"Good evening, dancers. Welcome to the ballroom. The floor is waxed. The lights are low. The bodies from the last performance have been removed… most of them."
"Tonight, we dance."
---
[VERSE 1 — SPOKEN]
"Place your hand on your partner's waist. Feel the heartbeat. Feel the fear. That's the rhythm. That's the tempo. That's the thing that keeps us moving when the music stops."
"One two three. One two three. Left foot forward. Right foot back. Now dip. Now spin. Now feel the blade between your ribs. That's not a mistake. That's a flourish. That's the thing that separates the dancers from the dead."
---
[HOOK — SUNG]
SWAN LAKE OF BLOOD. THE WATER IS RED.
THE DANCERS ARE FALLING. THE DANCERS ARE DEAD.
ONE TWO THREE. ONE TWO THREE.
THIS IS THE WALTZ THAT SETS YOU FREE.
SWAN LAKE OF BLOOD. THE MUSIC PLAYS.
THE BALLROOM IS HUNGRY. THE BALLROOM STAYS.
ONE TWO THREE. ONE TWO THREE.
NOW BOW. NOW BLEED. NOW BOW FOR ME.
---
[VERSE 2 — SPOKEN]
"You ever dance with someone who didn't want to dance? That's the dance I teach. The ballroom doesn't care if you're willing. The ballroom only cares if you're moving."
"So move. Move like your life depends on it. It does. Move like the music is the only thing keeping you alive. It isn't. But isn't that more fun? The lie? The dance?"
---
[BRIDGE — SPOKEN]
"They ask me why I teach. Why I stand in this ballroom, night after night. I tell them: because someone has to. Because the dance doesn't end just because the dancers do. Because the music is eternal. And I am the music. I am the beat. I am the thing that keeps you moving long after your heart stops."
"Now. Shall we begin?"
---
[FINAL HOOK — SUNG]
SWAN LAKE OF BLOOD. THE WATER IS RED.
THE DANCERS ARE FALLING. THE DANCERS ARE DEAD.
ONE TWO THREE. ONE TWO THREE.
THIS IS THE WALTZ THAT SETS YOU FREE.
SWAN LAKE OF BLOOD. THE FINAL NOTE.
THE DANCE IS OVER. THE DANCE WON'T STOP.
ONE TWO THREE. ONE TWO THREE.
WELCOME TO THE BALLROOM. WELCOME TO ME.
---
[OUTRO]
"That was the introduction. That was the warm-up. You're not ready. But that's the fun of it. That's what brings you back tomorrow night."
"The ballroom is always open. The dance is always waiting. And I am always here."
AsheTheHyena
