Tutus and Treachery

Realization dawns.

"Hi," she say as I duck under the cover of the bus shelter. "You're Matteo aren't you?"

"Er yeah," says the young man, a little surprised.

"I'm Elsa, I'm at the ballet school too."

"Oh right," Matteo says, the confusion on his face lifting. "So you're off to class as well?"

"Yeah," I nod. "I'm 12th grade - same as you. It's a pas de deux class this morning, so you guys will be in with us."

"That's cool," he says.

"You're living here - in the village?" she asks.

Matteo nods.

"My father is working in the city temporarily. He's seconded from the Pisa office. We've rented a house in Schulestrasse."

"Schulestrasse?" she replies. "That's just round the corner from me. I live in Brückstrasse."

Elsa knows Schulestrasse well. They're not big the houses in that road, but they're good enough for a couple of months.

The bus draws up alongside us and opens its doors to let them in. Elsa shows Matteo where to scan his pass and he follows her to a seat at the back.

"How long have you been at the school?" he asks as the driver sets off down the road.

"Since 6th grade -- all the way through," she replies. "And your school in Italy, you were there a long time?"

"The same -- since I was eleven."

"It's a big school?"

"About twenty girls and fifteen boys in each cohort," he replies.

"That's how it started out for us, but almost everyone drops out before the end of 9th grade. And we never get anyone transferring in."

"How come you speak German?" Elsa asks.

She's noticed Matteo's accent, but she can't quite place it. He certainly doesn't sound Italian.

"I'm from the South Tyrol, originally," he explains. "But we moved to Pisa when I was very young. We speak German at home and my grandparents still live in Merano."

The bus turns sharply onto the main highway, sending Matteo's holdall sliding across the floor. He gets up to retrieve it and sits down again.

"What part do you have in the Nutcracker?" he asks.

"I'm going to be Clara."

"That's cool. I think we get to dance together. I'm the Mouse King."

Elsa nods.

"Yes. I'm sure Frau von Tanzenhohe will want us to start rehearsing it soon," she says.

"She mentioned something about Saturday morning," says Matteo.

He reads the surprise in her face.

"I'm sure she'll talk to you about it," he adds quickly.

Elsa feels a little bit offended. It's not like Old Tanzenhohe to start planning a weekend rehearsal without telling her.

"Yeah, I had my first rehearsal with Nils yesterday," Matteo continues. "We kinda played around with the choreography a bit. I'd like to make it as good as possible. Nils is a good dancer. He deserves more of a chance to show off!"

Elsa's not quite sure what to make of Matteo complimenting Nils. She's not convinced that her boyfriend would value his opinion.

"What are you doing in Act II?" she asks.

She already knows the answer, but she doesn't want an awkward silence.

"I'm gonna be in the Russian dance, with some of the 11th graders.

"That's cool," she replies. "There's lots of big leaps in that one -- the guys really like doing it. I know Nils did last year."

"It's gonna be great, I'm really looking forward to it," Matteo says excitedly. "There's a ballet company in Pisa and do the Nutcracker every year. The school students don't get a chance to do any of the big roles."

"It's gonna be a busy few months," agrees Elsa. "And Nils, Kerstin and I are through to the second round of the Prix de Lucerne -- so we gotta prepare a second audition tape."

She realizes she's trying to impress him.

"Oh yeah, I have too," Matteo replies. "I'm gonna do my taping at the same time as you guys next week."

The bus comes to a halt and the doors open with a hiss.

"This is our stop," Clara says.

--

"Frau von Tanzenhohe is ill," announces Elsa as she enters the ballroom early on Saturday morning.

Matteo looks up from his stretching.

"I've just got a message," Elsa says, indicating her phone. "She says she's ill and she's not coming. It's just the two of us. She wants me to teach you the choreography and then we'll look at it properly with her next week."

"Oh, OK," he replies. "Let's finish stretching and then we can warm up together."

Elsa is more than a little resentful of being called into school on a Saturday morning. She could really have done with a proper lie in. With all the preparation for her Prix de Lucerne taping, it's been a very stressful week. Add to that, Nils' continued moaning, she's been dreading the prospect of Matteo's choreographic innovations. Without Old Tanzenhohe around, there's no one to keep him in check.

She curses her ballet mistress under her breath and settles on the floor to stretch out, praying they can get through everything quickly. Once they're warmed up, they run through a few exercises to some recorded music.

