Rise To Stardom - Chapter 165

Chapter 165: Flow
The events at the after party for the Gala, happened as one would have expected.

Celebrities conversed, made connections, got drunk, had fun and everything else in between.

Nothing out of the ordinary really.

Kyle as expected, was swarmed throughout the entirety of said after party, the rest of the show’s cast in a similar situation, albeit theirs was mostly mild in comparison to Kyle’s.

That said, asides from hitting on him during the proceedings of the auction, Sharon wasn’t exactly chanced to actually converse with Kyle as she had hoped.

Partly, it was because she had her own slew of suitors to deal with…

But majorly, it was because the competition from other female celebrities and models to hit on Kyle had been extremely fierce, enough that Oliver, his agent, never actually got the chance to speak with him all night until both, finally left the party.

And typically, all that socializing and mingling should’ve had Kyle mentally drained but, surprisingly, he remained mostly the same as when he had first arrived at the Gala.

Calm, receptive and mostly relaxed.

Oliver was obviously taken aback by this but, having assured him that he was all good, the agent, relaxed and then, escorted Tiana back to her home while Kyle, made his way back to his.

…

…

…

Having arrived home a few minutes later, Kyle after taking a shower, headed into his living room instead and switched on his Smart TV even though it was 2am at midnight.

Considering he wasn’t the least bit exhausted due to [Peak Human Conditioning] doing its thing, he figured he’d put in some more preparations for his meeting with Danny Rock and the cast of [Level Up] at Miami in a few weeks’ time.

Also, Kyle had previously contacted the Director a day before the Gala that he’d be coming earlier than planned, one Danny was actually grateful for… although, there was something he said that the young star wasn’t the least bit keen on allowing.

That asides, lying on his sofa while watching a compilation of a bunch of talented group of dancers performing practiced dance routines via a ViewTube channel, Kyle had a few thoughts running through his mind.

‘Hmmm…’

‘There’s this sort of captivating continuity that never seems to leave their core choreography…’ the young man mused to himself.

‘Especially with most of the lead dancers…’ he further commented, his expression curious.

For the past few weeks now, even while mostly spending time at his studio for the development of the videogame, Kyle had also been doing a bit of studying up on dancing itself in addition.

Obviously, he didn’t go about the entire route of starting from scratch but, he did take up the time to watch various group of dancers, especially the more well-known ones, to see if he could glean anything from them to make into a useful dance skill.

And sure enough, Kyle was on to something but, he couldn’t quite place a finger on how he’d employ it into an actual skill.

Sitting up on the sofa, now leaning on a propped yet gently curled fist using the sofa’s arm rest, the young man was trying his best to grasp the core of what he felt, made all the various groups of dancers, mesh so well together.

Like that, a few minutes went on, the young man’s attention undivided as he stared at the current group’s dance choreography while muttering out loud.

“Precision? No, not just that…”

“Grace. Yes. Grace and… musicality…”

“Technique too… really important…”

No sooner had Kyle muttered out that last part though, he noticed as someone in the group of dancers he was watching, slightly messed up the timing of one of the intricate pop and lock moves.

Yet, without even paying it any mind, said dancer, effortlessly re-aligned himself with the choreography’s timing in an instant, an exhilarating smile on his features as he fell back in line.

And that, was all Kyle needed to fully grasp the core and essence of both the choreographed dancing and the skill he wanted to make.

“Flow!” he snapped his fingers with an excited grin, simultaneously summoning his system’s panel!

___________________________

Passive Skill – [Flow]

Constantly maintain a precise, almost inhuman level of grace, musicality and technique while dancing with no interruptions whatsoever.

Exp. Points Available – (35,525)

Exp. Points Consumed – (10,500)

Exp. Points Left – (25,025)

___________________________

-Ding!

| High-end passive skill [Flow] has been created! |

Smiling to himself as he watched the created new skill, Kyle, became even more confident that even if most of the cast was above Level 10 in their dancing stats, he’d still be able to hold his own somewhat without ruining the choreography or sticking out like a sore thumb.

And if at all, he still needed to catch up to them, then he’d simply put in more effort to learn to how to dance even better behind the scenes.

That and also, using his exp. points if need be.

* * *

Miami.

Warm, sunny skies…

Shimmering beaches teeming with beach-goers…

Palm trees swaying gently to the ocean’s breeze…

Whiffs of salt and tropical flowers in the air…

Traffic humming along the Ocean Drive…

The familiar scent of Cuban Coffee, wafting from local countertops…

Locals and tourists alike, going about their days…

Bustling nightclubs full of excitement for those interested…

All surrounded on its coastal shorelines by the bold blue of the Atlantic and the beautiful skyline at any time of the day.

The ‘Magic City’ as it was nicknamed but less referred to as, was a hotspot for all things excitement, fun and adventure.

And it was also a frequent spot Hollywood liked to film quite a bunch of their movies that required a certain sense of freedom mixed with cultural richness.

The same was for Director Danny Rock who chose it as the main location for the second installation of his dance movie.

Interestingly, but unsurprisingly, Danny had gotten a call from Kyle a few days back that he’d much rather arrive earlier than planned so he could get to know the cast and put in some effort to learn the dance routines before filming commenced again.

That was why, currently, Kyle and Danny whom had just met in person for the first time in the living room of the Director’s apartment two days later, exchanged warm pleasantries.

“Pleasure to finally meet you Kyle.” Danny extended a handshake.

