Death Cast

01.9 | Grecia Bella Theatre

Jaerim felt no fear as he walked behind the jester. Their destination is only a few steps away, the room next door, which is a multipurpose hall with a couple of set up walls. Previously an empty place, it is now used as a rehearsal area, a dressing room, and a backstage area. Although it wasn't literally at the back of the stage, this room and that location are linked. The stage is only a short alley away from the stage.

There are already people in the room. Obviously, they are the other troupes who had arrived earlier to practice. The jester led them to their assigned location, which is in the far corner. The area wasn't small, nor it was large, but it was adequate for the size of their group. Two indoor tents have been installed in the area, which are most likely their troupe's dressing and storage room.

Jaerim took a look around and observed the other groups. He could see some people already dancing their routine, dressed up in colorful costumes and fiddling with their musical instruments. Noel joined him in his people-watching and noticed something in common with the other troupes around them.

"They're dancing folkdances," Noel spoke out.

Jaerim looked at Noel blankly. "What did you say?"

"Those dances, aren't they folkdances?"

Noel motioned to the troupe in the distance. A group of ten women make a circle with crossed link arms, four of whom have Autumn marks on their faces. They are spinning counter clockwise and clockwise in a set beat, following simple steps of three steps ahead and one step backwards. They were dressed in brightly colored dazzling outfits that gave them the appearance of flowers dancing in a meadow.

"This one reminds of something I've seen in the movies," Noel said. "I'm not sure what it is called, but it's typically done at wedding ceremonies in tribes or in superstitious communities; don't you think it needed a couple of bride and groom dancing in the middle?"

Jaerim nodded slowly, indeed seeing the same set-up. Noel then pointed to the next troupe that are all men and rather wearing no clothes. No, it's not that they are not wearing any clothes but their garments are few. It only covered a portion between their legs that would sway in the passing of the wind.

Though their body is bare, they are wearing large and heavy headdresses that it compensated their lack of clothing. It is made up of black and white feathers adhered together with bands and metal ornaments. It looks very life-like as if the head dresses they are wearing were not just feathers but real birds just occupying their heads like nests.

Jaerim watch the group of men jumping around and could feel the imaginary breeze passing on his legs. He's glad he didn't meet up with these people since he wouldn't have been able to hide his lanky frame. Despite the fact that he didn't dislike these men, he wasn't the sort to flaunt his physique.

Noel scratched under his chin with his finger, trying to recover a memory with narrowed eyes.

"I've seen this dance in a video before; I'm not sure which country it belongs to, but I read in the comments that it is a dance for warriors who are coming of age, or those who are about to leave for war."

Noel made a tongue-clicking motion. "Those tattoos are very well done, and each tattoo is said to contain a story, most of the time representing a heroic deed or defeating a large-bodied monster."

The jester allowed his crew to look around curiously before calling them to gather around. Near the feet of the jester, Jaerim discovered a pair of large, green bamboo poles. Alongside the jester is a couple, a man and a woman. He wasn't familiar with these people guessed that they are someone invited by the clown.

Noel nudged him in the shoulders and whispered, "I think I have the idea what we are performing."

With a tip of his head, Jaerim nodded his head absentmindedly. He is familiar with it. This dance is something he's done before. He performed it once in high school during a festival. That has been a long time and did not expect to see the same thing after many years.

The jester paused to clear his throat before introducing the two people standing next to him. He made a gesture toward the lady, who was dressed delicately and elegantly.

Her skirt is knee-length with puffy butterfly short sleeves and beautiful embroidery all over. The same delicate embroidery of beads in the form of flowers and leaves may be found on a thin net-like apparel draped over the blouse. Her garments were expertly constructed, as evidenced by just one glance.

She also wore very little make-up, which accentuated her charming, innocent, and sweet features, making her appear endearing. The clothing that clung to her body were extremely well-fitting and projected a sense of purity and abstinence. On the train, Jaerim had noticed some women dressed in the same way. Despite the fact that they were all attractive, they pale in comparison to this woman, who seemed to be carrying herself professionally.

The lady made a short bow, introducing herself, "My name is Marikit. Nice meeting you."

Elias smiled at the lady politely, "Miss Marikit is a colleague of mine. She had been dancing since young and had become one of the most known female dancers in the industry. You guys show your respect to your senior."

The crew greeted the lady with the utmost respect, as if it had been practiced. They'd been with Elias' group for about two years. Although they are a little late, they still have information about the people who are regarded as the industry's golden masters. The small fry like them could only lower their heads to show respect.

"You're still as biased as ever, only introducing beautiful ladies," someone from the side complained.

"I didn't see you were there," Jester raised his nose up, acting like an ignorant young master. "This one is also a colleague. He had been part of a famous troupe from the West and transferred to continue his legacy."

The man laughed heartedly. "My name is Makisig. Good to see you guys."

The male companion is just as good. He was dressed simply, in a white barong with beautiful embroidery. From a distance, the thin blouse appeared to be reflecting golden light, demonstrating the high quality of the clothing. It's then paired with a pair of bright red slacks.

