Two Beers And A Ballet (2)
anonymous
June 14 2009, 22:20:44 UTC
------
There was a long silence, and Russia imagines that America is looking a little green. Finally he sits back in his chair with a huff of almost laughter. "Figures that kinda story comes out of you and is played out by a bunch of girls in frilly tutus."
"There are very few tutus in this ballet, and really very few female parts." He corrects America gently, before returning his attention to the stage. A waiter arrives discreetly, and Russia orders them champange without consulting America, who huffs again, but Russia just smiles at him. America must appreciate traditions, and ballet came from France, so one must drink from France, as well.
The waiter flashes a questioning glance at America, who flashes a card at him, and the waiter relaxes and leaves to fill their order. Russia raises his eyebrow at the age printed on the driver's license. "I thought you were only nineteen, physically?"
America snorted. "And let Matt lord it over me that his laws let him drink and mine don't? No way in hell."
He laughs at that, because it is just so America. America is slightly more relaxed now, smile flitting onto his face as he watches Russia. America is the one to look back towards the stage this time.
"So..." He starts again. "I can't admit I've seen very many ballets. I wasn't even aware they had a story, well, aside from the crazy one with the nutcracker and the huge mice and stuff. Wait, that one's yours too, isn't it?"
"Shchelkunchik is indeed mine. The ballet style you are thinking of is Ballet Blanc, which is simply the woman in the white tutu, but most ballet has some sort of story to it. Mine especially."
"Ah...so...ballet is big in Russia?"
He laughs at that. "It was a Russian company that brought it back, after France discarded it. In fact, if it were not for the Ballets Russes, your New York City Ballet would not exist. One of the members, Giorgi Melitonis dze Balanchivadze, founded it. So da, you can say it is big. We kept it through everything."
"Oh."
Russia checks his watch again, now five minutes. He looks back at the stage, at the polished wood and soft, subtle lighting. "....My Pavlova, she greatly admired you."
"Eh?" America turns to blink at him, the soft lighting does nothing to reduce his natural force. Russia smiles.
"Anna Pavlova. She was one of my dancers, perhaps the most well-known. She pioneered the slender, graceful form you see now in female ballerinas. She once said that you would produce the finest ballerina in the world, one day, because of all the cultures in you."
America blinks at that, before laughing a little in that way that meant he was not sure what to say. "I-Izzat so? Well, I am awesome, so it figures my ballerinas would be awesome, too."
Russia cannot help the smirk. "Not yet. You are all still too stiff. My Vaganova method is better."
America sputters, but now the lights are dimming, and Russia's attention is focused on the stage once again, holding up a hand for silence from the younger nation. With a huff, America sits back and complies, looking forwards as well as the ballet begins. The waiter arrives - discretly, again, he is well-trained - and Russia smiles as he sits back in his seat as the ballet starts, glass in one hand and America near the other.
The ballet is as poignant as he remembers it, and his dancers are flawless. Even America seems captivated as he watches the twirls and jumps, but there is a frown on his face, sometimes, either at the story or at his lack of understanding. Russia does not expect him to understand the art form, at least not yet, but perhaps, one day...
Intermission comes, and the lights brigthen again. America sighs noisily. "It...certainly isn't what I expected..."
Russia laughs at this, low in his throat. "You mean it is not a spectacle of many women in their little white tutus, prancing across the stage on their toes?"
Re: Two Beers And A Ballet (3)
anonymous
June 14 2009, 22:21:40 UTC
------
America's face is red, a little. "N-No!! I mean, yes, I mean....yeah, that's kind of what I expected, but it's not, really. It's just...I never thought dance could tell a story..."
Russia's eyebrow raises, again. "You did not know this, when you have your Broadway?"
"Broadway's totally different!!" The puffed-up look on indignation on America's face is funny, so Russia laughs at it.
"It is? How? There are people, onstage, dancing out a story to music. The only difference is that the steps are different and your people sing very...interesting things."
"Hey, showtunes are amazing!! A-And, well, I guess when you put it that way, they're the same principle, but my shows are totally different than your pansy prancing! They're manly, yeah!"
"Says the country who has a song in one of his musicals that says, and I quote, 'I feel pretty, and witty, and gay'."
"T-That's just the one song, okay, and West Side Story is totally manly. It had gangs and drugs and stuff like that in it!"
"And it was also based on Romeo and Juliet."
"....Shut up. The knifefights made it manly."
"Knifefights done in interpretive dance."
"I hate you."
Russia is laughing, laughter rising in his chest like the bubbles in his champagne, and the pout on America's face just makes it rise faster. The pout gets harder the more Russia laughs, and thus makes it funnier, so he laughs more, until America is positively scowling and Russia is a pile of giggles in his seat. After a moment, he manages to sit up straight, laughter fading off into small chuckles, and he gives America a sweet smile, who just scowls at him in return, threatening to send Russia off again. He hasn't been this amused since the incident with Sweden and the moose.
