Studio Showdown (2 page)

Turns out the joke was on us!

We four girls weren't singled out because we'd done anything wrong – it was exactly the opposite.

Miss Caroline wanted to rework one of Jasmine's solos from this year (no doubt the one that she'd won with at every competition she'd entered) to suit the ‘Hollywood glamour' theme, and Brooke was in charge of
choreographing the paparazzi dance for the tinies. Brooke's done lots of pantomimes with kids and stuff like that, so I could see why Miss Caroline chose her.

As for Ellie and me – she asked us to choreograph a routine together!

Ellie and I have been duo partners ever since we could dance. We match each other really well and I feel like dancing just with Ellie makes me shine because her energy is so contagious. Miss Caroline welcomes our ideas when it comes to choreographing our routines, and we've had heaps of fun helping her over the years.

So our first full teaching role at Silver Shoes was to choreograph a short routine for the age group below us, the Under 8/9s, or the Intermediate Juniors.

At first I felt a little sick at the thought of having my very own routine to choreograph. People were going to be watching it and Miss
Caroline was relying on us to create a dance that was of Silver Shoes standard. What if I wasn't up to it? What did I, little old Paige, know about making up a routine? Surely the dances Ellie and I made up in the school playground, or the tiny bit we helped Miss Caroline out with in our duos, was nothing compared to making up a whole dance by ourselves!

But then I saw how excited Ellie was, and how her happiness and passion lit up her whole face. I knew that, as long as she was with me, I could do anything.

Plus, I needed this for my confidence. I'd learnt from the past to stand up for myself and my talents, and this was a great opportunity to show Miss Caroline and everyone else how far I'd come this year, with both my dancing and my self-esteem.

‘Ohmygosh, Paige,' Ellie chattered, speaking
all in a rush. She rummaged around in her dance bag and pulled out a notebook and a pen with a fluffy tutu on the end. ‘Can you believe it?! This is the chance of a lifetime! I have so many ideas. This is going to be, like, the best routine ever, and it will be perfect for the Juniors – they've got Sotarah and Gaia and that Tanesha girl who's really flexible …'

Ellie sprawled on the floor and pulled me down with her. We were in the next studio, where Miss Caroline had let us work on our choreography while she taught the rest of the class the ‘Circus' dance.

‘You're not upset that you don't get to be in the Britney routine?' I asked, straightening the strap on my leotard.

‘Oh, that.' Ellie swiped at the air with her pen. ‘I can dance in a Britney routine any old day. This is all about us, Paige! Let's brainstorm.'

‘Okay,' I began, ‘well, first –'

‘So the song is going to be “Applause”, I think we can both agree on that.' Ellie started scrawling over the page in her notebook, writing down everything that popped into her head. I stared at what she was writing.

‘And, like, obviously we can put ourselves in the routine too, if we want,' she said. ‘So we can position everyone around us.'

‘Um, Ellie,' I said, as gently as I could. ‘I don't think that was the idea. It's more that we give the Juniors a chance to shine and choreograph a routine that works to their level.'

‘What? And make it look like we can't dance?' Ellie giggled. ‘You don't want to look silly, do you, Paige?'

‘Of course not,' I stuttered, tugging at my strap again. ‘But –'

‘And so with “Applause”,' Ellie chattered on, ‘I think we should be the superstars and
the Juniors can be our groupies, and it will be this really over-the-top jazz style, like almost a bit modern …'

‘Well, actually I had this idea …' I tried again.

‘I'm so happy to be doing this with you, Paige!' Ellie squealed. She grabbed my hands and squeezed them. Then she drew a love heart on one of my hands. ‘We make such a good team.'

I swallowed what I was about to say. Ellie and I did make a good team, I couldn't argue with that.

But I had a feeling this particular team was going to be 90 per cent Ellie and 10 per cent Paige.

‘Tap tap, twist, twist and round; tap tap, twist and round,' I chanted to myself as I practised some steps with my ballroom partner, Benji. We've been ballroom partners since the start of the year and done all types of styles I'd never thought I'd do – waltz, tango, samba. Now we were rehearsing the jive for an upcoming competition.

For once, I was really excited! I think the dance style of jiving really suits me. The timing might be a little different, but a jive is very much the same as a fast-paced jazz routine, and Benji makes it so much more fun.

