characteresque

character :: Colton Wolfe

The arts take passion, dedication and commitment - three things that, once upon a time, Colton poured all of his focus into. He could rise at sunset and dance until the sun went down, tired but pleased at all he could accomplish in just one practice. It was the reason he was alive; it was what he was put on this Earth to do. But as the years passed and the passion turned to resentment at both himself and his instructors, Colton could feel only a small flicker of the flame that kept him dancing for so long, a flame that would ultimately be extinguished by a horrible tragedy. It would be this event that would haunt him for the rest of his life and force him back into the dance spotlight one more time, against his better judgment. But even as he takes the stage like old times, Colton feels hollow - there's an emptiness in his heart that even dance can't fill.

Both Colton and his younger sister Andrea were born into a world of dance. Their mother, Tricia, had already won more competitions than she could list and had made a name for herself years ago as one of the best ballet dancers in the U.S. Just as impressive, their father Harold, a hip-hop dancer, was offered numerous contracts each year from all over the country for his impressive technique and brilliant choreography. The two were a power couple, a force to be reckoned with, so when the pair opened their dance company in the heart of New York shortly after the birth of their second child, dancers flocked to it. But Colton never had to: he lived it each day. By the time he had barely learned to walk, his parents pressed for excellence by encouraging him to learn the fine art of dance just as he had gotten his feet firmly on the ground. But, even then, it wasn't a chore for Colton. He took on each challenge he was presented with grace and patience, despite a nearly endless barrage of brutal critique and do-overs.

Such criticism, albeit exhausting, turned Colton from a good dancer, that might squeak by in local newbie competitions, into a great one, whose name was known throughout the state but even with trophies brimming over the massive cabinet in his room, he felt indifferent about his wins. School gave way to new interests, hobbies and social circles, pushing dance into the background, and for a time, Colton could feel his soul come alive but it was short lived. Following a loss at a major dance competition where the Wolfes' were banking on an easy win, Colton was forced to withdraw his participation in all other activities and double up on his after-school dance practices alongside Andrea.

All attempts to fight the ruling were dashed: his mother, the head creative director at Wolfe Dance Company, had spoken. The studio continued to sweep competitions with their powerhouse team of talented dancers in every style from ballet to hip-hop but all the while that Colton was dancing, he was simply looking for his first chance to out. As his parents expected of him, he soared through the competitions and raked in both fame and money for the studio, all the while secretly stashing his share of prize money in hopes that a new opportunity for change was right around the corner.

Graduation from high school brought about a new time in Colton's life, one where he, for the first time in his life, truly felt like an adult. And, in Colton's mind, what better way to begin true adulthood than with a little freedom and a bang? Colton hastily packed his things and returned to the Wolfe Dance Company for what he hoped would be the last time to drop a bombshell on his family: he would be leaving both the studio and New York to follow a life all his own in California. Colton's girlfriend, Britney, a fellow ballerina he had grown up with, appeared to be shattered but it was all for show; behind her false tears, he could see the same two-faced, cut-throat bitch he had known all his life: she was ready to see her competition out the door. As expected, Colton's parents demanded that he stayed, citing various competitions that were fast approaching and the 'opportunity he was just throwing away' but even through the arguments, Colton wouldn't budge; he had wanted out and now was the time. It would be his younger sister Andrea, the younger of the two and by far the most talented, that would be the hardest to part with; she was, after all, his rock growing up and he was hers. But Colton swore she'd get along without him and with tears swelling in her eyes, Andrea came to terms with the move and wished her brother well. Colton hugged her tightly and headed out with a few new friends across the country into a new world.

California was everything Colton had imagined, especially rich what he sought most: freedom. For the first time in his life, Colton felt as if he could breathe in all life truly had to offer that wasn't centered around dance. He picked up odd jobs just to try them out, indulged on delicious cuisine, partied on the weekends with flash in the pan girlfriends and friends he barely knew and ultimately, lived his life for himself, all the while he could feel the memories of his old life fading fast. Calls with his family became less frequent, shorter and almost a chore for Colton who would rather spend his lazy days on the beach than hear his parents ramble on about a dance competition they were working on or listen to Andrea enthuse over the new choreography she had learned; it wasn't his life anymore and he just couldn't relate to their enthusiasm. Days and even weeks went by where Colton chose to screen his family's calls just so he could separate their lives and his own so when Andrea's name popped up on his phone's caller ID late one night, Colton thought little of it.
'I'll call her tomorrow.' Colton told himself. But as days tend to do, they passed in the blink of an eye and faster than Colton expected and by the time he had called Andrea back, she wasn't answering, not totally unusual for the ballerina who was a fiery force to be reckoned with when she was mad. Colton chalked it up to be nothing more than revenge between siblings: 'if you won't pick up, neither will I', and Colton didn't mind. Andrea had an independent streak but she'd come around...eventually. She always did.
But after three years of living in California with money running tight, Colton returned home to New York for a brief visit that turned into a living nightmare.

'She's dead, Colton.' The words didn't seem real. 'She's committed suicide, she's gone. We know she called you, Colton. Where were you? You could have saved her.' Colton replayed the scene a thousand times over, the out of body experience like witnessing a tragic movie on repeat.
At the age of nineteen, Andrea Wolfe, a bright, beautiful and talented ballerina who was one of only twelve that had been accepted into Juilliard's School of Dance, was dead of a gruesome suicide. The news hit Colton so hard, he felt his knees go weak but there was little time to grieve.

Colton received the brunt of his parent's blame, from Andrea's suicide to allowing the studio to crumble under the news of their star dancer's death, all while Colton watched the scene unfold 'comfortably from California'. With their remaining prodigy returning after a three year hiatus, the Wolfes' knew what they had to do and so did Colton: once again, like a victim returning for more abuse, Colton signed his name on the dotted line, accepting the contract that Andrea hadn't fulfilled - five years of dance for Wolfe Dance Company to rebuild their tarnished name.

Now, Colton is back where he started: square one but this time, there's no one there with him. There's no rock for him to lean on; Andrea is gone and Colton's passion for dance has fizzled out completely. Each time Colton takes the stage, all he can see is his parents' judgmental eyes staring back at him and all he can feel is the mechanical, detached choreography of his feet on the stage. With new dancers coming into Wolfe Dance Company each day, Colton hopes their sights will be set on the fresh meat and he can fly just beneath the radar until his sentence at the studio is up. But it won't be that easy: a desperate, wannabe ballerina with skeletons of his own challenges Colton's apathy in a way he never thought someone would, forcing him to re-consider his true feelings on dance and re-evaluate the bridges he's burned.

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