Dancing Solo Read online

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  CHAPTER 1: SHOW-OFF

  CHAPTER 2: HARDER THAN IT LOOKS

  CHAPTER 3: MAKING IT LOOK EASY

  CHAPTER 4: STUBBORN AND SOLO

  CHAPTER 5: FACING FACTS

  CHAPTER 6: ASKING FOR HELP

  CHAPTER 7: MASTERING THE MOVE

  CHAPTER 8: AUDITION TIME

  CHAPTER 1

  SHOW-OFF

  “Up, and plié!” Ms. Rousseau called. Her voice echoed across the large, sunny ballet studio. “Hold please, and then down and finish in second!”

  Standing at the barre, Sarah O’Claire rested one hand lightly on the smooth wood. She held her other arm gracefully out to the side. Keeping her heels together, she sank down into her plié. Around her, the rest of the ballerinas pliéd as well.

  “Excellent, ladies. Now let’s see an arabesque, please,” Ms. Rousseau called.

  Sarah took her arm off the bar and leaned forward, lifting her right leg behind her into an arabesque. She made sure to keep her toe pointed and her knee straight.

  Sarah cast a quick glance around the room. No one else’s leg was as straight or as high as hers. And several of the dancers had limp arms. Ms. Rousseau hated that. Sarah smiled to herself and lifted her leg just another inch higher.

  “And down! Relax!” the ballet teacher commanded.

  The other students dropped their poses with relief, but Sarah made sure she held her arabesque just a few seconds longer. That way everyone could see it.

  “Very nice, Sarah!” Ms. Rousseau complimented her.

  Across the room, Sarah saw one of the other dancers watching her and rolling her eyes. Sarah tossed her head and looked away. She knew some of the other girls thought she was a show-off.

  Well, fine, Sarah thought. They can think whatever they want. It doesn’t change the fact that my arabesque was the best in the class.

  Ms. Rousseau turned off the music and motioned to the dancers. “Girls, gather round please,” she called.

  When everyone was sitting around her on the floor, Ms. Rousseau pulled out a clipboard. “As many of you know, our annual recital is coming up. We’ll be holding tryouts next week,” she said.

  All the dancers started chattering excitedly. The annual recital was the biggest event at the ballet studio. Their parents came, of course, but so did people from the community and dancers from other schools.

  “The theme for this year’s recital is fairies in nature,” Ms. Rousseau announced. “There will be four lead fairies, one for each season, and several supporting fairies.”

  Sarah sat up straight and smiled. She knew she’d be cast as one of the leads. There was no doubt about it. And everyone else knew it too.

  “The recital will end with all of the fairies in a circle around the Spring Fairy as she dances,” Ms. Rousseau said. “That means whoever plays the Spring Fairy will dance a solo.”

  Sarah tried not to look too eager. But it was clear that the part of the Spring Fairy was meant for her.

  “For the auditions, each dancer must dance a three-minute routine,” Ms. Rousseau said. “It must include a jeté, an arabesque, which we practiced today, and a pirouette. These are hard steps, especially the pirouette, so you’ll all need to practice on your own too.”

  As soon as Ms. Rousseau finished, the dancers rose to their feet and gathered their bags from the corner of the room.

  Sarah slung her own bag over her shoulder. She wasn’t worried about the moves Ms. Rousseau had mentioned. She’d already been working on the jeté for months. It’d be easy for her.

  On the way out the door, Sarah bumped into Mandy and Alex, two of the other dancers in their class.

  “Oops, sorry,” Mandy said, smiling at Sarah.

  Sarah smiled a little. Maybe I should be a little friendlier in class, she thought. I don’t really talk to anyone.

  “Hey, are you guys going to the Spirit Shop for ice cream?” Sarah asked. The dancers often stopped by the Spirit Shop after practice. “We can walk over together.”

  Mandy and Alex exchanged a quick glance. “Um, actually, we’re heading over to Alex’s house,” Mandy said quickly. “Sorry.”