"We probably ought to try a few turns and lifts together, so I can work out where you balance and how you move," he suggests.

"Yes, OK," she replies.

She gets up onto her toes and Matteo stands behind her, taking her hands in his. They start with a simple promenade turn, with Elsa standing on one foot and her partner walking in a circle to turn her. Then it's on to some pirouettes and whip turns, with Matteo supporting her at the waist.

"How did that feel?" he asks as the two of them step apart from each other.

"Yeah, that felt good," she replies. "I like the way you hold me. It feels very secure."

And it does feel good. She's only really danced with two boys -- Nils and Jürgen -- and Nils is by far the better of the two. But Matteo's hold feels different. His hands are firm, but gentle at the same time. Somehow her boyfriend's grip is more, well, grippy -- almost pinchy. But Matteo feels much more in control -- almost effortlessly so.

"Shall we do some lifts?"

"Yes, let's."

She realizes she's smiling at him.

They run through a few lifts, building up to the point where Elsa's weight is above Matteo's shoulder height. As they run through the list, he can feel her relax. She's beginning to trust him as he learns how her body moves.

The two of them break for a drink of water, sitting down on the floor with their backs to the wall. Elsa reaches into her bag and brings out the piano score of the Nutcracker, opening it in front of them at the start of the Battle Scene.

"Do you read music?"

"Of course," Matteo replies.

"So let's start here," she begins. "This is the clock striking midnight." She points to the repeated single notes of the chiming bell at the top of the page. "And in our version, that's when the Christmas tree grows. Other companies have it growing a bit later, but that's what we do."

"I suppose it shows that Clara is asleep and she's starting to dream," he suggests.

"Yeah, I think that's the idea," she replies. "And I'm lying down on a red couch at the back of the stage at this point, with the Nutcracker doll next to me."

"Actually, do you mind if I write this down?" Matteo asks. "It'll help me to remember it."

He gets up and crosses the room to his holdall. She watches as he bends down to unzip the bag and reach inside - his butt is amazing.

He sits down beside her again and starts to make a few notes.

"So after the clock strikes?" he prompts.

"This is what we call the 'scurrying music'," Elsa explains, pointing to the right place in the score. "It's a fast sequence on the bassoon and oboe. Most of the mice come on here. And they're dancing around the bed. And I stand up and I'm clutching the Nutcracker doll."

Matteo nods.

"Right at the end of this section, there's an ascending scale played by the violins," she continues. "And that's when I escape from the mice and hide down at the front of the stage on the right-hand side."

She points to the one side of the ballroom, where the dimensions of the stage have been marked out in tape on the wooden floor.

"So you're actually hiding?"

"Well, the audience can see me," she says. "I'm sheltering rather than hiding,"

"OK, I got it," he replies.

"So then we get these five long notes on the trombones," she continues, pointing again to the music. "And that's you -- that's your entrance. You appear at the back of the stage in the centre, the lighting changes to red and you look very menacing and scary." She smiles.

"That sounds good," he says. "I'll be as scary as I can!"

"And in our version, those five notes on the trombone are repeated and that's when you stride down to the front of the stage -- and the mice are on their knees worshipping you as their mighty king."

"I like the sound of that," he laughs gently.

Elsa takes a sip of water as he writes a few more notes.

"I'm not going too fast for you, am I?"

"No, no," Matteo shakes his head. "This is perfect -- really helpful."

"So, you're now at the front of the stage and you see me over in the corner. You walk across to me -- and that's when you have your mime sequence."

Matteo nods.

"Yes, Frau von Tanzenhohe sent me an email about it last night. I've got to try to persuade you that I'm not actually an evil Mouse King and that I'm actually very nice!" he chuckles.

"Yeah, that's exactly right. You've got the strings playing this long sweeping melody," she says. "And you come over to me and bow deeply."

"And what about you?" he asks.

"Well I'm still terrified," she replies. "I'm still clutching the Nutcracker doll and I think you're the scariest thing I've ever seen."

Matteo makes an exaggerated horrified intake of break and clutches his hands against his heart, as if wounded by her insult.

"So that's exactly what you need to do," she explains, pointing to the crossed hands on his chest.

"You start off bowing low and then you're explaining what an honour it is to meet me, how you have heard how kind I am, what a wonderful young lady I am -- that sort of thing."

