Nailed it.
“Let’s do a new combination,” Vanessa said. “We won’t do the whole thirty-two-beat combination.”
I followed her directions and did the combo. Vanessa asked me to make some corrections. I reminded myself not to panic that I’d done them poorly, as she might have been seeing how well I took direction. I did the best I could.
“Now let’s see your tumbling skills.”
Okay. I wasn’t the best tumbler on my old team by far, but I could do the basics and a little bit more.
First, I did a cartwheel. Then a back bend. Then a back walkover and back handspring and some not-too-bad hand walks.
“Can you do an aerial?” Vanessa asked me.
“No.” I was honest. “I’m working on it, though. I definitely want to take a tumbling class.”
“Okay. Now please show me the prepared piece you brought,” Vanessa said.
I took a deep breath. This was my favorite dance I’d ever competed with, and I wanted to do it for her perfectly.
“It’s my solo from the last nationals,” I told her. “It’s a lyrical piece.”
Vanessa cued up the music I had sent her ahead of time.
I started in second position. I leaned forward with my head slightly lowered and fluttered my arms up. And then the music began.
I lost myself in the dance. I forgot where I was. I heard the music, let it flow through my body as I danced. I did my grand finale, my signature turn series: seven pirouettes into a kick spin.
“Clean lines.” Vanessa nodded. “Nice technique.”
“Thank you,” I said, breathless but feeling pretty exhilarated.
“Harper,” Vanessa said. “How do you feel when you dance?”
“It’s fun,” I said. Weak. I would need to do better than that.
I took a deep breath and started again. “I feel so focused when I’m dancing. It’s like I can turn off my brain and my body just can flow. I love it.”
“And you would be up for the commitment a competition team requires?” she asked.
“Definitely,” I said without hesitation.
“Check your e-mail tonight for your placement,” Vanessa said. “Welcome to DanceStarz.”
To: HarperDancer
From: DanceStarz Academy
Congratulations! After careful consideration, we are pleased to invite you to be a member of:
DanceStarz Squad
DanceStarz Squad is our select competition team.
We believe this is a special honor, as you will be representing DanceStarz in our very first ever junior select competition team.
We look forward to seeing you at the studio.
YESSSS
YESSSSSSSSSS
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!
CHAPTER
4
I’m someone who likes to be punctual, and usually even early. For the first day of competition team, I made sure to get there extra early. I laid out my outfit the night before, even though it was just basic dance clothes. I chose a lavender dance top with crisscross straps and black compression shorts. Sleek and clean, but not too showy. I wanted to lie low at first.
I obviously wasn’t the only person to have the idea of getting there early. When I walked into Studio A, three girls were already in there, taking a selfie against the black wall. They looked up as I approached them.
“Hi! I’m Harper,” I said, and smiled.
The girls all looked me up and down.
“Harper. Huh,” one girl said.
“This is the select competition team,” the girl in the middle of the three jumped in. She had dark brown hair in braids and was wearing a black high-necked mesh top and black dance shorts. “You’re probably supposed to be in Studio B.”
They continued to take selfies.
“Actually, I’m supposed to be here. I’m on the select team,” I explained.
The girls looked at each other. The middle girl spoke again.
“Do we know you?”
“No, I’m new. I just moved here from Connecticut,” I said.
None of the girls said anything. Awkward.
“Wow, that’s so weird,” another girl finally said. “Vanessa didn’t tell us there would be any new people on the team. We thought it was going to be people we knew. You weren’t at the open auditions.”
“I missed those because I just moved here,” I said. “I did an individual audition instead.”
I waited for them to introduce themselves. But they just went back to taking selfies. Obviously, I was dismissed. I tried to look busy by taking my duffel bag to the cubbies and finding an empty one near the bottom. I hoped there were going to be more people on the team.
My wish was granted! Another girl walked in, with a big smile—the same friendly girl I’d seen on audition day. She had her black hair up in a high pony and was wearing a teal wrap top with teal, black, and white patterned dance shorts.
