that looks as though two lines of people were braided or twisted together.  They suddenly break apart and form five separate circles, a ribbon dancer in the center of each, continuing to dance wildly, arms now an intricate part of the motion.  Glancing around, I notice with a shock that even some of the samurai are participating, drumming their spears on the ground in time with the beat.

The circles separate again.  The girls begin dancing in a ring as the men take center stage, weaving in and out from each other, their movements restrained and strong.  The ribbon dancers are on the outermost ring, the ribbons flashing like steel.  The men and girls join together in a line for the last parts of the folk dance, folding their arms and kicking their feet to the music, three ribbon dancers in front and two behind.  I suddenly notice Ariel among them, a carefree smile on her face, eyes shimmering and reflecting the light from the lanterns as she dances so fast her feet seem like they’re on fire.

Part of me starts to understand why Mackenzie and Tewa asked if she’d be part of the ribbon dancing.

The dancing suddenly slows, and several people leave the circle.  The ribbon dancers retreat as well, leaving Ariel in the center.  Several other women and men dance slowly in a circle around her.  Some of the younger children, the girls and boys also come up and join the circle, spinning and waving their arms.  The light shines on Ariel’s hair, making it shine like gold.  I can almost imagine a crown on her head as she dances, feet purposefully placed, arms moving as though she’s a flower in the breeze.

While this is definitely slower music, it’s better than the dances from Demien’s celebrations.

The music picks up a bit again, and the ribbon dancers rejoin the circle, taking center stage again as a new boy comes up to act as Ariel’s dancing partner in the circle.  The younger children remain in the outer ring until the music undergoes a subtle shift and they duck under the older dance partners, taking control of the middle ring.  The older and younger circles continue to do this, taking turns in the center.  I catch sight of Terry among the younger circle.  I’m not certain why it surprises me, really.

The girls and boys suddenly separate, the boys in the outer ring and the girls in the center, older and younger dancers alternating.  Then they switch, the women and girls coming to the front and the men and boys going to the back.  Again there’s a switch, the women going back with the men as the boys come up with the girls, all dancing facing out, the music constantly picking up until there’s a sudden stop and everyone drops to the ground.  The young girls dance alone at first, then the women rise up to join them as the music swells, and then the ribbon dancers do.

I shake my head, somewhat impressed, as the boys stand up to dance with the addition of a new instrument, then the men quickly afterwards.  With a rumble of drums, they all spin outward and begin moving in the circle, the inner moving clockwise and the outer moving counter clockwise, until the music reaches its climax and they stop, arms raised.

Once more the music shifts, slowing.  The circle slowly dwindles until only a few people are left.  They bow down, and one by one, listening to cues known only to them, they stand to dance.  The music is haunting, and there’s a sort of energy running below it that makes my hair stand on edge.

More people join the circle as the feeling grows.  I find myself unable to look away, entirely hypnotized by the constant shifts and changes.  It stops, leaving a single man to carry on the dance alone.  I recognize the one who had been with Mackenzie earlier.  With another rumble of drums, the rest start up, joining him, and some of the people around us begin clapping their hands and drumming their feet in perfect sync.  With another rise in the music, the rest of the people join in with the clapping and drumming.  The music changes, leaving Mackenzie in the center, some of the boys dancing in a circle around her as the pattern of the clapping and drumming shifts.  Then the boys get down and the girls get up to dance with her, following her movements exactly.  Again, the other dancers begin to rise to cues I’m oblivious to.  Mackenzie rejoins the inner circle, and they all separate, forming smaller circles, and then shifting into a triangle at the end.

Once more the music changes, signaling a new dance, and once more, the dancers adapt perfectly.  This one is less haunting, more engaging.  I catch myself tapping on my arms as one of the ribbon dancers spins past, her ribbon flying over the crowd’s heads like a fiery phoenix.  The ribbonless dancers each split up, but their positions constantly shift to the music.  The women dance fluidly, the men with stronger, harder movements.  The contrast is incredible.  It doesn’t look chaotic at all, but works together and is…quite honestly impressive.  The women and men drop down.  The girls and boys take their place, weaving in and out of the lines and dancing similarly to the others before.   Finally everyone jumps up, dancing together and weaving in and out of each other effortlessly, every person knowing exactly where to go and when.  That’s when I catch sight of Dylan among the dancers as well.

