Chapter 55: Michael "Seth" Jackson
Watching her struggle from the doorway, a faint smirk touched my lips.
’Hey, Paige,’ I asked mentally. ’Can you make me the absolute best choreographer in existence?’
[Oho?!] Paige’s voice instantly erupted in my head, practically bursting with excited glee. [A culinary master yesterday, a legendary dance maestro today?! Say no more, Host! Initiating Absolute Choreography & Spatial Kinetic Mastery... NOW!]
BOOM.
In less than a microsecond, a staggering ocean of knowledge flooded my consciousness.
It was an incomprehensible library of every dance form, body movement, spatial geometry, rhythm theory, and performance art that had ever existed in human history and beyond. For a brief, dizzying moment, my mind felt dazed by the sheer volume of information, but Paige smoothly swept through my neural pathways, instantly easing the mental strain and integrating the knowledge seamlessly.
When I opened my eyes, the world looked completely different.
It was as if a veil had been lifted from my vision. Looking at the dancers in the mirror, I didn’t just see people moving, I saw spatial vectors, kinetic momentum, visual contrast, and emotional flow. I could instantly spot dozens of micro-flaws in their posture while my mind effortlessly replayed their entire routine, refining every step, leap, and transition into a work of art.
’Holy hell... I thought. ’That felt like a cheat code of GTA!’
[Hehe~ With me around, every day is a cheat code, boss!] Paige giggled.
Smiling to myself, I pushed off the doorframe and strolled into the bright studio. "Excuse me. Do you mind if I offer a suggestion?"
The assistant, Marcus, turned around with an annoyed scowl, crossing his arms. "Hey! Who authorized you to walk into a restricted rehearsal studio—"
Before Marcus could finish, the head choreographer raised a hand, cutting him off. She looked me over, taking in my relaxed posture and calm, confident demeanor.
"It’s alright, Marcus," she said calmly, offering me a polite smile. "I don’t mind taking suggestions. If anyone in this room has an idea that fixes this chorus, I’m more than willing to listen." She shot Marcus a pointed look. "That includes you, if you have one."
Marcus clamped his mouth shut, looking embarrassed as he stepped back.
"Thanks," I said with a smile, stepping toward the front of the room near the mirrors.
I looked at the head choreographer and spoke with calm authority. "The issue isn’t the dancers’ technique or synchronization, they’re executing your choreography brilliantly. The problem is the spatial density during the chorus transition. Right now, all twenty dancers are moving in a uniform forward push. Because everyone is making the same movement at the same height, the visual impact flattens against the music’s crescendo."
The head choreographer blinked, her eyes widening slightly as my words sank in. "Spatial density... height contrast..."
"Instead of a uniform push," I continued, gesturing as I walked them through the refined sequence I’d just created in my mind. "Split the formation into three cascading layers. The front row drops into a low, sharp floor glide on count two, the middle row executes a delayed wave extension, and the back row launches into a high-angle leap on the main beat. It creates a three-tiered wave that naturally draws the audience’s eyes to center stage-where Nova will be standing."
The room went dead silent.
The head choreographer stared at me, her mouth slightly parted as the brilliance of the arrangement clicked into place. Her eyes lit with sudden inspiration.
"That... that’s incredible," she breathed, looking at me as though I’d just revealed a missing piece of the puzzle. "Can you explain those exact counts and positions to the dancers?"
"Sure thing," I said with a smile. "Happy to help."
I turned toward the dancers. They looked at me with a mix of confusion and curiosity, clearly wondering who this random guy in a dark shirt was. But as I stepped onto the floor and began demonstrating the revised movements, showing them the exact angles, weight distribution, and timing-their expressions quickly shifted to stunned respect.
My movements were fluid, precise, and effortlessly commanding. In less than five minutes, I realigned their formation, taught them the cascading wave sequence, and adjusted their spacing.
Alright, let’s run it from the chorus," I said with a relaxed grin. "Show me what you’ve got."
The music blared through the studio speakers once again.
The dancers locked into position. As the chorus peaked, they executed the new cascading wave formation.
SWOOSH!
It was a breathtaking spectacle. The three-tiered height contrast created a dynamic visual ripple across the mirror wall, perfectly amplifying the music’s energy. It transformed a standard background routine into a mesmerizing performance.
When the music faded, the entire room fell silent for two full seconds.
CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!
The head choreographer broke into enthusiastic applause, followed immediately by the dancers cheering and clapping. Even Marcus was applauding with wide, amazed eyes.
Marcus quickly walked over and bowed his head with a sheepish expression. "I... I sincerely apologize for my attitude earlier, sir. I was just stressed about the deadline. Your adjustments were... absolutely brilliant."
"Don’t worry about it," I laughed, patting his shoulder. "Kitchens, studios, offices... stress gets to everyone when deadlines pile up. No hard feelings."
The head choreographer walked over and extended her hand, her excitement impossible to hide. "That was phenomenal! I’ve been in the industry for fifteen years, and I’ve never seen someone restructure a formation so effortlessly. Are you a guest choreographer? What’s your professional name?"
I shook her hand with a smile. "Oh, I’m definitely not a professional. I don’t even have a name in the industry. I just like playing around with ideas."
Her eyes widened in disbelief. "Not a professional?! With talent like that?!"
She leaned in eagerly, hope shining in her eyes. "Listen, would you be interested in joining my core creative team for Nova’s concert? I can guarantee you a generous salary, full creative freedom, and top billing in the production credits."
I laughed, shaking my head as I took a half-step toward the door. "Thanks for the incredible offer, but I’ll have to pass. I’m just here accompanying a friend today. Good luck with the rest of the rehearsal, everyone. You guys are going to crush it."
Leaving the studio filled with bewildered, thoroughly impressed dancers, I strolled back into the glass corridor with a satisfied smile.
[Fufufu~ Look at you, casual maestro!] Paige teased. [Crushing professional choreographers with a snap of your fingers.]
’Hey, it felt pretty good,’ I replied, slipping my hands into my pockets. ’Now... let’s see what else this place has to offer.’