Again that feeling of unease, as if Athena didn't know exactly what she was doing. But nearly all the actors from the theater were there, including the director, who, according to Andrea, had come to spy on the enemy camp.
The music stopped.
"This time I want you to dance to a rhythm that has nothing whatever to do with the melody."
Athena put the music on again, with the volume right up, and started to dance, making no attempt to move gracefully. Only an older man, who took the role of the drunken king in our latest play, did as he was told. No one else moved. They all seemed slightly constrained. One woman looked at her watch--only ten minutes had passed.
Athena stopped and looked round.
"Why are you just standing there?"
"Well," said one of the actresses timidly, "it seems a bit ridiculous to be doing that. We've been trained in harmony, not its opposite."
"Just do as I say. Do you need an explanation? Right, I'll give you one. Changes only happen when we go totally against everything we're used to doing."
Turning to the "drunken king," she said, "Why did you agree to dance against the rhythm of the music?"
"Oh, I've never had any sense of rhythm anyway."
Everyone laughed, and the dark cloud hanging over us seemed to disperse.
"Right, I'm going to start again, and you can either follow me or leave. This time, I'm the one who decides when the class ends. One of the most aggressive things a human being can do is to go against what he or she believes is nice or pretty, and that's what we're going to do today. We're all going to dance badly."
It was just another experiment, and in order not to embarrass our hostess, everyone obediently danced badly. I struggled with myself, because one's natural tendency was to follow the rhythms of that marvelous, mysterious percussion. I felt as if I were insulting the musicians who were playing and the composer who created it. Every so often, my body tried to fight against that lack of harmony and I was forced to make myself behave as I'd been told to. The boy was dancing as well, laughing all the time, then at a certain point, he stopped and sat down on the sofa, as if exhausted by his efforts. The CD was switched off in midstream.
"Wait."
We all waited.
"I'm going to do something I've never done before."
She closed her eyes and held her head between her hands.
"I've never danced unrhythmically before..."
So the experiment had been worse for her than for any of us.
"I don't feel well..."
Both the director and I got to our feet. Andrea shot me a furious glance, but I still went over to Athena. Before I could reach her, however, she asked us to return to our places.
"Does anyone want to say anything?" Her voice sounded fragile, tremulous, and she had still not uncovered her face.
"I do."
It was Andrea.
"First, pick up my son and tell him that his mother's fine. But I need to stay like this for as long as necessary."
Viorel looked frightened. Andrea sat him on her lap and stroked him.
"What do you want to say?"
"Nothing. I've changed my mind."
"The boy made you change your mind, but carry on anyway."
Slowly Athena removed her hands and looked up. Her face was that of a stranger.