Miss Caroline really had picked the best eight dancers in our jazz class. From the corner of my eye I could see everyone, and there was barely an arm or leg out of place. A couple of sickled feet, maybe. But that was the worst it got.
All too soon we were about to finish. Four of us cartwheeled through the gaps made by the other girls, then they front-aerialed through us, and we went on like that three more times until we all stag-leaped in the air, turned, and landed in our final pose.
There was a moment of silence and then one person clapped, followed by the whole theatre, with a fair few whistles and whoops as well. The curtain whooshed closed and it was just us again, our chests going up and down like the beat was trapped inside.
Chapter Seventeen
We won, of course. I knew we would.
The adjudicating was held right after our section. The judge said Silver Shoes was the standout, and that she ‘did not, indeed, want to stop the beat’. It was so great, and I was so happy for Miss Caroline. Dance Art only got an honourable mention. I bet Ashley was happy about that. Looks like they needed to do a bit more ‘practising’ for the ‘bigger’ competitions.
I couldn’t celebrate for too long, though. I had to focus and get ready for my solo. I wanted to make the wins two out of two.
My solo was the last out of ten. In some ways it’s good to be last. It means you can watch everyone else and study the competition and know just what you have to beat. But it also means your nerves build up, big time.
My nerves were obsessed with the ‘what’. What if I forgot the steps? What if there was someone important out there, watching? What if I was doing a leap and I threw up, mid-stride? Vomit on a talent scout’s face is no way to impress them.
Ashley was first up, which meant bam, she could get her dance out of the way and just relax.
I stood with her side-stage while she was waiting to go on. She was going over her dance in miniature, in the gap between the wings. You know when you see a dancer and they look sort of zoned out but also like they’re having a furious physical argument with themselves? They’re usually going over choreography. It’s actually really calming right before you go on.
When Ash was announced, she looked like she might run away. But I gave her the Silver Shoes hug and as soon as she strutted onto the stage, you would never have guessed she’d been a mess only five seconds ago.
Watching Ash dance was pure happiness. She eased into the steps like the music was looking for her. Miss Caroline had choreographed her dance to Beyoncé’s ‘Crazy in Love’ and she hit all her steps with so much attitude. The dance didn’t have as many technical aspects as mine, and I thought that might go against her. But the way she was sashaying across the stage in her sparkly red pants, you could tell the adjudicator would score her highly.
‘You did so great, Ash,’ I whispered when she came offstage. Her face was all bright and flushed and she looked in love with dancing. I know the feeling. I gave her another hug. Sure, I’d been a bit of a cow about Ashley, but I know good dancing when I see it. And Ash was an awesome dancer.
I went backstage to warm up and go over my solo. I like to have some me-time before I go on stage. I’m not like Riley or Tove, who can sit around and chat until the minute they go on. I need to focus. And to stay away from everyone in case I throw up.
It’s not all glitter and sequins, you know.
‘Ellie,’ someone hissed at me. I looked up from my moves and realised I’d lost track of time. Paige was waving at me. ‘Jasmine’s on now! You’re next!’
Gosh. Imagine after all this and I missed my cue. I gave Paige a quick hug and then snuck side-stage. I wasn’t going to, because I didn’t want to watch Jasmine and get put off. But I got too curious in the end.
Jasmine was in control the moment she burst on stage. And I mean burst. She came leaping, jumping and twirling like she wanted to shake the audience from their seats.
And she did. She was perfect. It’s not hard to see why Jasmine is my number one rival. She has such beautiful classical lines, which makes her transitions between steps flawless. She was, to put it simply, just wow. And I couldn’t even blame it on her choreography being a little too contemporary-based (which her jazz routines sometimes are). This was a whole new dance, and it was almost as jazzy as mine.
After she finished, the applause was so loud it was like there was a whole other hidden audience cheering for her. But when I heard it, something strange happened – I got in the dance zone. All my vomity, nervous, excited feelings vanished. And the only thing left was determination.
I had to get more applause than Jasmine.
The bell rang, my number was called, and I walked out on to the stage.
Chapter Eighteen
How do I explain the feeling when I have a solo, and the stage is all mine, and there’s only my dancing to fill it? I am what I’m dancing, but at the same time I’m not me. I’m the best version of Ellie I can be.
When I dance, for that moment, nothing else exists.
You know when you wake up from a really good sleep, and there’s soft sunshine coming through the gap in your curtains? Or when you come home from school and it’s raining, and your mum has baked a cake, and you curl up on the couch to eat it, and the lounge room is all shadowy and dark? Or when you walk into an old theatre, and no one else is around, and you can see the dust swirling on the stage and think that it might be the ghosts of old actors up there, playing around?