‘Tap tap, twist and round,' I chanted again. ‘Tap –'

‘Tap, round, twist and out,' Benji said over the top of me. I looked up from my feet and at his face where a cheeky grin was blooming. ‘Tap, hop, boogie and round.'

‘Benji!' I giggled, because of course that stuffed up my feet and I totally tripped over his legs and stumbled away from him.

Benji kept a hold of my hand. ‘And pick up and twirl, twirl and fling!'

‘No!' I cried. He'd picked me up by the waist and spun me round and made as if he was going to throw me up in the air.

He didn't, of course. Instead, he placed me
gently on my feet and then swiped his hair from where it had fallen across his eyes. ‘As if I would do that to you, Paige,' he said.

‘You're lucky Fleur didn't come in,' I said, referring to our teacher. ‘If she saw you goofing off, you'd be catapulting for your life.'

Benji shrugged and reached for his water bottle. ‘I can take her.'

‘Yeah, righto, Mr Tough,' I said.

Benji's eyes twinkled and he swung his water bottle in my direction, like he meant to splash me, although his thumb was over the opening. I flinched away anyway. He laughed. ‘You're such a scaredy cat.'

It was nice that we could joke around with each other. When I first met Benji, it was so awkward, I dreaded every lesson. I didn't feel comfortable dancing ballroom and I
definitely
didn't feel comfortable standing so close to him! But now, it's kinda different. He's been
really patient with me and all the stupid little mistakes I make, and he always cheers me up when I feel down. Even if some of his jokes are terrible!

‘If you've finished annoying me,' I said, ‘I'd like to go over those last steps, please. And the octopus swizzle, with the wrap and spin.'

The octopus swizzle is a more complicated move, which comes down to having perfect coordination and timing. I think if Benji and I could pull off those harder steps, we'd really have a chance at winning the ballroom competition.

‘Anything you say, princess,' Benji joked. He reached out to bring me into our jive hold, which started with one of my arms behind my back in a half nelson.

I felt my cheeks grow warm, so I launched straight into the steps to cover it up.

‘Steady on,' said Benji, pulling me gently to
a stop. He caught my eye and grinned his silly crooked smile. ‘And, a one-two-three-four …'

We began to slowly go over our jive steps, concentrating very hard on being precise and staying in sync with one another.

‘So Ash said you and Ellie get to make up a routine for the end-of-year concert,' Benji said as he adjusted my lower back so I wouldn't get an injury if he tipped me back.

Ash and Benji are good friends because they've done some hip hop stuff together. They're kind of like brother and sister. Benji and I have a good friendship too, but I don't know, he's kind of cute and I might like –

Well, never mind.

‘Yeah,' I said quietly, shifting my spine against his palm. ‘It'll be fun. I guess.'

‘You don't sound too excited,' Benji snorted as we went through our pushspin with a half windmill, which is a move where we both step
back and in and then Benji spins me one way, then the other, and then he turns me behind his back while we switch arms.

‘No, I am excited,' I insisted. ‘It's really nice of Miss Caroline to give us the opportunity, but, it's just …'

‘Ellie's taking over?' Benji said.

I gave a little giggle as I turned out and away from him. ‘How did you know?'

‘That's Ellie,' Benji said. ‘Lean out to the side a bit more, yep, that's right.' He twirled me back in. ‘You know she probably doesn't mean to, it's just, that kinda thing is right up her alley and she gets all excited and carried away.'

‘I know,' I said. ‘But I don't think what she has in mind is what Miss Caroline had in mind when she offered us the dance. And I have some ideas too.'

Benji stopped me mid kick. ‘So, speak up.'

I looked down at my toes. ‘I don't want to argue with Ellie or hurt her feelings,' I said.

‘Yeah,' agreed Benji. ‘'Course not. But it's not just
her
dance. And you have some great ideas. You're really creative. So don't let Ellie boss you around.'

‘She doesn't mean to!' I defended my best friend.

‘I know that,' Benji said. ‘But stand up for yourself. Like what you did with your mum when she put all that pressure on you for that last competition. Or you won't be happy and it'll be a waste of the opportunity Miss Caroline gave you.'

I took a big breath and smiled up at him. ‘I know,' I said. ‘I will. Thanks, Benji.'

‘Ah, any time, miss,' he said, in a bad New York accent. ‘That'll be two dollars, fifty cents.'

‘I hope your jive is better than your accent,' I teased.

