Leap! Page #5

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- Yes.

Is that also

clear to you, madame?

Clear.

Then, Felicie Lebras

from Brittany,

your future at the Opera

is in your hands.

(SIGHS)

CAMILLE:
Hmm!

What if she's good, Mother?

Get that part, do you hear me?

I want vengeance.

- I will have it.

- (YELPS)

She even makes sweeping

look graceful.

She was a good dancer,

wasn't she?

Not just a good dancer.

The best of her generation.

And then there was

a fire onstage.

Oh!

What's this for?

For everything!

(SIGHS) We don't have time

for this.

We're talking about

your future now.

You have only one opponent -

Camille.

(DRAMATIC MUSIC)

ODETTE:
I have seen her.

I know her.

Her technique is perfect,

and she is stronger

than she looks.

(GRUNTS)

ODETTE:
She is precise,

she is sharp,

and losing is not a word

in her vocabulary.

Up, down! Up, down!

Up, down! Again!

- Up, down!

- I'm tired.

'Tired' is for losers!

Again! I am going

to get that part!

ODETTE:
If you try to take her down

on her turf, you will fail.

(PANTS)

ODETTE:
Your diet suffers

from eating very little food.

Your muscles

are like marshmallows.

In short, on paper,

you're going to get humiliated.

(GROANS)

Great pep talk!

So, how do I get that part?

You get the part

because you have something

she can only dream of -

passion!

(UPLIFTING MUSIC)

ODETTE:
Build on this.

Feel your anger and your pain

and your sorrow and your joy,

and put it all into your dance.

Live the music, feel it.

Every note, every sound,

every harmony

needs to have

your body vibrating

from the end of your hair

to the tips of your toes.

And then, and only then,

will you take her down.

Alright! The person

leaving us today is...

(TENSE PIANO MUSIC PLAYS)

Ahem!

- (PIANO STRINGS RESONATE)

- Hmm!

This is the end of the road,

Miss Nora.

What road?

Oh, I'm finished.

- I like you. Beat her.

- (CAMILLE SCOFFS)

Camille and Felicie,

tomorrow morning at 8:00am,

we will know which one of you

will have the honour

of dancing Clara

in 'The Nutcracker' with Rosita.

I can only advise you

to give everything, ladies.

You've made lots of progress,

dirty, little rat,

but tomorrow I am going

to be the chosen one.

We'll see.

You can work

as hard as you like,

you can train 24 hours a day,

but you will always be nothing!

- I am somebody.

- Who exactly?

Answer me! Who are you?

(SCOFFS) You're nothing!

Nothing!

- She's wrong, you know.

- (DOOR OPENS AND CLOSES)

- You're not alone.

- What?

(GRUNTS)

- You have me.

- (SIGHS)

And I know exactly

what we are going to do.

Tonight, to prove

our connection,

we will embark on

a little romantic party.

I offer you the Eiffel Tower.

I offer you fireworks.

- Tonight, 7:
00pm.

- I should train.

You don't need to train.

You don't need to know

who you are.

You are unique.

Say that again?

Tonight.

Felicie, it gives me

great pleasure

to present to you...

(SCOFFS) No!

(MUSIC BOX PLAYS GENTLE TUNE)

(SIGHS)

Victor! I'm in

the final audition!

Wow! Congratulations!

I have great news too.

My boss finally spoke to me!

He said, "Get off my foot,

you biological mutation!"

(LAUGHS) That's good, right?

- (BLOWS NOSE LOUDLY)

- Ugh! You have no class.

What, me? No class?

- Rudi has class.

- Rudi again?

What, is he your boyfriend now?

No! He and I,

we're connected.

OK, OK. You win!

I'll give you class

and connectivity-ness.

Dinner! You and me.

Some knives and forks, napkins.

Uh, 7:
00pm, north leg

of the Eiffel Tower.

- (DOOR CLOSES)

- Is that a yes?

Yeah.

That's a yes.

Sit! I've got something

for you.

They were mine.

Now they're yours.

Wow! Thanks.

OK, enough talking.

Eat, and then we practise

for tomorrow.

