The last dance
Published in
4 min readFeb 14, 2016
- Please play the audio while reading the script for better experience.
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- Credits to Alexandre Desplat.
* Claps and cheers from the audience *Lights slowly dim and the spotlight is on a piano.The couple enter. He introduces her to the audience with smiles and poise. They take a bow. He places her on the piano bench, sits next to her and positions himself to play the piano.
Looking at his notes, he starts playing. Soft keys humming into his soul reflects on the piano, and he instantly finds connection. She brightens up with joy and sways along. He looks at her and smiles. Both, deep in spirits, enjoy every little vibration that rebounds from the ancient wood of the instrument. The audience convinced. Convinced about what they were witnessing, a true spiritual connection. Their heads rhythmically dance to the tunes as if it were the couples' last performance together. Her desperation to play the piano is seen in her eyes. Arms around her, he slowly guides her with the keys and lets her pedal away. Now, it was her turn to go into his dimension, a dimension where the darkest of the worlds unite for peace, for love, a ray of light to brighten everything up. Admiring her gentle touch, his heart fills with passion, kisses her and steps out of his bench. She : Where are you going?
He : I am going to dance. Dance for you.
She : But, I am hopeless without you.
He : Oh, I will come back for you darling. * Slowly moves to the center stage and the spotlight falls on him *Dressed like a 14th century royal, he addresses the audience with a quick mime of an orchestral conductor. Moving his hands, to and fro, soaking in the tunes from his beloved. Like a Coryphée, he does his adagios to get the flow right. He then starts dancing, his movements resemble the waves of an ocean, and the audience are in awe. His leaps and turns show his strength and technique, which only a few can master. The finesse of his pirouettes, the love for dance falls in sync with the music. All of a sudden, it brings back his memories of how he met her, and how they started this beautiful journey together. It was in the streets of Trastevere, where he first saw her. Dressed in a traditional tunica, she was busking away with her cute guitar. Surrounded by people, she was enjoying every attention that she was being thrown at her. She hit those strings flawlessly, anybody could sit there for hours and lose all their worries. He was glued. He sat there till she ended. He : That was beautiful.
She : Thanks.
He : You don't speak as much as you play, do you?
She : * chuckles * Not really. Thank you for staying this long, are you into music too?
He : Partly, I dance for a living and music is what drives me.
She : That's nice. I'm off to the church now. See you later.
He : Can I join you? I'm new here and would love to see stuff.
She : Sure.They slowly walk in the cobbled streets towards the Santa Maria, randomly exchanging their life stories and passion towards art. This slowly became their chore. She played music, and he danced. The whole town knew them. They were a sensation. Days passed and they decided to get married. Everybody gathered at the Santa Maria, to witness two simple human beings join as one. * You may kiss the bride *Back in the theatre, he quickly grabs her hand and brings her to a closed position. They start moving, naturally dragging according to the music. Whisking away with their hips and feet, audience consuming those magical feelings. Progressing to the right and turning locks, Waltz was at it's best.
Right when they were about to finish, he starts coughing. She : Are you okay?
He : I am fine. Keep dancing.Moments later, he coughs again, this time with blood. She was shocked, and scared. Screaming with despair, she grabs him as he falls into the floor.* Gasps from the audience *A nurse arrives, only to find out that the last ray of hope was lost. He passed away. Tears roll out from her, and the audience.
She screams, screams to the roman gods, asking to bring him back. The emotional journey came to an end. She was lost and he did not come back for her. * End of play *The music stops and the whole crowd applauds. The couple, musicians, artists take a bow.
Thank you :)