"Are you quite done?" America states dryly, and Russia smiles, leaning forward to press a kiss against those warm lips, to erase the frown. America looks lovely scowling, but Russia much prefers the smile.
America tries to frown more into the kiss, but it soon melts away, and sure enough, there is a small, lop-sided smile on his lips when Russia pulls back. He likes it, so he decides to keep it. "Da, I am done. And da, your musicals are very nice and manly. We should go to one for the next date."
America scowls again, but it is in jest and soon fades into a playful smile. "After all this culture? Hell no, we're going to stuff ourselves on popcorn and over-priced movie candy for our next date, Transformers 2 is coming out soon. I want to reaffirm my manliness by watching giant robots blow shit up. We'll go to the musical when my testorone has recovered from its suicide you forced it into by dragging me here."
Russia merely shakes his head with a laugh. "It figures culture is lost on you."
"England always did say it'd need a map to even find its way to the bathroom in me!" America states cheerfully, and Russia smiles to respond, but the lights are dimming again, it is time to return attention to the stafe once again, and he does.
As he watches, even the sad, unresolved storyline does nothing to pop the bubbles of happiness in his chest, and he decides that he really does like the feel of the champagne glass in one hand and America on the other, so he takes America's hand into his own and squeezes it. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see America's brilliant smile, and he thinks that perhaps the experience is not as lost on America as he thought.
Re: Two Beers And A Ballet (Notes)
anonymous
June 14 2009, 22:22:20 UTC
------
GOD this needs it's own notes to understand the snark. Bennigan's - A restaurant chain in America that plays off its "Irish" roots, but mostly is known for beer and burgers. It's really yummy, but not exactly the definition of "class". Mariinsky Ballet/Kirov Ballet - The Mariinsky Ballet, originally known as the Imperial Ballet, was Russia's finest ballet school. It was changed to the Kirov ballet during the Soviet Union, and while it is formally renamed the Mariinsky Ballet again today, most of its international tours are under the Soviet name still. It is considered one of the leading ballet companies in the world. Petrushka - Russian ballet composed by the famous Igor Stravinsky. It is best described as a mix between Pinocchio and Frankenstein and yes, the story really is kind of as disturbing as that sounds. It is also praied for being a perfect balance of music, ballet, choreography and history. Only nineteen - Poor America's physical age in canon is listed as nineteen. The American drinking age is twenty-one, and laws are very strict about underage drinking. Ironically, nineteen is Canada's drinking age (eighteen in Quebec) and so Matt gets to laugh at Al. I couldn't imagine America laying down for that one, so fake ID it is. Shchelkunchik - Nutcracker in Russian, perhaps the most famous ballet world-wide. The music is also almost immediately recognisable, especially the song Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy. Ballet Russes - A company in Europe founded by renowned Russian ballet dancer Sergei Diaghilev. With the influx of exiled Russian ballet dancers during the reign of the Soviet Union, it became internationally famous and helped revive the dying art of ballet and even dance, and is possibly single-handedly responsible for saving the dance as an art form during the World Wars. George Balanchine, aka Giorgi Melitonis dze Balanchivadze, was a member of the group, who would later re-situation himself in America and found the famous New York City Ballet company, spreading its popularity in the US. Anna Pavlova - As famous as Russia says she is. With her long graceful form, arched feet, and almost frail grace, she went against the standard of small, compact ballet dancers of the day. She popularized the spread of the idea of the frail, graceful, even swan-like image of ballerinas that we still have today. Vaganova method vs. stiff American dancers - The Vaganova method, formed by Agrippina Vaganova, is a method of teaching ballet that emphasizes strong, clean lines and yet a soft gracefulness. It is the most widespread and standard method of teaching ballet in Russia, and because of the contrasts of the strong form yet soft grace that characterizes it, makes Russian dancers some of the best and most sought-after in the world. It is often compared against the American method of teaching, which some critics often label as coming off with "robotic stiffness" compared to the Russian dancers. Sweden and the moose - Sweden and Russia are the only two countries in the world to commerically farm moose for their milk. My mind states that this could have only come about in some sort of lulzy occurence.
Not OP is very, very happy.
anonymous
June 15 2009, 17:54:28 UTC
I started cuddling a pillow HRE-style at the end of this. Russia laughing at America's displeased frown is just perfect, and oh Petrushka. So sad. We needed a story like this of these two, author-non. Thank you very, very much.
Re: Two Beers And A Ballet (Notes)
anonymous
June 17 2009, 06:38:44 UTC
This fic is pure magic! The characterization is amazing, and what got me thoughout the entire fic is how happy Russia seems, and the little gestures that make this couple adorable.