“The pleasure’s all mine.” Kyle firmly grasped the outstretched arm with a light smile.

“Apologies for the mess… was actually planning to clean it up before you arrived but I slept in, unfortunately…” the director quickly picked up a few script sheets off the ground, neatly stashing it in the bin.

“No. It’s not an issue at all.” Kyle tilted his head a bit, watching the quite literally, almost spotless living room.

Save for the few papers Danny had just stashed away, there was no ‘mess’ in said living room so to speak.

“Not a clean freak, just very particular about making a good first impression… though that’s seems to have gone out the window…” the director scratched his unruly, frizzy, copper blonde hair with a wry smile.

Danny Rock, a man in his late thirties, had dark-brown irises and facial features that were rugged yet quite charming… one that would’ve stood out properly if not for all the sleep marks across his currently disheveled looking face.

Actually, when Kyle had arrived earlier, he had rung the doorbell for close to ten minutes while also calling Danny’s cell a few times over.

Considering the young man had also been wearing a face mask and a beanie, it only made some of the locals, neighbours and passersby on the Bay Harbor Island street, give him a sort of wary look.

Luckily, the director woke up just in time, courtesy of his phone which had been vibrating, falling off the bedside table.

“Oh it’s fine. I didn’t stay out for too long so it’s all good.” Kyle brushed off his concerns politely with a warm smile, one to which Danny was appreciative off.

Offering him a chilled glass of water a few seconds later, Danny, now with his hair tied into a neat man bun, got down to business.

“I presume you’ve read through the script so I’d like to believe you’re alright with only having three main scenes.” Danny interlocked his fingers as he spoke from across the glass table.

“Yes.” Kyle nodded in reply, his expression relaxed yet attentive.

To that, Danny heaved a sigh of relief and was then, about to bring up the other important thing he had messaged Kyle about, back when the young man had contacted him a few days ago.

“However, I will like to inform you that I’m not too keen on having a stunt actor, act out my dance scenes.” Kyle beat him to it, his expression turning completely professional.

* * *

(The next day…)

Instead of sight-seeing and checking out all the various sites in Miami, Danny’s assistant director and dance choreographer, was currently showing Kyle the ropes in a practice hall.

It was a wide hall that had been rented out by Silver-Line Studios for both the cast and the crew to practice their dance routines in preparation for the film’s kinetic dance scenes.

“So, the pop and lock goes like this…” Sean explained to the young star who gently nodded in understanding, waiting till the man was done explaining before he then attempted to give it a shot.

As Danny himself, who was both the movie’s main choreographer and its director, watched from the sidelines as Kyle gave the dance move a shot, he couldn’t help but nod his head in approval, a thin smile on his lips.

‘This should do…’

‘Just needs some more polish and it’ll be passable, at the very least…’

Remembering the discussion they had yesterday, the major standout being Kyle’s denial of having a stunt man act out most of his dance scenes, Danny was quite glad that he at least gave the young actor a chance.

Considering the Director had felt it’d be very taxing on Kyle to suddenly learn all the choreographed dance moves within a little over a week before filming resumed, he had never expected for him to flat out refuse the idea he had proposed to him.

Honestly, Danny had at first been taken aback by his refusal but, after conversing for a few more seconds, he had realized that Kyle was very serious about it.

That said, Silver-Line Studios had already started bothering him to quickly find a substitute and just round up the movie so it could meet the deadline they had initially set for a cinematic release.

That was also another major reason why the Director had more or less, decided to have a stunt man, do the entire scene and then have Kyle, focus solely on acting out his parts.

Still, he decided to make a deal with Kyle, one where if he gauged the young man’s dancing to be good enough for the scenes, he’d allow him to do all the dance scenes on his own, otherwise, Kyle would have to do as he, the movie’s Director, wanted.

Having expected some form of argument to arise, especially because Justin whom he had previously casted kept butting heads with him, Danny was pleasantly surprised to see Kyle accept the conditions without an issue, one that made him quite glad.

However, as if reminded of the memory, Danny frowned, a tinge of annoyance on his features.

Justin didn’t even have half as much fame or acting cred as Kyle and yet, he had every audacity to demand for extra scenes…

‘If only he knew the plans I had though…’ Danny inwardly commented, a bit sorry for the previously casted actor for losing his chance to work with him.

‘Well, I guess it was for the best…’ the Director nodded to himself, to which he then said quietly;

“It would’ve been quite the hassle to work with him as the lead in the next movie anyway…” Danny felt relieved, especially since he felt like he had made the right decision.

Watching as Kyle repeated the moves Sean was teaching him, the director quietly leaned on one of the practice hall’s pillar, a look of intrigue in his eyes.

Although Kyle’s moves weren’t anywhere near the level at which it would compare to the actual dancers in the crew just yet, there was a certain feel of fluidity in his dance moves that made it quite interesting for Danny to watch.

And for he, whom had spent a respectable chunk of his life being a dancer before trying his hand as a director knew, that certain qualities like this, especially when polished to perfection, were things that differentiated a good dancer from a great dancer.

Unfortunately, Kyle’s wasn’t anywhere near being polished, talk less of being perfected.

‘If at all he’ll reach the status of a great dancer, it’d have to take months of consistent practice…’ Danny figured, his expression casual.

“Sadly, we don’t have that much time on our hands.” he concluded, a small sigh of acceptance escaping his lips.