The other girls gave her the same confused look they’d given me earlier. Her smile faltered. I remembered how she had made me feel better when I’d been nervous at the audition. I needed to return that favor.
“Hi!” I said, walking over. “Remember me from the auditions? I’m Harper.”
“Yes! We made the wish together. I’m Lily.” She smiled at everyone.
The door opened again and Vanessa entered. Everyone fell silent and, I noticed, straightened up.
“Congratulations, everyone!” Vanessa said. “You are the five members of DanceStarz’s first select junior competition team: DanceStarz Squad.”
Everyone clapped.
“The Squad!” A girl with black curls let out a cheer.
“Vanessa? Is this everyone?” the girl in the black top asked.
“Yes.” Vanessa nodded. “We’re going to start small but mighty. You five dancers were purposefully selected.”
“But what about—?”
“See me after class for further questions,” Vanessa shut her down. “Let’s warm up and I’ll share a little more about the team.”
Everyone found a spot on the floor. Vanessa walked us through isolations and crunches and push-ups. Everyone stayed very focused. After we warmed up, Vanessa gathered us around so we could sit in a circle.
“Let me introduce myself,” Vanessa said. “For those of you who don’t know me, I was a professional dancer on and off Broadway until last year. I was also a competitive dancer here in Florida since I was five. I was brought in to DanceStarz to take over the competition teams and will be taking things in a new direction here.” She smiled.
Everyone nodded approvingly. That was cool.
“This team is the first select team,” Vanessa said. “You are some of the most advanced dancers in this studio and the community. I know you’re all in middle school, but I am going to push you—because I want you to do your best and be your best.”
We all nodded.
“Let’s have you introduce yourselves,” Vanessa said. “Why don’t you tell us your favorite dance style and your favorite color? Then demonstrate for us something that showcases you. Who would—?”
The girl with the dark hair in braids shot up her hand.
“Megan.” Vanessa nodded and the girl jumped up and stood in front of us with confidence.
“Hi, I’m Megan Snow! I love contemporary dance and my favorite color is gold. Except at competitions, when it’s platinum.”
Platinum is often the highest award. We all laughed.
“And now my move,” Megan said. She raised her left leg through passé. It was super impressive. She didn’t even use her hands to hold it, just her leg muscles. Then she did a needle. Then she lay down with her chin on the floor and pulled her legs back over her head—and rolled over. Twice!
Whoa. Megan was seriously flexible. And confident. She was going to be a hard act to follow. Everyone clapped.
A girl with wavy reddish-blond hair in a high ponytail stood up. She was wearing a coral halter top and coral-and-black-p
atterned shorts.
“My name is Riley Rosen, and I love hot pink and hip-hop.”
Riley did some really cool isolation moves and finished in a split, with super facial expressions. She was definitely confident—a performer. More claps for Riley.
The girl with curly black hair, wearing a white lace top and black leggings, walked to the middle of the floor.
“Hi, I’m Trina Uba, and I love all colors, so my favorite is rainbow. And my favorite dance is tap.”
Trina flew into a quick combination. She was shuffling and doing time steps so fast it was like her feet were separate from her body. I couldn’t believe how quickly her feet tapped through the movements. Her footwork was insane to me. Many claps.
Lily was up next.
“Hey, my name is Lily Hu. Obviously, I’m new here. I love turquoise and tumbling, so my favorite dance style is acro.”
Lily went over to grab a tumbling mat. She put her hands over her head. She did a back handspring. Then she did a round-off/handspring/tuck, her long black hair flying out behind her. Next she did a round-off handspring stepout and two aerials in a row, with perfectly stuck landings. And finally she did a back tuck like it was nothing.
Whoa. I saw why acro was her favorite style. Her tricks were incredible. I clapped like crazy.
Then it was my turn. My big chance to maybe impress the girls and Vanessa.