Oh man, ilu for this, writer!Anon. I adore ballet, and while I'm not huge on Russia/US, I've been wanting this for quite some time (though, not OP also).
And yes Alfred. Your snapping, dancing knife fights are very manly.
Re: Two Beers And A Ballet (3)
anonymous
June 25 2009, 07:50:26 UTC
Oh my God! This... This is perfect! Their banter was so lively, their characters just popped to life from the page. The date was cute, funny sweet and utterly IC. I loved this.
There was a long silence, and Russia imagines that America is looking a little green. Finally he sits back in his chair with a huff of almost laughter. "Figures that kinda story comes out of you and is played out by a bunch of girls in frilly tutus."
"There are very few tutus in this ballet, and really very few female parts." He corrects America gently, before returning his attention to the stage. A waiter arrives discreetly, and Russia orders them champange without consulting America, who huffs again, but Russia just smiles at him. America must appreciate traditions, and ballet came from France, so one must drink from France, as well.
The waiter flashes a questioning glance at America, who flashes a card at him, and the waiter relaxes and leaves to fill their order. Russia raises his eyebrow at the age printed on the driver's license. "I thought you were only nineteen, physically?"
America snorted. "And let Matt lord it over me that his laws let him drink and mine don't? No way in hell."
He laughs at that, because it is just so America. America is slightly more relaxed now, smile flitting onto his face as he watches Russia. America is the one to look back towards the stage this time.
"So..." He starts again. "I can't admit I've seen very many ballets. I wasn't even aware they had a story, well, aside from the crazy one with the nutcracker and the huge mice and stuff. Wait, that one's yours too, isn't it?"
"Shchelkunchik is indeed mine. The ballet style you are thinking of is Ballet Blanc, which is simply the woman in the white tutu, but most ballet has some sort of story to it. Mine especially."
"Ah...so...ballet is big in Russia?"
He laughs at that. "It was a Russian company that brought it back, after France discarded it. In fact, if it were not for the Ballets Russes, your New York City Ballet would not exist. One of the members, Giorgi Melitonis dze Balanchivadze, founded it. So da, you can say it is big. We kept it through everything."
"Oh."
Russia checks his watch again, now five minutes. He looks back at the stage, at the polished wood and soft, subtle lighting. "....My Pavlova, she greatly admired you."
"Eh?" America turns to blink at him, the soft lighting does nothing to reduce his natural force. Russia smiles.
"Anna Pavlova. She was one of my dancers, perhaps the most well-known. She pioneered the slender, graceful form you see now in female ballerinas. She once said that you would produce the finest ballerina in the world, one day, because of all the cultures in you."
America blinks at that, before laughing a little in that way that meant he was not sure what to say. "I-Izzat so? Well, I am awesome, so it figures my ballerinas would be awesome, too."
Russia cannot help the smirk. "Not yet. You are all still too stiff. My Vaganova method is better."
America sputters, but now the lights are dimming, and Russia's attention is focused on the stage once again, holding up a hand for silence from the younger nation. With a huff, America sits back and complies, looking forwards as well as the ballet begins. The waiter arrives - discretly, again, he is well-trained - and Russia smiles as he sits back in his seat as the ballet starts, glass in one hand and America near the other.
The ballet is as poignant as he remembers it, and his dancers are flawless. Even America seems captivated as he watches the twirls and jumps, but there is a frown on his face, sometimes, either at the story or at his lack of understanding. Russia does not expect him to understand the art form, at least not yet, but perhaps, one day...
Intermission comes, and the lights brigthen again. America sighs noisily. "It...certainly isn't what I expected..."
Russia laughs at this, low in his throat. "You mean it is not a spectacle of many women in their little white tutus, prancing across the stage on their toes?"
------
Reply
America's face is red, a little. "N-No!! I mean, yes, I mean....yeah, that's kind of what I expected, but it's not, really. It's just...I never thought dance could tell a story..."
Russia's eyebrow raises, again. "You did not know this, when you have your Broadway?"
"Broadway's totally different!!" The puffed-up look on indignation on America's face is funny, so Russia laughs at it.
"It is? How? There are people, onstage, dancing out a story to music. The only difference is that the steps are different and your people sing very...interesting things."
"Hey, showtunes are amazing!! A-And, well, I guess when you put it that way, they're the same principle, but my shows are totally different than your pansy prancing! They're manly, yeah!"
"Says the country who has a song in one of his musicals that says, and I quote, 'I feel pretty, and witty, and gay'."
"T-That's just the one song, okay, and West Side Story is totally manly. It had gangs and drugs and stuff like that in it!"
"And it was also based on Romeo and Juliet."
"....Shut up. The knifefights made it manly."
"Knifefights done in interpretive dance."
"I hate you."