I shake my head in disbelief as dancers continue to switch, acting on their cues.  They all freeze for a moment, the ribbon dancers the only ones continuing.  Then the girls do as well.  And then the boys.    Suddenly everyone currently dancing stops, and the women take over.  Again, with the entrance of drums, the women stop, giving way to the men.  Then the women once more begin to dance alongside.  The boys join in, then the girls join in, and finally the ribbon dancers once again.  The dance ultimately can only be described like thunder, fast, strong, sudden, beautiful, and incredible.

I’ve been missing out, the thought slips past my guard before I even register.  The music draws to the climax, the dancers all snapping together to dance the exact same way, then it all slows, and the dancers slowly begin to dwindle, leaving the circle at their cues, until there is no one left but the lead ribbon dancer standing alone.

At the sudden change from dramatic to simple music, she dances alone until two of her fellow ribbon dancers join in with the addition of a flute.  Then as a tapping beat is added, her other two companions join in, leaving the five ribbon dancers to dance alone to the simple music.  It’s not at all flowing like some of the others, but it’s soft.  Their movements match exactly, stopping and moving at all the perfect moments, their ribbons never truly still, almost as if the fabric itself was dancing to the music of its own free will.

They come to an abrupt stop with the flute as the last instrument playing.

The lead ribbon dancer raises her arms and smiles, “Everyone, join in!”  With that, the ribbon dancers lay down their ribbons.  The music starts up, lively as ever, and nearly everyone around us turns to a partner, beginning the quick steps to a dance that they all know by heart.

I step back, trying to escape the sudden flurry of movement.

Rowan shakes his head, “Uh uh, come dance.”

I jump, only just remembering he’s next to me, “Um.  No.  No, I don’t dance.  I don’t even know how.”

“It’s actually easy.  Come on, just try one dance.  The ribbon dancer did say everyone after all, and you are a part of ‘everyone’.”

I huff, glaring at him, “You say it’s easy, but then I look at everyone doing all…that.  I hate to break it to you, but I’m much more skilled at fighting than this.”

“Exactly.”  I stare for a moment.  Did you just lose your mind?  “Tigress, footwork is actually very similar to dancing,” he holds his hand out, waiting.  “You don’t have to be a perfect dancer to have fun, you know.  Look around, none of these people are perfect dancers either.  They’re not all dancing the same dance, they’re improvising.  Just follow the basic idea.”

I glance around, hoping to prove him wrong, but am surprised to find he’s right.  While everyone is dancing to the music and staying clear of each other, no one is doing it perfectly, and no two dances are exactly alike.

I hesitate for a second, glancing back at Rowan.  ‘You can’t truly enjoy the festival until you’ve danced some,’ Ariel’s voice echoes in my mind.

I sigh heavily, “Fine.  I’ll try one.  But I did warn you.  I don’t know how to dance.”

He grins, lighting up.  Shaking my head, I awkwardly take his hand.  I’m fairly certain neither of us knew any of the basic steps, but Rowan must have been paying more attention to them than I was, because for the moment, I’m more following his steps than dancing, staring at our feet and desperately trying not to trip.

But after a bit, I realize, he wasn’t wrong.  Dancing is not entirely different from the footwork and katas I spent so long perfecting, and by glancing at the others I manage to keep up.  Left, right, back, skip to the side and clap, then turn back to your partner…  I don’t realize I’m smiling until Rowan flashes me a knowing grin.  Frankly not caring at the moment, I just ignore him and allow some of my martial arts training to leak into my dancing, adding some turns and leaps to the basic steps.  Rowan’s eyes brighten, and he does the same, matching my movements where he can.  The music speeds up, nearing the end.  I jump up in the air as it swells, twisting, and land on my feet when it comes to a stop.