Step by Stage! ~ I Can't Believe I'm the Leader of a Dance Circle! ~...

Episode 2: "First Team Meeting"

Morning homeroom ended early Tuesday.

I bought a cup of coffee at a small cafeteria on campus to calm my mind. Now begins what will probably be my first "real meeting as a leader" in my life. At the last meeting, we had a rough meeting, and the opinions of each member just flew around and around. Today, I want to make sure that the meeting will be "decisive.

　However, the moment I took a sip of coffee, with both anticipation and apprehension, I was choked up by the heat. I couldn't help but shout, "It's hot! The coffee spray soaked up the materials on my desk, and in no time at all, the paper turned brown.

Wow, that sucks ......!"

　I felt helpless as I hurriedly wiped it off with a tissue.

　It's as if the trouble is a hint of what lies ahead. Looking at the coffee-stained note, I said to myself, "But I shouldn't get discouraged here. ...... I took a deep breath, and then I walked to the student center with renewed determination.

Gathering, and a strange silence

A circle room in a student hall. When I opened the door, I found many familiar members there.

　Sho Otani, Makoto Sato, Shizuku Miyata, and Mayu Suzuki, all sophomores like me, are the "main members" who will work together to create this year's festival stage. Rika Aoyama, another senior, was in the back of the room with her laptop open, watching us.

"Oh, you're here, Koharu. I've been waiting for you!"

　It was Sho who approached me first. He was still smiling carefree, leaning lazily against the back of his chair.

All right, let's get this meeting started."

　I reminded myself that I was the leader and braced myself. I took out a notepad and pen from my bag to clarify the agenda first, since the last time we had a meeting, opinions were flying around and it was hard to keep track.

　--But at that moment, the room is filled with an unnatural silence. For some reason, the room is enveloped in an unnatural silence.

　After all the fuss last time, today everyone was silent and staring at me. It was as if they were looking at me with a "show me how you do it, Mr. Leader. It was as if they were looking at me to see how I was doing, and it only increased the pressure on me.

"Well, ...... today we'd like to talk about song selection and discuss our practice policy. We're also going to talk about costumes and stage direction. ......

　I said to myself, somewhat awkwardly. Looking at the coffee-stained note, I try to get on with my story.

Slapstick in song selection

The first item on the agenda was what song to use as the main song. It seems that the festival stage has about 15 minutes for dancing, and one song is not enough. However, if we were to use a medley of multiple songs, the choreography and structure would be complicated.

I'd rather do a medley!　It's definitely more exciting that way!"

　Makoto was the first to speak up. She has a flair and vigor, and is so physically fit that it is hard to believe that she is in a college circle. Today she was again dressed in a sporty jersey, restlessly crossing her legs even though we were in the middle of a meeting.

Well, it's true that a medley keeps the viewer entertained, and the ability to cram in so many different genres is appealing."

　Sho nodded with a more serious face than usual. In Sho's case, however, it may just be a strong inner desire to "make things exciting with flashy tricks! I want to make it exciting with a flashy trick!

But 15 minutes goes by so fast, and isn't it easy to misallocate time if you make a medley of ...... poorly?"

　In contrast, it was Shizuku who coolly disagreed. Sitting quietly with her back straight, her black hair pulled back over her shoulders, her neat face exuding a certain elegance. Her dancing skills are superb, especially her precision in choreography.

For example, each time a song changes, we have to change the formation and choreography for each song. The practice time would double.
Well, but it's better to be popular with the ...... audience, right?"
I don't think it's just about being flashy that's needed to be popular."
　As usual, the temperature difference between Shizuku's calm assertion and Makoto and Sho's "excitement-oriented" attitude became apparent.

　Mayu, on the other hand, was fidgeting and flipping through clippings from fashion magazines on her lap.
Look at this one, isn't it so cute?　I think it would definitely look great with a song that goes with this outfit!"
You decide on the song ahead of the costume. ......?" I say unintentionally.
As a girl, I like to dance in cute outfits," she said. Bright colors for pop songs, or monochrome for cool songs?
　Mayu talks happily while twirling the ends of her hair around her fingers. When it comes to dance, Mayu always has a fancy idea.

