He squeezed her hands before releasing them and moving with her to join the other contestants. Hopefully they’d find out what they were actually in for, and he could reassure her based on fact. He crossed his fingers it wasn’t anything too complicated.
A little along from them, Harry and John stood together. Surprisingly, both looked relaxed. He was so used to seeing Harry appear stressed that he didn’t know what to make of it, but he was pleased to see the anxiety being held at bay. Perhaps this segment might even end up being one without too much drama. Harry had already faced way more than his share of drama.
“All right, a quick overview of the rules,” Natalie, the assistant producer, said. “This segment is about having fun. Yes, there’ll be a dance-off at the end of the lessons, but we’ll also be filming youduringyour lessons. We want to see how well you work together as a team to learn your dance, not just judge the finished result.
“Now, you’re probably wondering what type of dancing you’ll be doing. I assume you’ve all heard of square dancing?” She laughed as everyone groaned. “Well, you won’t be attempting that. We’re going down the classical dance path.”
The groan this time was even louder.
“Let’s hope there’s a dance that requires two left feet,” Amber said under her breath.
Evan squeezed her hand.
“Each group, so that’s five couples in total, will be learning one dance, so one type of dance per group. There are five dances to be allocated. I assume you’ve heard of the foxtrot, the tango, the quickstep, the cha-cha, and the rumba?”
Amber’s fingernails dug into Evan’s palm, the pressure getting stronger with each dance rattled off by Natalie. Evan was grateful there were only five dances in total, otherwise he was sure there’d be no flesh left on his hand.
The announcement for their group was made—they’d be dancing the cha-cha. Evan didn’t know whether to be worried or relieved. He knew next to nothing about the cha-cha, but as Natalie clapped her hands, herding them into groups and sending them in different directions, he tried to look confident for Amber’s sake. Before he knew it, they, along with the various couples who were quickly becoming their friends, were in the Continental Drift bar that had been assigned as the venue for their lessons.
“Thank God. I can have a drink before we get started,” Amber said.
“No drinks for anyone, I’m afraid.” They turned to face the young woman who had spoken. It was Jules, the dancer who’d awed him with her stage performance. “I’m Jules, and I’m looking forward to getting to know you guys over the course of the afternoon. This is the first of two dance lessons you’ll be taking part in before your performance.”
“Damn! It must be an easy dance if we only need two lessons,” Stavros said. Beside him, Stephanie gave an uneasy chuckle.
Jules grinned at them. “I think you’ll find it will be challenging enough, but don’t let me scare you off.”
The camera guys circled the group, no doubt catching the fear on each couple’s faces. Who’d have thought something as simple as dancing would put everyone in such a state? Performance anxiety was definitely a thing, at least where this group was concerned. It didn’t help that ship passengers were hovering on the sidelines, drinks in hand, watching them all as if they were the afternoon’s entertainment.Well, I guess we are.
Evan schooled his features into what he hoped was a semblance of a relaxed smile.
“Now, I’ve been told by the producers to tell you all to relax and have a good time, and hopefully you will. But as a dance professional, it’s my job toteachyou how to dance, and it’s a job I take pretty seriously. Dancing, especially in pairs as opposed to solo, is all about cooperation and anticipating your partner. You’ll need to work hard to master the steps and body movements, and then work together to bring the dance to life.
“The cha-cha, also known as the cha-cha-cha, is a Cuban dance that originated in the fifties. This dance is all about the footwork, the timing, and the hip action. Cha-cha-cha.” She gave a little demo of said hip action, hips punching as she spoke the words.
Amber groaned. Evan didn’t have any words of comfort for her.
“This is my worst nightmare,” Amber whispered. “Put me out of my misery. Can’t we forfeit this round?”
“That we cannot do!” Evan forced cheer into his voice. “It’ll be fun. I’m not letting you give up.”
She humphed. “I hate you.”
Ten minutes later, after a quick demo, they were all lined up across the small wooden dance floor that was carved out of the carpet in an area of the huge lounge bar. Cha-cha music pumped from the speakers as they tried—tried being the operative word—to create a basic cha-cha. Consisting of small walking steps, taken on the balls of their feet, it shouldn’t have been so hard. They were all muttering the mantraone two cha-cha-chaover and over under their breath, and the focus on everyone’s face had Evan smiling.Damn, but they’re a determined bunch!Amber’s expression was a mix of concentration and frustration as she misstepped again.
“Sorry,” she mumbled as they bumped arms, Amber moving in the wrong direction.
Evan winked at her.
“Okay, it seems that most of you have at least mastered the basic movements of your feet,” Jules said, despite the obvious lack of any such mastery. “Let’s talk about hips. As you’re stepping, I want to see those hips moving! Your hips need to move in a figure eight motion. Or imagine making the infinity sign with your hip movements.” She demonstrated. “See? Simple?”
The group copied, giving tentative hip movements that were in no way smooth or coordinated, and it definitely wasn’t simple.
“Now let’s try combining the footwork with the hip action,” Jules said, pacing along in front of them. She clapped her hands. “Music, please.”
As the song started, each couple began the stepping, Amber and Evan along with them.One, two, cha-cha-cha.Evan attempted to swivel his hips, but they didn’t seem to want to make a figure eight, instead jerking stiffly. He suppressed a chuckle as he glanced to his right and saw Amber was having the same problem.
“Your hips need to move in the opposite direction to which you are moving. If you are stepping to the right, then your hips move left,” Jules instructed.