He grabbed my hand and twirled me into a drop on the floor. ‘Jive is what I do, baby,' he said, in the same bad accent. And then he started laughing and I started laughing and we fell into a graceful heap on the floor.

But I felt better. And I decided that, next lesson, I would make sure Ellie understood that it wasn't just her running the show.

My grand plan didn't exactly get off to an amazing start.

The Juniors had their class on Friday, which was when Benji and I had another ballroom lesson.

Benji and I couldn't quite get the continuous pretzel, which is a move where you turn in and out and under each other's arms for what feels like forever. We kept getting mucked up
with which direction we were supposed to be facing and when, so Mum and Fleur made us stay back until we got it right.

‘But, Mum, I have to go, I'm meant to be teaching the Juniors,' I protested.

‘I'm sure Ellie can handle it for five minutes on her own,' Mum said, smiling at me through her perfectly painted lips.

‘That isn't the point,' I said, exchanging a glance with Benji. ‘Miss Caroline trusted me to take this class, and that means being there on time.'

In truth I was just worried that making Ellie wait would annoy her, and I wanted her to be in a good mood when I brought up my ideas for the dance.

‘Just a few more times, honey,' Mum said. ‘Come on, be a good sport.'

I sighed, but I guess it kind of worked in my favour, because I wanted to get out of there
so badly that I focused all my attention and pulled the move off like a pro.

‘Bravo!' cheered Fleur. ‘Lovely, lovely!'

‘Yeah, no sweat,' Benji said sarcastically from where he was panting with his hands on his knees.

‘Just once more, sweetie, so we know it wasn't a fluke,' Mum said, clacking her long, fake fingernails together.

But I shook my head. ‘Sorry, Mum,' I said. ‘I've really got to go. I promised. Thanks, Fleur! See ya, Benji!'

I gathered up my dance duffel and raced out of there before anyone could stop me. I felt a teeny bit rude, but I knew I was doing it for the greater good.

Ick, I was so sweaty and flustered, though. It wasn't exactly how I wanted to make a first impression on the students who I was supposed to teach.

I raced from the drama studio to studio one and, as luck would have it, I passed Miss Caroline in the hall. She'd obviously just come from the studio where I was meant to be.

‘I'm here, Miss Caroline!' I panted. ‘Sorry I'm late. I had ballroom. I didn't mean to keep anyone waiting.'

But instead of being mad at me, Miss Caroline smiled and placed a steady hand on my shoulder so I'd slow down. ‘That's totally fine, Paige,' she said. ‘I know you had ballroom. It's not a problem.' She chuckled. ‘Just breathe and relax, okay? Your face is all red.'

I put both hands on my hot cheeks, and willed my heartbeat to slow down.

‘Good girl,' Miss Caroline said. ‘Now, in you go. I know you'll do a fantastic job.'

I nodded, grabbing the door handle as she walked off.

Right. Time to face the music. I was fully expecting all the Juniors to be sitting in a bored clump on the floor with Ellie pacing around them angrily, waiting for me.

I opened the door.

‘Sorry I'm la–' I began to say.

But I needn't have bothered.

Because Ellie was up, in front of the mirror with the class standing behind her.

They were already in a dance formation.

Ellie was teaching them the dance.

Without me.

I tiptoed round the side of the studio, which was the worst tiptoeing I'd ever done because I was still wearing my ballroom shoes. I felt like I was the one who was intruding – in my own class!

‘Um, hi,' I said. I pulled my leotard away from my sweaty body.

‘Hi Paige!' Ellie chirped, obviously in her element.

Even in my confusion, I admired her. She had no fear about anything. ‘What's, um, going on?' I asked.

‘I'm just teaching these guys the start of our dance,' Ellie said. ‘It's already looking so good. This class is full of superstars!'

She flashed a huge smile at them, but in my head I was thinking,
our
dance? There was nothing
me
about any of it.

‘Oh,' I said. And then I stood there, feeling like a big nuffnuff.

‘Come on, I'll show you the start.' Ellie rushed over to the sound system. ‘You're going to love it, Paige.'

I gave her a small smile and sat down to take off my ballroom shoes. The music started and Ellie hustled the Juniors into place, but I barely even took note of what they'd done.

I was too busy trying to process my own feelings. And even at this early stage, I knew they weren't good.

It looked like we were heading for a studio showdown.