　When this happens, the debate doesn't stop.
You can do the costumes later!" Makoto shouted, and Shizuku spilled out, "If the song and the costume don't match, it will be ruined. ...... Sho said irresponsibly, "Why don't you put this one and this one together? Mayu countered, "That's absolutely lame! Mayu countered, "That's absolutely tacky!
　The notes in my hand are cluttered with keywords that keep popping up one after another.
Medley, three or four songs? Both pop and cool? Costumes: cute?　Black-based?
　I don't know how to put it all together: ...... My head is wobbly.

Koharu takes on the facilitation challenge

　Just as my confusion is about to peak, I speak up boldly.

And, for now, why don't we decide on the songs first?　I think it would be faster to make a list of songs that everyone wants to dance to and then narrow down the direction based on that list. ......"
　I am aware that my language is weak. But I don't want the conversation to go off on any more tangents than I like. As the leader here, I have to take charge somehow. ......

　Makoto then says, "Oh, that's good. My favorite song is--" and he immediately names the artist and the title of the song. The song had a loud beat and would get the crowd in the groove if played in the gymnasium. Shizuku, on the other hand, picked up the latest Western dance tunes. Mayu strongly recommended a K-pop idol song, saying, "The costumes will definitely look good! and "The costumes will definitely look good! Sho, on the other hand, took the audience by surprise, saying, "I think it would be fun to have a retro disco kind of song.

　As a result, five or six candidates were lined up in a row.
'Are you going to do a medley of some of these songs?　Or are we going to put them together in one or two songs?　That's the question."
　Sho mutters, and Shizuku responds coolly, "We can't do all the songs. We have limited time and it will be hard to practice," he coolly responded. Makoto disagrees outright, "It would be fun to include them all! Makoto disagreed outright, "It would be fun to include them all!
I'm sure you'll get a flat tire if you run just for the fun of it. We have to practice with the other members of the circle, you know?"
You never know if you're going to get a flat tire until you try!"
Don't be reckless before you do it. ......

　Ah, here we go again: ....... The disagreement between Makoto and Shizuku is well known in this circle. Makoto is of the "passionate, try first! Shizuku is of the "plan and refine! Shizuku is of the "plan and refine!

　I cringe and try to calm them down somehow.
"Let's see,......, if you want to make it a medley, maybe two or three songs would be good,......?　It's certainly a lot of work if you get too greedy ......."
　When he tried to say so, Makoto still bites back, saying, "I think even three songs are too plain. Shizuku shakes his head, "I think even three songs is a lot. Wow, two extremes ......!

　Then Rika-senpai, who had been silent behind me, interrupted.
I'm not going to say, "Well, well, well, guys. It's good to have opinions. Why don't we start with a wide range of options and see if we can cut it down from there?"
　When senpai softly admonished me, Makoto and Shizuku also stopped talking for a moment with expressions like, "Well, ....... I patted my chest in relief.

Koharu, the leader, put together a list of potential songs. Why don't we have a listening session later?　We can actually listen to the sound and decide if it fits or not."
That's a good idea. It's easier to imagine what we're going to do if we all listen to the song before we decide."
　When I responded, the members seemed somewhat satisfied. All right, all right. The song decision is "tentatively tabled" for now. We must move on to the next item on the agenda.

Confusion in practice menus

　The next step is to discuss the practice policy. The details cannot be finalized since the music has not been finalized, but we need to discuss together what kind of schedule we will have for basic practice, formations, and so on.

We only have two and a half months until the festival, so we have to practice with some gusto.　There are only two and a half months left until the festival, so we have to practice with some gusto."

　Makoto is very motivated. Her voice is as loud as ever.

Yes, that's right. But since other people have their own schedules, we will practice twice a week for now. What if we set aside the rest of the time for independent practice?

　I offer a simple idea, but Shizuku quickly points it out.

But I don't think twice a week is enough time to practice, assuming we make it a medley. Especially the formation practice.
"That's what it's ...... no. So let's say three times a week, one of which is a day of robust formation practice. ......?"

　In response to this idea, Sho now blurted out, "But I have a part-time job. Three times a week might be tough," he blurted out.
What?　It's a stage for a cultural festival, so make it a priority!" Makoto was about to lose her temper when I hurried to stop her.
"Ba, part-time work is important too, Makoto ....... It's not just Sho, the other members have a lot going on ......."
Well, yeah, I guess so. ......

　It is truly the leader's job to somehow coordinate people whose schedules do not match. Frankly speaking, it is a very hard job. My mind is already spinning with a schedule for everyone.
"Well, ...... let's schedule a meeting in the LINE group to discuss the details of this area. If we try to decide everything at today's meeting, there won't be enough time to do so. ......"
　That's what I have to say and make some tea. But it's better than nothing.