Matteo nods.

"And then you straighten up a bit. You're telling me that everything I might have heard about how evil and nasty you are, is completely wrong. You say that you are a kind, merciful leader -- and you gesture towards the mice who are still bowing down, and you tell me how much your people love you."

Matteo writes down a few more notes and Elsa takes another sip of water.

"And then you point to the Nutcracker and you say that it's just a doll and that it can't help me. And you offer me your hand and say that you'll be my protector and that I should come and live with you in the land of the mice as your queen."

Matteo gives a wry smile.

"So I convince you and you put the doll down and take my hand?" he asks.

"Yeah, that's right," she answers. "I have to leave the doll right in the corner of the stage, so that one of the scenery movers can grab it later without anyone noticing."

"So we start to dance?"

"Yes. We add another repeat in the music here, so it's a bit longer than in the original score. And I'm starting off a little tentatively, but gradually you start to seduce me!"

"I seduce you?" Matteo laughs. "You fall for the Mouse King!!"

"Well not quite." I give him a sideways smile. "Because you get a bit overconfident, you think your moves are really working, so you try to kiss me. But I jump away in fright and try to escape."

"So that's when the music changes?"

"Yeah, the trombones come in again and it starts to sound very sinister as you chase me around the stage."

Matteo writes a few more things down.

"Ok," he says. "So I end up catching you?"

I nod.

"That's right -- you catch me in the middle of the stage and carry me over to the cage. You throw me inside and there's a clash on the cymbals as you close the door."

"And after that?"

"So you're at the height of your power. You've caught me, you've locked me up -- all the mice are dancing around you, telling you how great you are, and you just lap it up!"

"That's fantastic -- I like the sound of that!" he laughs.

"Don't get too used to it," I reply. "Nils is about to come on and fight you. You'll be dead in four minutes!"

Matteo pulls an injured face and looks at me with puppy dog eyes.

"So that's what happens next -- Nils comes on as the Nutcracker?"

"Yes," she answers. "And he appears at the corner of the stage at front, where I left the doll."

"I see."

"And I think you've practiced the rest from there, so there's point going through it now."

Matteo nods.

"And the cage -- it starts off as a big present, but it's only later that the audience see it's a prison?"

"Yeah. Quite a few of the mice bring on giant presents in the scurrying sequence. The cage is the largest -- it looks like a big gift with a ribbon and bow. But when you catch me, the mice spin it round, so the audience can see the bars. It's very effective -- it's one of the really memorable bits of the performance -- actually the whole Battle Scene is."

"Yes," he replies thoughtfully, "it's all linking up now. I can see how it fits together."

He writes a few more notes and then puts his pen down.

"I think I like this version," he says. "It makes the Mouse King a more important character. And it gives a good reason for the battle - if I've captured you and locked you up."

"Different companies do different things," Elsa says with a slight shrug. "In some versions, the Mouse King doesn't come on until after the Nutcracker. But doing it this way is better for a school, because it evens the parts out a bit more."

Matteo nods.

"I saw a performance in London where Clara and the Nutcracker escaped in a hot air balloon!"

"That sounds pretty cool," she replies.

Flying away from danger with Nils sounds even more perfect!

"OK," he says, "let's make a start."

He takes up position at the back of the stage and Elsa finds the right point in the music. They don't have a pianist with them, so everything has to be played from the studio laptop, which is a bit inconvenient, but still doable. She presses play and the trombones begin to blast.

She watches as Matteo strides slowly, yet regally towards the front of the stage, holding his hands out to sides to receive the adulation of the smaller mice. She realizes how impressive he is and how he's managing to embody his character. It's a pity his face will be hidden by the Mouse King mask, but at least the bulge in his tights will be perfectly visible.

"Do you want to get in position?" he asks.

"Oh, er, sorry," she stammers, pausing the music. "Sorry, I was miles away."

Matteo smiles. He's got a good idea what she was looking at!

The two of them run through the Mouse King mime and the seduction sequence. Matteo is a quick learner and Elsa is impressed with how responsive he is to her directions.

"I wondered," he says, as they take another break, "maybe when I'm taking you over to the cage, I should carry you above my head?"

"Above your head?"

"Yeah, so I hold your hips and you're facing upwards. I thought it might make it looks more like you're completely powerless and that I'm completely victorious."

"Er, yeah, we could try it, I guess," she replies.

