-May, 2010-

The day was a whirlwind of talking. Going into the very beige office of our company's Osaka branch. Sitting through a two hour meeting as various staff on the tour talked about their opinions, little adjustments here and there such as the lighting and mood colors. I listened to this with rapt attention, because it would affect how I could use the light to dance and therefore express emotions. Then, Kaori-san spoke for a long time about the music. Little adjustments to the arrangements to evoke more emotion, which I was all about. Thinking about how my dancing would further tweak to these changes.

After this, I'd gone to a personal meeting with Ren and Osamu. They spoke to me about my costume. We had several with us, loans from historical collectors who liked to work with me. Osamu suggested we use the set from Arai-san, a gentleman from Gunma prefecture who'd been loaning kimono to me for a long time. This particular ensemble was one I admired the most, one which evoked the feeling of autumn. The uchikake alone was from the mid-1800's, a precious treasure that I'd protect with my very life. This costume would change how we performed the whole show, to things as small as colors. Casting orange, red, and yellow lights on the floor of the stage to show foliage on the ground.

Osamu and Ren dressed me in a simple and modern female kimono ensemble, and then left to meet with the staff again to discuss these set changes based on costume. I left with my manager to go to the interview he'd told me about. It was incredibly short notice, but my manager promised it would be quick. I didn't trust that for a second, but it was for a dance magazine and one I'd heard of. I was happy with that.

Once I got there, we'd done a lot of bowing. Apparently I was greatly admired among their staff, and a few had been to my performances across the region. They saw I was in town for just one more day and jumped at the chance to interview me. They couldn't guarantee that I'd make it to this month's issue, but absolutely I'd be in the next one if that were the case.

What followed was a very nice time. Chatting about what kinds of dance I enjoyed. We went off into talking about ballet for a while, how I admired the elegance of the dancers and the stories. The interviewer, a nice and very shy intern, wanting to know what my favorite one was. I admitted it was La Sylphide, to which the poor, shy girl mistook for Les Sylphides, a much more modern ballet. Luckily, I was familiar with both and tried to very politely correct her. This turned into me explaining how I look at other dancers for guidance, watching as many ballets and other forms of dance as I could. That one is always a humble student, and there's always more to learn. That in fact, I incorporated some modern dance into my traditional, if one paid attention closely. In this way, the dance was entirely my own interpretation.

Of course, there was the one eternal question that anyone who knew anything about traditional Japanese dance always asked. I was happy to answer it once again.

Aurelia-sama, why do you smile when you dance?

I understood the mystery. It isn't common for a traditional Japanese dancer to smile when dancing. Instead, we use our bodies to convey the emotion, to show what we want to express. The face is one that is left for the audience to interpret themselves, to place their own emotion there as one would when viewing art. How does it make you feel? That is the expression on the blank face. However, my face was never blank. It was a canvas of my own emotions, showing the biggest mountain of joy to the deepest ravine of grief.

I explained that it further went with my own interpretation. When I had been taught to dance as a young child, my teacher always told me to smile. That this was not my funeral. She'd been a dancer back in the day herself, so I trusted her completely with all of my heart. And as I took her advice to heart, I found my own dance. My own styles. Mixing it with other forms of theater, from kabuki to bunraku to modern movies and plays. In this way, my show was much more than dancing. It was usually an exhibition of traditional Japanese dance, yes, as that was my specialty and what I'd trained for since being a toddler, but I was free to express it however I wished. And I wanted the audience to see that for themselves.

We wrapped up the interview with bows to each other. The interviewer politely said she liked my kimono. It was a lovely dark blue furisode with pink and yellow flowers cascading, complimenting my formal gold obi. I thanked her very much, complimenting her trendy outfit as well. She shyly told me that she liked to dabble in modern dance herself. I wanted to talk to her more about it, so I asked her to message me later sincerely. My manager was motioning to me rudely that it was time to go to the next phase, reminding of the time.

In the same room, they had a gorgeous backdrop of fake flowers on a sky blue. I stood on the marked X on the floor and did my thing. The photographer snapped photos as I did poses rapidly, knowing which ones complimented my face and made me appear the most feminine in a snapshot. The interview had been short, so likely if they used a photo at all only one would survive the picking. I wanted to make it as hard for them as possible, making each one my best.

The whole thing must have taken an hour, from first greeting to good-bye.

My manager and I were taken back to the office, and I entered the staff lounge to it in an uproar.

"Come on, quick! Go get dressed in your street clothes! We're finally going to Dotonbori, but we can't stay long!" Itsuki rushed at me, breathless. "We get to go! I can't believe it! I get to see the Glico Man!"

"What is it with you and the Glico Man?" Jun asked, casually waving his hand in front of his face to ward away cigarette smoke from others.

"Well, he's an icon, isn't he? I've always seen him in pictures. I thought, as long as I'm in Osaka..."

I did an about-face and rushed to my dressing room. I'd be able to take this modern ensemble off myself, no sweat, especially with the obi tied as simply as it was. We'd been in a hurry before, so Osamu hadn't done his usual fancy knot that he liked to pair with me. He said the fancier knot embodied Aurelia more, but we hadn't had time. I was grateful for it now.

Once in the dressing room, I began to disrobe, locating my casual outfit that was now neatly folded on a chair. After folding the entire kimono ensemble neatly and placing them in their special paper lined boxes, I removed my elaborate wig. Then, I washed my face thoroughly, making it squeaky clean, my hands and arms becoming clean of makeup in the process, too. I grabbed my clothes and threw them on, taking care for one last touch which was styling my hair as best I could. The whole thing had taken ten minutes. I rushed back to the lounge, which was on a separate floor.

I made it just in time, breathless. They were all filing down the hallway, excitedly talking about food they might find. I joined them, holding my chest and grinning at all the suggestions, knowing full well that I wouldn't be able to eat anything before a performance. However, I had missed lunch in the hecticness of the day, so maybe a bit of something would be okay.

It was just past four now, and I'd have to be back by five or five-thirty at the latest to start getting ready for the show. I might even have to disappear even earlier. But, how good it felt to be going out like this, especially as a big group. Talking excitedly like children, as we taunted Jun about the elevator, claiming he had to take one by himself due to his weight and the uncertainty of these old, rickety things.

We all laughed at him as he struck famous bodybuilder poses, the doors closing on one that made him look particularly Greek god-like. Even if this trip would be brief for me, I could still enjoy it like Cinderella does at the ball.

As we waited for the next elevator, hands went into my hair from the back. I almost startled, but I knew these hands.

"Your hair," Ren sighed deeply, devastated. "Did you get ready in the dark?"

All I could do was laugh.