　They also talked about the contents of their practice menus.
I want to practice the basics. It is essential to improve the accuracy of my steps."
　While Shizuku insisted with a straight face, Makoto said, "No, you just have to learn that with your body while dancing! Makoto was the one who insisted on momentum.
Sho was half-amused, "Don't get into an argument over the same thing every time ......." Mayu interrupts from the other direction, "I need more time to think about the choreography! Mayu interrupted from another direction.

　I managed to organize the discussion and finally tentatively decided that half of the entire practice would be allocated for basic practice and the other half for choreography and formations. Of course, each member is not yet convinced. But for today, let's call this a settlement.

Somehow settled...? And the next move

We have reached a rough agreement on the direction of the songs: "two or three medley candidates" and a practice stance of "two to three times a week for the whole group plus time for self-practice. To be honest, I am not sure if this will go smoothly. But considering that almost nothing was decided at the last meeting, this is a big step forward.

　When the meeting was over, Sho stood up quickly and said, "I'm hungry, so who's going to the cafeteria?" Makoto says, "Oh, I'm going too! Makoto says, "Oh, I'm going with you! Mayu follows with, "I'll go with you then. Shizuku said, "I have something to do, so I'll see you later," and got up and quickly left the room. I guess he is not good at group activities after all. ......

　On my desk, there was still a pile of notes that I had frantically scribbled down. As I was gathering them up with a sigh, Rika-senpai came over and lightly patted me on the back.
Koharu, good night. You did a good job. It must have been hard for you because everyone is so stubborn."
"Yes,...... honestly, I'm tired,...... but I feel a little more accomplished."
　I laugh bitterly, and Rika-senpai smiles and nods at me.
'Yes, yes, this is how it should be at first. The leader doesn't decide everything. Rather, it's their job to listen to everyone's opinions and fine-tune the direction."
Thank you. ......."
By the way, next time, we need to listen to specific songs and decide which ones to adopt, right? Also, we'll have to continue talking about costumes and such, won't we?　Well, good luck."
　The senior gave a fresh smile as he said this, then closed his computer and left.

　I am alone in the room. The only sounds in the quiet space were my pen and my notes for the minutes of the meeting. I slowly sit back in my chair, thinking about the responsibility I have as a leader.
Just getting started, or ......."
　Last time, I was shocked to find that opinions were so disparate, but this time, at least I can see a little more of what we are going to do. I feel a strong will to cooperate with my colleagues to create the best stage possible.
　Of course, Makoto and Shizuku's disagreements are likely to continue, and Sho will be floundering between her part-time job and practice. Mayu's desire for costumes and choreography is also on the verge of exploding. But somehow I have to pull it all together.

Koharu's New Challenge

The next morning. When I woke up, I first took out my cell phone and digitized the "to do" list I had written in my notebook the day before and put it into a memo app.
We will have a listening session with sound samples of potential songs, reconfirm practice location and schedule, organize priorities for costume ideas, make a list of members' specialties, ......, and so on.

　Each of the tasks is small, but when you add them all up, it's quite a lot of work. I took a small breath and said to myself, "Well, I'll do the best I can.

　Just at home, there was an informational program on TV, and a street corner interviewer asked the question, "What is it that you want to try now?" What do you want to try now? Someone said, "Travel abroad! or "I'm looking for a new job! Everyone was expressing their own thoughts and feelings.
For me, it's Leader Challenging, or ......."
　I whispered to myself to tune in to the TV and felt a little proud of myself. I still have a long way to go, and there is no guarantee that it will work out. Still, I must go on to make the stage a success with my friends.

epilogue

Thus, we have survived our second meeting. My full-fledged activities as Koharu Sakurai, the leader of the group, are gradually taking shape.
　However, the problems of the number of songs for the medley, the scheduling of practices, and the clashes between the individualistic members ...... are piling up. With two and a half months to go until the festival, I can't even imagine what kind of slapstick awaits us.
　Still, to me, Rika-senpai's gentle encouragement and the "love of dance" that her fellow students have somewhere in their hearts seemed to be a powerful ally.
"First decide on a song: ...... then practice, practice, practice: ......"
　With renewed determination, I head off to the university again today. I love this club because there is a place to dance, and I have friends to dance with - that alone makes my heart soar.