  With that, the two girls turned and rushed off down the sidewalk.

  Sarah hitched up her dance bag and trudged down the street in the opposite direction.

  Whatever, she thought. Who cares if they don’t want to hang out with me. I have to go practice my pirouettes anyway.

  CHAPTER 2

  HARDER THAN IT LOOKS

  Sarah could hardly concentrate during dinner. She was too busy thinking about her upcoming audition. After pushing her chicken and peas around on her plate for several minutes she turned to her mom. “Can I be excused?” she asked.

  “You’ve hardly eaten anything,” Mom said.

  “I’m not hungry,” Sarah replied. “I need to go practice my audition routine.”

  “Okay, but don’t forget about apple pie later!” Mom called up the stairs behind her.

  “I don’t have time!” Sarah shouted back. “I have to practice!”

  Sarah shut her bedroom door behind her and hurried over to the MP3 player sitting in the dock on her dresser. She scrolled through her music and turned on the theme from Swan Lake.

  Sarah smiled as the music filled the room. Swan Lake was her favorite ballet. She always felt inspired when she heard it.

  Taking a deep breath, Sarah turned and faced the mirror that took up almost the entire wall. She’d convinced her parents to install it for her last birthday so she could practice. Now she was working on convincing them to install a barre.

  Sarah closed her eyes and held her arms out to the side, her feet in second position. She’d already started picturing the routine she wanted to do in her head.

  As the music swelled, Sarah did a delicate plié, then ran lightly in a circle using a waltz step, her arms over her head.

  Perfect, she thought. Now, the jeté.

  Sarah increased her speed and leaped into the air, making sure to keep looking forward. She landed gently and moved immediately into the arabesque.

  She lifted her leg into the air behind her, making sure to keep her standing leg steady. Then she leaned her upper body slightly forward and held both arms out to the side, feeling her rib cage expand.

  No wobbling! she thought firmly.

  The music swelled, and Sarah did another jeté, landing with her leg delicately held behind her. Her routine was almost at three minutes, and she still had to do the pirouette, the last required step.

  She lifted her back leg and placed it lightly on the inside of her front leg, bent at the knee. Then she used the power of the lift to spin in a circle.

  “Oh!” Sarah exclaimed as she suddenly tripped and staggered. She fell against her dresser and bumped the MP3 player. The music stopped.

  Sarah shook her head to clear it. Focus, she thought sternly.

  Sarah started the music again and lifted herself into the pirouette. Balance, arms out, back straight, and turn —

  “Oof!” Sarah exclaimed as she fell out of position again. This time, she almost fell into the mirror.

  Sarah gritted her teeth. “Stop it,” she muttered under her breath. “Get it right.”

  She tried to whirl again and again, but no matter what she did, she kept staggering out of the move.

  Sarah sank down on her bed. Her stomach was suddenly fluttering with nerves. Why can’t I do the pirouette? she thought. And how am I ever going to play the Spring Fairy if I can’t?

  CHAPTER 3

  MAKING IT LOOK EASY

  “Front and one, side and two, back an
d three . . .” Ms. Rousseau’s voice counted out the beats as the dancers stood at the barre the next day.

  Sarah moved her foot around to the front, side, and back automatically, but she couldn’t stop thinking about the night before. Every time she pictured herself falling against her dresser, her stomach rolled.

  Maybe I was just tired, Sarah thought. There’s no reason the pirouette should be such a big deal.

  Ms. Rousseau clapped her hands and turned off the music. “Dancers, move to the center of the room, please,” she said. “Let’s run through the required steps for the recital auditions. This is your time to ask any questions you may have.”

  The dancers all hurried to the center of the room and arranged themselves in rows. Sarah took a spot near the back. Usually, she liked to be in the front row so Ms. Rousseau could see how well she was doing, but she was feeling a little shaky after the night before.

  Mandy walked over and stood next to her. “Hey,” she said, with a small smile.