Makisig has a calm temper around him that quite matched his clothing. Even the red color that seem to appear too vivid to pair with a white shirt, under his proper posture, it matched well. It made him look princely, but the type that likes to daydream than to act tyrannical.

Both of them are in barefoot.

The crew showed the same respect. The jester smiled in satisfaction seeing that his crew were doing the things rights. It is good to respect the elders very well so in the future they will help them if ever their paths will cross. He might look domineering and likes to nag his people but he is actually taking good care of their well-being.

After all, their profession is something that most people don't look highly about.

"Since you guys now know each other, let's go directly to the business. We don't have much time left to idle around so you guys watch them demonstrate how to do the dance. Later, they will help you with the choreography."

Everyone nodded in understanding. "Then, that settles it. Anyway, where are the people that will handle the bamboos? Are they here yet?"

"Coming!" Someone from the tent yelled. "Excuse me, make a way!"

The crew took a step back to make room for two more people. They lifted the three-meter-long bamboo from the ground and positioned it parallel to the floor. They placed halved bamboos on the ground near the ends and rested bamboo poles above them, elevating them by a few inches from the ground.

The two men stood on opposite sides of the pole, holding one pole in one hand and the other in the other. They moved the bamboo poles and clapped them to the halved bamboo to the ground twice together with a distance apart, then clapped the both bamboo poles together, closing the distance. They repeated the open and close beats to familiarize the audience with the rhythm.

Another group of people emerged from the tent. They're carrying instruments, such as bandurias, guitars, and octavinas, and have gathered near the bamboo set-up. Staff members provided them with chairs to sit on. The musicians began playing a rondalla at the mark given by the jester, which immediately lifted the atmosphere.

The dancers had already taken their positions on the bamboo, each standing on the right side of the poles and facing each other. When the music started, the two made a bowing gesture as if greeting each other, followed by a short waltzing dance.

At the start of an energetic pluck in the music, the pair began crossing the bamboo poles in various feet jumping sequences as it closes and opens in crisp clapping noises. It created a percussive sound, matching the music, making it more pronounce. The dance had finally started that left the watchers in awe.

It could be said that hopping and jumping around these poles were quite easy, but to remain looking elegant and poise is quite a challenge.

Jaerim watched the dance intently, closely watching their feet jump across the bamboo poles with ease. He subconsciously counted the steps in his mind, his finger tapping on the side of his pants. The music made him hum a little to get the feeling of the dance.

The man and woman exchanged their position flawlessly, jumping in between the bamboo, jumping on the next second, making a clockwise turn to follow the path the other person had taken. And, as if those moves were not difficult enough, they made a short exchange by holding each other’s hands together while skipping in between the poles, as if pretending to be lovers trying to escape from the traps placed in a hidden dungeon. They even dared to take a turn around with their hands still connected.

"They are indeed professional dancers. Just looking at them treading such a dangerous obstacle course made it look like they're playing Chinese garter," Noel commented with an aggrieved expression.

"You also performed this before?" Jaerim asked.

"Who isn't?" Noel scoffed. "Isn't this dance a required performance task in most schools? If not, someone must have seen this dance in a stage during the Arts and Culture month."

"You are right," Jaerim nodded slowly. He looked at the pair waltzing in between the poles merrily. "I kind of don't like this dance."

Noel is watching the dance with the same focus as Jaerim when he heard those words. With a gossipy expression, he didn't hesitate to ask why.

"The one who was holding poles when we were performing had a bad ear and hand coordination. So, the whole time, my feet had been battered by the pole until it got swollen. I have to be replaced since it went to the point where I could no longer stand."

"That terrible?" Noel looked Jaerim with sympathy. "At least, I'm sure the people here are professional. They won't hit your feet on purpose."

Jaerim looked at Noel with apprehension. Those words sounded like a death flag.

The dancers completed various routine until the music ended. The two of them stood beside of the poles, both facing at them, and lowered their heads in a bow. The crowd immediately roused in applause to give credit to the great performance.

The jester clapped in satisfaction, praising the pair generously. He looked at the crew with a glint in his eyes, expecting that they could do more than that. Everyone suddenly shivered.

This clown must be joking right? How could they, who only have less than two years of experience, is comparable to these two professionals? Does he think eating s**t is easy?

"We will be performing tinikling. It is said to be originated from the bird tikling, who is known to have hopped over the traps the farmers set up over the field. You will be imitating those movements as if you were birds avoiding traps."

More people appeared from the tent, carrying out many bamboo poles. Jaerim peered over the tent and wondered how many people were inside. Elias let the men place the bamboo on the ground. He counted the number of pairs and nodded in approval. It seems that the number of poles were enough to desired participants he wanted to join.

"Now that I have shown you the way it was presented, then let's move to checking your costumes. We have to see if your sizes fit the costumes, and if not, we still have time to adjust it."

"Go inside the tent and change your clothes. It was placed in a basket with your names written on it. Make sure you got the correct package and go out to let me see if fit you right!"