She's a little hesitant. Matteo hasn't tried to change the choreography so far, but she was expecting that he would. Although they've learnt all the overhead lifts, they haven't spent much time on them, because it's so tough on the boys' arms and backs.

The practice the sequence.

"What did you think?" Matteo asks.

"Yeah," Elsa replies with muted enthusiasm. "I think that works. We'll have to check with Frau von Tanzenhohe."

"Trust me," he smiles. "She'll love it!"

Elsa smiles back, but she's not sure about his confidence. She can see why Nils has got annoyed. Mind you, her boyfriend can be at least as cocky himself.

"Shall we run the whole thing through a couple of times?" she suggests.

"Good idea," Matteo answers. "I probably ought to put the head on first!"

She follows him over to the front of the room. There's a black plastic bag next to his holdall, which she hasn't noticed before. He reaches inside and brings out the Mouse King mask.

"They let you borrow this?" she asks, pointing at the head.

"This is the old one. Apparently, there's another one that they're keeping for the performances. You can see this one's a bit scuffed. I think it's been dropped a few times."

He shows her the mask. From a distance it looks fine, but close up, she can see that some of the fur is missing and the bottom jaw is bent up a little.

"Can I try it on?" she asks tentatively.

"Go ahead," he answers. "It's not very nice inside. It's a bit claustrophobic."

She puts it on. It's very dark and much heavier than she expected. It dawns on her how difficult it will be for the two of them to communicate when he's wearing it. She pulls it back over her head.

"What d'you think?" he asks.

"Yeah, you can't see much," she says. "The masks the little mice wear are more like caps, so you can see out the bottom. But this goes all over the head. And it's heavy. I didn't expect it to be that heavy!"

He takes the Mouse King head from her and reaches into his holdall. He brings out a long, gray rat tail. "Frau von Tanzenhöhe says I should practice wearing this," he smiles. "Would you help me to put it on?"

She nods and takes the tail from him. She looks at the silvery fabric in her hand as he turns away from her. She wore one of them as a mouse in 9th grade and she remembers how fiddly they are to attach.

But this is different to the one she wore when she was younger. It's longer, thicker and, as she tests in between her fingers, the padding inside is so much firmer. She squeezes it again.

There's a click as Matteo fastens the belt around his waist.

"OK," he says, "Can you hook it on?"

She takes a step towards him. He's bent forwards a little to give her an easier angle. She takes her time, struggling deliberately to give her a chance to admire his perfect, muscular butt. There's a surge of heat from within her; is she really getting horny?

"OK, done," she announces.

Matteo reaches for the Mouse King head, slips it on and turns to face her.

"What do you think?" he asks.

For a second Elsa can't answer. She's mesmerised by the thick bulge in his gray tights.

"Um, uh, yeah, looks great," she mumbles. "Very nice. Er, I mean, very scary."

Matteo smiles to himself. Even with the mask on, he can see her face has suddenly flushed red.

--

"Have you seen inside the theater?" Elsa asks as she and Matteo walk down the hill from the castle after their rehearsal.

"No," he replies. "I've seen photos, but I've never been inside."

"Would you like to have a look now?" she suggests. "It'd give you a better feel for the stage and how everything fits together. We can get the next bus back in an hour."

He checks the time on his phone.

"OK. Good idea," he replies.

She leads him through the maze of narrow streets until they're in the main square, looking up at the façade of the theater.

"They've put these up since I was here last week," he says, indicating the two giant, but as yet undecorated, Christmas trees flanking the main entrance. "Oh, and the poster too!"

He points at the horizontal banner above the portico that proudly announces "Nutcracker" with the dates and times of the performances.

"Yup, people are buying the tickets, so we gotta put on a show," Elsa replies. "We can't back out now!"

"It's a pity they didn't have the Mouse King looming over the two of you," says Matteo, pointing to the right-hand end of the banner, where there's a headshot photo of Nils and Elsa together in costume.

"We need to save the scary for the performance," she smiles. "We don't want to frighten everyone too early!"

Matteo looks up at the grand imposing building with its giant dome and tall Corinthian columns. A preposterous monument to artistic hubris, it's totally oversized for the small town. It could only be the product of the mind of a member of the von Lotsageld family, in this case, as Elsa informs him, the Crown Prinz - the father of the Prinzess who founded the ballet school.