  Sarah glanced over at her. “Hi,” she replied. She stared straight ahead at Ms. Rousseau.

  “Are you excited for the auditions?” Mandy asked. “I’m kind of nervous. What part are you going to try out for?”

  “The Spring Fairy,” Sarah said stiffly.

  Mandy nodded. “I think I’m just going to try out for one of the supporting fairies,” she said. “I don’t know if I could dance one of the leads. I’d be so nervous.”

  Sarah just nodded. She didn’t get why Mandy was being so friendly all of a sudden.

  “We’ll do jetés first,” Ms. Rousseau called from the front of the room. “Make sure to give yourself plenty of room. You’ll need to run a little in order to jump.”

  The dancers all spread out, and Ms. Rousseau turned the music back on.

  Sarah tried to focus on her own dancing, but she couldn’t help watching Mandy out of the corner of her eye. Mandy took a few small running steps, then leaped and landed with a little thud.

  That was loud, Sarah thought with satisfaction. She ran and leaped, making sure to launch her body high into the air. She landed back on the floor as lightly as a feather.

  After several jetés, Ms. Rousseau changed the music. “Pirouettes now, girls!” she instructed. “Everyone, lift yourself onto your left toe. Now lift your right leg up, keeping your foot flat against the inside of your standing leg, and spin.”

  Ms. Rousseau moved around the room, adjusting the dancers’ arms and legs so everyone was in the proper position.

  Sarah tried to focus. She lifted her right leg into the position, held her arms in a circle out in front of her, and tried to spin like Ms. Rousseau had instructed.

  But instead of twirling gracefully, Sarah fell out of position. Just like the night before. This time, she almost knocked into Mandy. The other girl looked startled.

  “Sorry,” Sarah mumbled. She glanced around the room quickly, but no one else seemed to have noticed. The other dancers were busy lifting and spinning effortlessly.

  What’s wrong with me? Sarah thought. Why can’t I do it? She’d never had this much trouble with a step before.

  Sarah glanced over at Mandy again. She couldn’t help noticing that the other girl was performing her pirouette effortlessly.

  Sarah scowled. If she makes it look so easy, why does it feel so hard? she thought.

  CHAPTER 4

  STUBBORN AND SOLO

  After class, the rest of the dancers gathered their things and trickled out of the studio. Sarah waited until everyone else was gone so she could talk to Ms. Rousseau. She had to get the pirouette right, and she didn’t want any of the other girls to see her.

  “Ms. Rousseau?” Sarah said, walking over to her teacher. “Do you mind if I stay a little later? I want to work on my audition routine some more.”

  “Of course, Sarah,” Ms. Rousseau replied with a smile. “I have to work on a few things in my office. Just holler if you need me.”

  Sarah nodded, but she knew she wouldn’t be asking for help. It was too embarrassing.

  I can do it on my own, she thought stubbornly. I have to.

  The studio seemed strange without the other dancers. It felt so big and empty. Sarah took a deep breath and walked to the center of the room.

  Sarah lifted herself up into the starting position for the pirouette. But this time, she didn’t even make it to the spin. She wobbled immediately and had to put her other toe down to keep from falling.

  Sarah shook her head and tried to focus. She lifted her right foot off the ground and tried to balance. But again, she had to put her foot down to avoid falling over.

  This is horrible, Sarah thought. Now I can’t even manage the starting position.

  Sarah tried over and over, but no matter what she did, she kept losing her balance. By the time she finally took a break, her face was red and she was out of breath.

  The only sound in the studio was Sarah’s heavy breathing. Suddenly, she heard the sound of footsteps across the room.

  Sarah gasped and whirled around. Mandy stood there, holding her dance bag in one hand.

  “What are you doing here?” Sarah demanded.

  Mandy held up the bag. “I forgot this here earlier,” she said. She studied Sarah’s red, sweaty face and messy hair. “What’s up? Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine,” Sarah snapped. She swiped at her hair. “I’m just getting a little extra practice in before the auditions.”