- (SIGHS)

- What?

Well, I'm going out with Rudi.

He says I'm ready.

He says I'm unique.

Why do you dance?

Stop asking me that question!

When I was a dancer,

the night before an audition,

I trained and then I rested.

- Rudi's waiting for me.

- Stay!

No! You're not my mom!

I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking.

OK. Go, then.

(DOOR OPENS)

(SIGHS)

(UPLIFTING MUSIC)

(RUDI LAUGHS)

- (GASPS)

- Look at the bird.

Um...

No! Look at me.

Look at the bird.

No! Hmm? Look at me.

This is a poem I composed

in your honour.

Ah, of course, a poem.

"Look at the bird!

"He flies in the sky.

"No-one can trap him."

(IMITATES BIRD CHIRPING)

(SQUAWKS)

Do you like?

That's, uh...

..well, original.

I know. Thank you.

Come on, Minoushka!

Let us go to the very top!

To the stars!

VICTOR:
OK, Matty, we practise.

Music, please! Classical!

OK, but that's not

my musical comfort zone.

- (PLAYS BADLY)

- Oh, stop!

Stop, stop, stop!

We'll go Breton,

but soft and romantic.

This will blow her away.

She arrives, she giggles.

I am looking dark

and mysterious.

I give her the music box.

She's... "Oh! Oh!"

Overwhelmed!

Uh, I don't know much

about girls.

Frankly, they are

a mystery to me.

But I do know that

this one's not coming.

Young, innocent fool!

Of course she will come!

(SNIFFS) I can already smell

her perfume.

(FOOTSTEPS APPROACH)

(GASPS)

RUDI:
Oh, no!

Oh, beggars! Ugh!

Paris is infested

with beggars! Yuck!

- But...

- Don't be afraid.

- But...

- Quiet! Follow me.

Have no fear, I have developed

a fighting technique

based on Cossack dancing.

Don't be ridiculous!

(GRUNTS)

OK, stop right there!

He's my friend!

Oh, is this some kind of joke?

No! This is Victor.

We grew up together.

Oh, my! This is funny.

Friends, huh?

If we're friends,

why are you looking so ashamed?

- I'm not looking ashamed.

- Oh, yes, you are!

I feel sorry for you, Felicie.

- Oh! You're jealous.

- No!

Ever since you started

at the Opera,

who are you trying to be?

Mixing with this

big, hairy asparagus?

- You're so sad.

- Whoa, whoa, whoa!

(SPEAKS RUSSIAN)

I could knock you out

with one flick of my tiny finger,

but that would make my finger

dirty and smelly.

So, I'm dirty, but at least

I don't spend my day in tights!

I can't believe this!

She is MY muse.

Yeah, well, she is my

whatever-you-just-said, too,

with knobs on, asparagus!

(BOTH GRUNT)

- Stop!

- (BOTH PANT)

You're both idiots!

OK.

Well, goodbye, then.

- Well, goodbye.

- (RUDI GRUNTS)

- (VICTOR GROANS)

- (RUDI LAUGHS)

That is so low!

(GRUNTS)

(SIGHS)

(FOOTSTEPS RECEDE)

(DOG BARKS IN DISTANCE)

(SIGHS AND SNIFFLES)

(GASPS)

Oh, no! The audition!

('WALTZ OF THE FLOWERS'

BY TCHAIKOVSKY PLAYS)

Hmm...

- I'm sure this...

- Watch it!

..production of 'Nutcracker'

is going to...

- Excuse me!

- (WATCH TICKS)

Hmm...

MAN:
Hey!

(PANTS)

Bravo! Bravo!

Thank you, mademoiselle.

The orphan is late.

It's over.

Ahem!

Well, as Felicie did not deign

to show up for the audition,

it is Camille who will dance

with Rosita.

Wait! Wait! I'm here!

Please, please let me dance.

It's over!

Don't you understand?

Sit down!

- I-I apologise.

- Did you sleep?

(SIGHS) Not much.

Did you train yesterday?

- No.

- Why?

(SIGHS)

Alright, music!

(PIANO MUSIC PLAYS)

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