That’s how I feel when I dance. It’s thrilling. It’s my inspiration and my motivation all at once.
I was out there with my gorgeous costume, the feathers and the hoop and the big band music. The lights were in my eyes and the audience was a sea of blurry faces. There was a horrible two seconds of silence while I waited in position for the music.
But then it hit. And my arms reacted instantly. Up, down, up, down, turn around. Kick, drag, kick, drag, pause. Double pirouette, pause, catch the hoop. Breathe.
The start was over. Now I just wanted to entertain the audience.
One of the best things about being on stage in front of an audience is that it makes you add little flourishes that turn a dance into a performance. I’m not talking about adding in whole new moves. I’m talking a flick there, a glance here, a shoulder there. Pulling the audience into the dance with you. I wanted them to feel how it made me feel, being up on stage, dancing. So I pushed my legs a little higher and I arched my back a bit more, and I made sure there was as much care put into my transitions as there was all my featured ‘tricks’.
There was one moment when the hoop almost got away from me. But I covered it up by acting as if the hoop was naughty. Then I grabbed it as I transitioned to my next jump. Not once did I lose energy, or my face sag. I could see people watching me from side-stage, peering out between the curtains, and that put a little lift in my jumps too.
I knew, as I held my final position, and the applause was as loud as Jasmine’s, that I’d done the best I could possibly do. When you hear people clapping for you it’s like they’re catching smiles and throwing them up on the stage. I felt like a million bucks.
‘Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand,’ that poem says. ‘And Eternity in an hour.’ I don’t know if dancers would hold infinity in the palms of their hands – it would probably be more like the soles of their feet. But I was holding it somewhere as I bowed and the audience clapped, and I made my way back into the crush of the side curtains.
Infinity. Eternity. Whatever you want to call it. That’s what dancing creates. That’s what the magic is on stage.
Chapter Nineteen
Adjudication time! The moment of truth! I wondered if Silver Shoes could take home first, second and third. Would it be me with the tallest trophy?
Miss Caroline was standing at the side of the stage with us. Sometimes when she’s side-stage she stares out through the wings and looks all dreamy. I guess she’s remembering when she used to dance. But today she just looked very excited for her
Silver Shoes girls. Jasmine, Ashley and I each got a squeeze on the arm as we walked out onto the stage to hear the results.
The audience clapped for us again and over all of them I heard Lucas yelling, ‘Ellie, Ellie!’ I gave him an embarrassed wave and everyone laughed. Then he stood up on the seat, held his arms out like a T-rex, and yelled ‘Rawwwrrrrr!’ The audience loved it. Geez. It was like he was the one up on stage, not me!
After he’d got the most out of his ten seconds of fame (well, it was cute), the adjudicator said how delighted she was with this section, and what great choices of music and different styles of jazz she’d seen this afternoon. ‘Keep working on your technique,’ she said, ‘and keep up all that wonderful energy.’
She then read out her choice for honourable mention – I secretly crossed my fingers that it wasn’t me. There’s nothing wrong with getting an HM, of course, but I was really after something a little higher for my solo. I’d worked so hard.
The HM went to a girl from Isolation. We all clapped for her as she collected her ribbon, but my mind was somewhere else.
Three places left. Jasmine. Ashley. Me. I felt sure it would come down to us. I kept my smile big, but I was starting to get tummy somersaults again.
‘Third place goes to a performer who was a breath of fresh air; so much fun and such a great understanding of the music – I really enjoyed this performance. Congratulations to competitor number one, Ashley.’
Ashley for third! You could tell she was thrilled. I was actually really happy for her. But Ashley getting third meant there were now only two places left. I was so busy thinking about it that I didn’t even realise the adjudicator had started speaking again. I only tuned in when I heard her say, ‘What a performer, competitor number ten, Eleanor!’
That was me! I looked over at the wings and there was the presenter, holding out my trophy. My brain clicked back into the present and I curtsied and dashed over to receive it. But what was it? Second or first? I almost didn’t want to look.
But I did.
Second.
I’d come second.
And when I looked up again, Jasmine was rushing over to receive her first-place trophy.
Jasmine had won.
Jasmine, who threw a clown nose at me, and whispered mean things in class, and flashed her bright white teeth whenever Miss Caroline gave her a compliment (which was always).
For a moment I felt absolutely crushed.
But only for a moment.
Because Jasmine deserved to get first. She had danced brilliantly. It would have been nice if her personality was as brilliant as her dancing, but I guess you can’t have it all.
And I was still the second-best jazz dancer in my age group. I’d danced in front of all these people, and it was amazing. And when I looked out into the audience, Lucas was jumping up and down in his chair and Mum was standing and clapping with a huge smile on her face. And Paige and Miss Caroline were waiting in the wings with the biggest, warmest hugs.