  Sarah quickly turned away, pretending to fix her hair in the mirror. She just wanted Mandy to stop looking at her.

  Behind her, Mandy cleared her throat. “Um, I know it might not be any of my business,” she said, “but I kind of saw you practicing just now. Are you having trouble with the pirouette?”

  Sarah stiffened and said nothing. She kept her back turned but watched Mandy in the mirror. Her face was burning with embarrassment.

  “I noticed in class too,” Mandy continued. “I think your problem might be that —”

  “I’m fine!” Sarah snapped, whirling around. She couldn’t stand listening to Mandy giving her advice.

  I’m the best dancer in the class, Sarah thought. If anything, I should be giving her advice.

  Sarah took a deep breath and let it out. “I don’t need your help,” she told Mandy tightly.

  Mandy shrugged and backed up a few steps. She held her dance bag in front of her like a shield. “Fine,” she replied stiffly. “I was just offering.”

  With that, Mandy turned on her heel and marched out of the studio.

  Sarah stood in the middle of the empty room for a long time after Mandy left. She had a bad feeling that her chance to play the Spring Fairy had just disappeared too.

  CHAPTER 5

  FACING FACTS

  Sarah hardly slept that night. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw herself stumbling across the stage.

  I’m never going to make it through my audition at this rate, Sarah thought. And forget about playing the Spring Fairy.

  Finally, as the sun was just starting to peek though her curtains, Sarah threw off her covers and sat up in bed. It was no use. She couldn’t sleep.

  If I can’t sleep, I might as well get some practice in, she thought, getting out of bed and pulling on her exercise clothes. Auditions are only three days away.

  Sarah sat down on the floor in front of the large mirror and laced up her ballet slippers. A feeling of dread settled in the pit of her stomach. Her muscles felt stiff and tense.

  She warmed up briefly, then did a few jetés and arabesques to get ready. To her relief, she was able to do them all easily. But Sarah knew she wasn’t in the clear yet. If she couldn’t do the pirouette, all the jetés in the world wouldn’t help her.

  Maybe I’m just overthinking it, Sarah thought. Maybe I just need to throw myself into it.

  Sarah shook out one leg, then t
he other, trying to convince her stiff muscles to warm up. When she felt a bit looser, she leaned over and turned on her MP3 player. Sarah closed her eyes as the theme from Swan Lake filled the air.

  Quickly, she ran through the rest of her routine. Plié, then waltz step, jeté, right into an arabesque, then another jeté. Then it was time for the pirouette.

  Just do it! Sarah thought.

  She lifted her back leg so she was balanced on her other toe and tried to spin quickly. But she lost her balance.

  Sarah pitched forward, almost hitting her forehead on the edge of her bedside table. She collapsed onto the floor in a heap.

  For a long moment, Sarah sat there silently as the music continued to play. Then she carefully started to untangle her legs and get to her feet.

  But as soon as she tried to stand up, Sarah knew something was wrong. A sharp pain shot through her right ankle when she put weight on it.

  “Ouch!” Sarah exclaimed, sinking down onto her bed. She grabbed her ankle with both hands, touching it gently as she examined it.

  What if I sprained it? Sarah thought nervously.

  If her ankle was injured, Sarah knew it wouldn’t matter if she could do the pirouette or not. She wouldn’t be able to audition.

  She carefully flexed her ankle back and forth. The pain seemed to be fading. After a few minutes, she put her foot back on the ground and tried to stand. Her ankle seemed okay.

  Sarah breathed a sigh of relief and laid back down on her bed, putting her arm over her eyes. She couldn’t keep going like this. She’d almost hurt herself.

  There were two choices. She could give up her dream of being the Spring Fairy — or any fairy for that matter.

  Or she could ask someone for help. She had to stop pretending like she didn’t need it.

  Sarah thought about how Mandy had offered to help her. She cringed when she thought of how rude she’d been.