Tricia Ballard and Harold Wolfe had a dream. As aspiring young dancers in New York, they wanted to open their own dance studio one day and fill it with talent from all over the world! Tricia performed ballet, spirited and strong, she took each competition she entered by a landslide while Harold, albeit cocky, was a force to be reckoned within the then-developing genre of hip-hop. The two dated and later married, both having a hefty number of wins and trophies under their belt when it finally happened: their dream came true.
A building near Manhattan been placed on the market and, using prize money, loans from both banks and family and their own personal savings, they purchased it. Six months of blood, sweat and tears later, the couple opened 'Wolfe Dance Studio'. Initially, word traveled slowly and only a few dancers trickled in - luckily the dancers were dedicated and willing to learn, and as Wolfe Dance began raking in the trophies: it sent the dancing circuit into a tizzy. Trisha and Harold found themselves excellent teachers; and one enrollment Spring they finally found themselves overbooked.
The Wolfe Dance Studio was not to be brushed aside.
Despite the long hours, grueling practices, and paycheck to paycheck weeks; life finds a way to march on. Trisha is in shock when the doctors confirm her worst fear - she is pregnant after all. Harold and Trisha make the decision to forge on; ever the fighter, the young woman pushed through the nausea, pain and swelling that came with her gestation, appearing prominently during every competition until her son Colton was finally born.
The new parents wasted no time in teaching their child all the basics, immersing him in a rich world of culture and dance with high hopes that he would take an interest. And, like a moth to a flame, Colton found an interest in dance almost immediately; as did their second child five years later, Andrea. The family was complete.
The siblings did everything together, from suffering through some of the hardest routines they'd ever have to learn to staying up late to do their homework because, of course, dance always came first. By the time he was a teenager, Colton could feel his interest in dance begin to wane but Andrea refused to let up. Her passion soared, each step on stage a flawless representation of commitment to her art. Colton admired that in his younger sister and searched within himself to find it too but, throughout school, other things gripped his interests and all Colton wanted to do was get away.
So he did just that.
After graduating from high school, Colton said goodbye to his family and disappeared to California for a number of years, hoping to find a way to breath new meaning into this life of his. The time spent in California was like a blur and before he knew it, three years had passed. It was time to return home...but what he returned to was not home at all.
Unbeknownst to Colton, an intense tragedy had struck them all, leaving the Studio in dire straights. Partners were backing out month after month, and enrollment was at an all-time low; but with the return of one of the lost Wolfes, it may be possible to rekindle the passion that had made them famous. Tricia and Harold offer Colton a contract: five years with the studio for all the pain he caused by leaving.
And just like that, rattled with guilt, Colton signed away his rights to end up right back where he started. His ex-girlfriend was none to pleased to see his return...but at least his best friend seemed to keep him in line.
Life seemed to begin flowing immediately, new enrollments, a fresh new twist on the hip-hop department, and even a new investor or two. Wolfe Studio had begun to rebound; but Colton hadn’t. Defeated and worn to the bone, every day seemed to be a distasteful repeat of the last. His passion and his hope was gone.
So, it was only by necessity that Colton was present the day he auditioned. A new ballerina floated through the door, bringing promising talent with him. He was just like the others; full of fiery passion but Colton had heard it all before. It wasn’t until Eli began to show his true colors that Colton took an interest; and luckily, he liked what he saw.
Motionless is exactly what it sounds like: the moment when time stands still, when news is so bad or so good that the moment threatens to last forever. This story is much more than about dance; just like any art form, it’s the display of a family created by passion and destroyed by tragedy. Maybe with the breath of a little intensity, even a complete stop can be urged to move again?