And I was part of Silver Shoes, the best dance school ever.
Eleanor Irvin
Full name: Eleanor Charlotte Irvin
Nicknames: Elle, Ellie
Age: 10
Favourite dance styles: Jazz & Broadway
Best friend: Paige
Family: Mum, Dad, and my five-year-old brother, Lucas
Favourite colour: Pink
Favourite food: Milkshakes, pancakes and jelly snakes
Favourite school subjects: Music and creative writing (why don’t they have dance as a subject!)
Hobbies: Singing, dancing, acting, watching dance movies, fashion, writing stories, putting on shows (even if only Lucas watches them!)
What I want to be when I grow up: A dancer, of course! Or a famous choreographer.
Best dancing moment: When I won the whole school talent show in Grade One. Or the first musical I ever saw (42nd Street). Or maybe when I beat Jasmine in the Under 8s Dancefest Competition. Actually, pretty much every time I dance!
Things I love: Dancing, being on stage, musical theatre, the applause after a performance, my pink jazz boots, anything sparkly, pop music, playing dinosaurs with Lucas, my friends, and whenever Jasmine gets in trouble
How to do a Perfect Grand Jeté
A grand jeté is a leap from one leg to the other where one leg extends straight out in front and the other straight out behind. Follow the movements in the illustrations below, from left to right, to complete a grand jeté that looks graceful and effortless.
Tips
Try to create an arc with your jump. A grand jeté should go up and over, not up and down.
Keep your head up and your gaze forward. This will help you jump higher and land smoothly.
Glossary
Hi everyone! Here are some jazz dance terms – there are heaps more, though! You might like to search on the internet for a ‘dance glossary’, which will tell you a lot more about all the cool moves we do in class. I also love YouTube-ing them so I know exactly how they’re done.
Love, Ellie
adjudicator the person who judges a dance competition. He or she uses a points system to rate dancers on things such as skill, performance quality, difficulty and presentation.
aerial a cartwheel performed without your hands on the floor
arabesque to position yourself on one leg, with the other leg raised straight behind your body at 90 degrees or higher
attitude a pose where one leg is raised in back or in front with your knee bent and toe pointed. Usually you raise one arm too.
axle jump a turning jump where you take off and land on the same foot, keeping your body upright and tucking your right knee into your chest as you turn
barre a bar at waist level used for support during warm-up exercises
chassé a travelling or connecting three-step pattern that is basically a gliding gallop where the same foot always leads
choreographer the ‘designer’ of a dance routine. Choreography is all the moves, sequences, patterns and form that make up a dance.
fouette a whipping move, where one leg opens and closes quickly from second to passé, allowing you to turn on your other leg. Usually done on the spot.
front aerial a front walkover without using hands for support; different from a side aerial, which is a cartwheel without using hands for support
grande jeté to leap from one leg to the other where one leg extends straight out in front and the other straight out behind
passé a turned-out position, where one leg makes a triangular shape as the inside toe passes or touches just below the kneecap of the supporting leg; can be either to the front or to the side
pirouette a turn performed on one foot, on the spot
plié to bend your knees in any of the five positions, with your body upright
pointe position on the tips of your toes
sickled when you point your feet but instead of making a straight line from your leg through to your foot, your ankle rolls inward
side split kick when you kick your leg upward to the side while standing on one foot, aiming for a straddle split in the air
side split leap you can also call this a straddle leap, where you jeté but to the side in a straddle position
splits a physical position where your legs are in line with each other and stretched out in opposite directions. You can straddle split or front split.
stag leap a high leap or jump in a split but with both legs in a bent (attitude) position. Your arms should be straight up in the air and your body squared to the front.
straddle jump to jump into the side splits from a standing position
switch leaps a jeté but where you swing one leg forward and then back, lifting into a split leap, so your legs ‘switch’ places in the air. Also called a scissor leap.
swizzle an acro move performed with two people, where the person standing up lets the other person ‘fall’ towards the floor, but swoops them up and around
transition the movement,
passage or change that you use to get from step to step
About the Author
Samantha-Ellen Bound has been an actor, dancer, teacher, choreographer, author, bookseller, scriptwriter and many other things besides. She has published and won prizes for her short stories and scripts, but children’s books are where her heart lies. Dancing is one of her most favourite things in the whole world. She splits her time between Tasmania, Melbourne, and living in her own head.
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Version 1.0
Silver Shoes 1: And All That Jazz
9780857982834
Published by Random House Australia 2015
Copyright © Samantha-Ellen Bound 2015
The moral right of the author has been asserted.
A Random House Australia book
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