“Hi, I’m Harper McCoy. I love purple, and my favorite dance is lyrical.”
I had decided to show off my turns. I hoped my pirouettes that had impressed everyone back in Connecticut would be slightly impressive here. I went to the center of the room and stood in fourth position. I fixed my gaze on a spot at eye level. Then I bent both legs into a deep plié, held my arms in first position and then: I sprang up! I spun around and around. And around . . .
One . . . two . . . three . . . four . . . five . . . SIX! SEVEN!
Up until that point, everything was going great, but then my nerves got the best of me. I did a leg hold turn and tried to stop on a relevé—but I didn’t control it and I wobbled the ending.
Ugh.
Everyone clapped, and I could hear Lily call out: “Whoo!”
I sat down and joined the group, face flushed. I’d done okay, but I’d wanted to be perfect and really show my technique and nail it. I’d wanted to prove why I should be here. I wasn’t sure if I had.
“Bravo to all of you,” Vanessa said. “And now you all have an inkling of why you’ve been chosen for the elite team. Next time, we’ll start putting all of this together. There will be mandatory classes and optional classes. Ballet twice a week—”
Riley groaned loudly.
“Yes, twice,” Vanessa said firmly. “Ballet is the foundation for the all of the other dances.”
I knew Riley wasn’t alone in this thinking. I saw Lily give Riley a little nod. Some of my dance friends found ballet boring or just too hard. I actually liked ballet. It was a challenge, getting everything precise and right. And when you did, it was beautiful.
“As you know, DanceStarz already has competition teams,” Vanessa said. “But I was brought in to expand the program. As the first select team, it’s going to take a lot of commitment. I will need one hundred percent dedication from each of you. But I think you’re up for the task.”
Everyone nodded.
Vanessa continued. “I’ll be ordering official team warm-ups for us to wear to the competitions. And speaking of, our very first competition will be a bit later in the season, so we can focus on becoming a team and getting to know each other. And, of course, starting to figure out a routine!”
Everyone applauded, but I shuddered a little inside. Performing was the goal—but also scary.
“Will there be solos?” Megan asked. Apparently, not all of us were scared.
“Eventually, there will be solos and duets and trios,” Vanessa said. “But first, team dances. I want us to become a team. And as you know, there’s no I in team!”
“But there’s ‘me’ in ‘team,’ ” Trina said. The other girls looked at her. “M and E? T . . . E . . . A . . . M?”
Everybody giggled.
“We’ll begin learning our first team routine at our next rehearsal,” Vanessa said, bypassing Trina’s comment. “And now, team announcements. Your team jackets will be arriving next week.”
Everyone cheered! Team jackets were a big deal.
“I want to know what they look like!” Riley yelled.
“Still a secret.” Vanessa smiled. “We will have the big reveal when they arrive.”
We all groaned. I knew we were all dying of suspense.
“Moving on. As you know, DanceStarz will be marching in the annual town parade this weekend.”
I had seen that on the website, but the sign-up date had passed before we moved here. I’d been disappointed, because parades can be really fun.
“Lily and Harper, you may still sign up and be a part of it,” she continued. “I would like all of DanceStarz Squad represented. Ask at the front desk for a permission form.”
Lily and I grinned at each other.
“Any questions before you’re dismissed?” Vanessa asked.
Megan raised her hand. “Can we do our ritual?”
“Certainly,” Vanessa said.
Megan, Riley, and Trina jumped up together.
“Ring, ring!” They started by holding their hands up like they were ringing a bell.
“Ring, ring! Tap, tap, pat, pat!” They tapped their noses and patted their knees.
Lily and I just stood there, waiting until they were finished. They let out a cheer and a laugh.
“Obviously, if you are going to continue that tradition, you’ll have to explain the significance and teach that to the new girls,” Vanessa said.
“Oh!” Megan said innocently. “Of course.”