Russia is laughing, laughter rising in his chest like the bubbles in his champagne, and the pout on America's face just makes it rise faster. The pout gets harder the more Russia laughs, and thus makes it funnier, so he laughs more, until America is positively scowling and Russia is a pile of giggles in his seat. After a moment, he manages to sit up straight, laughter fading off into small chuckles, and he gives America a sweet smile, who just scowls at him in return, threatening to send Russia off again. He hasn't been this amused since the incident with Sweden and the moose.
"Are you quite done?" America states dryly, and Russia smiles, leaning forward to press a kiss against those warm lips, to erase the frown. America looks lovely scowling, but Russia much prefers the smile.
America tries to frown more into the kiss, but it soon melts away, and sure enough, there is a small, lop-sided smile on his lips when Russia pulls back. He likes it, so he decides to keep it. "Da, I am done. And da, your musicals are very nice and manly. We should go to one for the next date."
America scowls again, but it is in jest and soon fades into a playful smile. "After all this culture? Hell no, we're going to stuff ourselves on popcorn and over-priced movie candy for our next date, Transformers 2 is coming out soon. I want to reaffirm my manliness by watching giant robots blow shit up. We'll go to the musical when my testorone has recovered from its suicide you forced it into by dragging me here."
Russia merely shakes his head with a laugh. "It figures culture is lost on you."
"England always did say it'd need a map to even find its way to the bathroom in me!" America states cheerfully, and Russia smiles to respond, but the lights are dimming again, it is time to return attention to the stafe once again, and he does.
As he watches, even the sad, unresolved storyline does nothing to pop the bubbles of happiness in his chest, and he decides that he really does like the feel of the champagne glass in one hand and America on the other, so he takes America's hand into his own and squeezes it. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see America's brilliant smile, and he thinks that perhaps the experience is not as lost on America as he thought.
------
Reply
GOD this needs it's own notes to understand the snark.
Bennigan's - A restaurant chain in America that plays off its "Irish" roots, but mostly is known for beer and burgers. It's really yummy, but not exactly the definition of "class".
Mariinsky Ballet/Kirov Ballet - The Mariinsky Ballet, originally known as the Imperial Ballet, was Russia's finest ballet school. It was changed to the Kirov ballet during the Soviet Union, and while it is formally renamed the Mariinsky Ballet again today, most of its international tours are under the Soviet name still. It is considered one of the leading ballet companies in the world.
Petrushka - Russian ballet composed by the famous Igor Stravinsky. It is best described as a mix between Pinocchio and Frankenstein and yes, the story really is kind of as disturbing as that sounds. It is also praied for being a perfect balance of music, ballet, choreography and history.
Only nineteen - Poor America's physical age in canon is listed as nineteen. The American drinking age is twenty-one, and laws are very strict about underage drinking. Ironically, nineteen is Canada's drinking age (eighteen in Quebec) and so Matt gets to laugh at Al. I couldn't imagine America laying down for that one, so fake ID it is.
Shchelkunchik - Nutcracker in Russian, perhaps the most famous ballet world-wide. The music is also almost immediately recognisable, especially the song Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy.
Ballet Russes - A company in Europe founded by renowned Russian ballet dancer Sergei Diaghilev. With the influx of exiled Russian ballet dancers during the reign of the Soviet Union, it became internationally famous and helped revive the dying art of ballet and even dance, and is possibly single-handedly responsible for saving the dance as an art form during the World Wars. George Balanchine, aka Giorgi Melitonis dze Balanchivadze, was a member of the group, who would later re-situation himself in America and found the famous New York City Ballet company, spreading its popularity in the US.
Anna Pavlova - As famous as Russia says she is. With her long graceful form, arched feet, and almost frail grace, she went against the standard of small, compact ballet dancers of the day. She popularized the spread of the idea of the frail, graceful, even swan-like image of ballerinas that we still have today.
Vaganova method vs. stiff American dancers - The Vaganova method, formed by Agrippina Vaganova, is a method of teaching ballet that emphasizes strong, clean lines and yet a soft gracefulness. It is the most widespread and standard method of teaching ballet in Russia, and because of the contrasts of the strong form yet soft grace that characterizes it, makes Russian dancers some of the best and most sought-after in the world. It is often compared against the American method of teaching, which some critics often label as coming off with "robotic stiffness" compared to the Russian dancers.
Sweden and the moose - Sweden and Russia are the only two countries in the world to commerically farm moose for their milk. My mind states that this could have only come about in some sort of lulzy occurence.
Hope OP likes this!! ♥
------
Reply
Reply
This was unbelievably cute. I couldn't stop giggling the snark <3
Reply
I love you, Author!Anon.
Reply
Reply
Reply
Reply
And yes Alfred. Your snapping, dancing knife fights are very manly.
Reply
Russia really is a classy date. :)
Reply
Reply
Leave a comment