CHAPTER
5
M egan, Riley, and Trina left immediately together, and Lily followed out the door. I was the last one to leave because, for some reason, my duffel bag wasn’t where I’d left it. I finally found it tucked into a corner. I found a navy T-shirt and a denim skirt, and I pulled them over my dance clothes and changed my dance shoes for flip-flops. When I entered the lobby, it was hectic.
“Oops!” I almost tripped over a toddler in a pale pink leotard and tutu. Adorable. Parents and little kids in leotards or dance tops and shorts were milling around. This was what I was used to: a busy dance studio.
“Harper!” Lily came running up to me. “My parents own the frozen yogurt place in this plaza. Do you want to come with me and check it out?”
“Okay!”
Cool! That perked me up. It would be nice to get to know Lily better. I felt like we had a lot in common: being the new girls, starting at a new studio, and, of course, we loved dance.
I looked around for Mom and spotted her sitting on one of the chairs in front of the TV, watching a split screen of a tap class and hip-hop class simultaneously. It was so cool to see all the younger dancers, boys and girls, doing their thing.
“Mom, can I walk over to the frozen yogurt place with Lily?” I asked. “Her parents own it, so they’ll be there.”
“Harper!” Mom turned and smiled. Then she looked at the women on the couch across from her.
“Hello,” the women all said to me.
“Oh, sorry,” I said. “I didn’t mean to interrupt. I thought my mom was looking at the TV.”
“Oh, we were,” a mom said. She looked like a grown-up replica of Megan.
“I was telling your mother how Studio A is on the bigger portion of the screen. Since you girls are the top dancers of the studio, the best of the best, you will usually be on that screen.”
“Oh.” I wasn’t quite sure how to respond to that one.
“This is quite a team you’re joining, I think you should know,” Megan’s mom said. “Megan alone has won endless titles and awards, like Miss FutureStar and hall of fame and top ten and—”
“
And Riley has won Miss ShowBiz and Junior Miss Energy and—” Riley’s mom jumped in.
“Wow!” my mom said.
“Riley, Megan, and Trina have been dancing together since they were toddlers,” Megan’s mother said.
“Dance runs in our blood!” Riley’s mom said. “Megan’s mother and I danced together on the high school dance team. She was our dance team leader and led us to states three years in a row.”
“Those were the good old days.” Megan’s mother smiled.
“Dance is our life.” Riley’s mother nodded, doing a little salsa move in her chair.
“Oh, we could reminisce all day,” Megan’s mother said. “But I know Harper is anxious to know my Megan and the other girls better. Tell Megan she has permission to go get yogurt with you too.”
Oh.
Not that I wouldn’t have invited the other girls, but I wasn’t sure what Lily was thinking, and she hadn’t mentioned anyone else. And I definitely wasn’t sure the other girls would even want to go with us. I looked over at the trio, who had put on summer dresses over their dance clothes. They were surrounded by a group of younger girls who looked dressed for hip-hop class in tank tops, sweats, and a few knit and baseball hats.
“Riley may go too, then. We have to stick around anyway, since Riley’s little sister has hip-hop next.” Riley’s mom tilted her head at the hip-hop dancers. Then she hissed, “Quinn! Get to class!”
The hip-hop dancers scattered.
“Well, your sister looks occupied,” my mother said, waving toward Hailey sitting on a chair with her tablet, oblivious. “So I’ll bring her over in a half hour. I’m sure she’d like some frozen yogurt too.”
“Thanks, Mom!” I said, and I looked around for Lily.
One of the younger dancers, who had just come out of the hip-hop class, tapped me on the shoulder.
“Excuse me, did you come out of the room with the Bunheads?” she asked me. “Are you on the new competition team?”
“Yeah!” I said proudly. “I am on the team.”
“That’s so cool. I want to be on the Squad when I’m older,” the girl said excitedly. “I wanted to say congratulations.”
The Audition Page 2
