Showstopper (12 page)

“So, I call this group dance ‘Our Lips Are Sealed,'” she said, hitting the button on her iPod. A bubbly '80s pop song by the Go-Go's filled the studio and the girls began to bop around to it. She handed Gracie a roll of pink duct tape.

“This will be part of your costume,” she instructed her. “Each of you will have your own color, and I'd like it wrapped around your
leotards creatively. Oh, and also across your lips.” She broke off a small piece and put it on Gracie's mouth. Gracie giggled.

“Are you kidding me? That is so unglam!” Liberty complained.

“Really? I thought you would say that,” Toni replied. She handed Liberty a photo of Lady Gaga wearing an outfit made of yellow police tape. “That's why I took the idea from Gaga herself.”

“Oh,” Liberty said softly. “Whatever.”

“I want to make it perfectly clear that we don't keep secrets from each other or tell false ones to the competition.”

“Even if it's a really good one?” Gracie asked.

“Especially if it's a really good one,” their teacher replied.

When each of the girls had secured a piece of tape over her mouth, Miss Toni read off the list of upcoming competitions. “We'll be ending March in Michigan; then on to Philly, Delaware,
Erie, and finally Los Angeles for Nationals—if we qualify.”

Anya raised her hand. “Yes, Anya, you can talk.”

Anya peeled the tape off her lips. “Do you think my brother, Alexei, can come to Nationals and shoot us rehearsing? He wants to make a dance documentary for film school in the fall.”

Toni nodded. “I don't see why not.”

Liberty's hand went up as well.

“I know I'll regret this, but yes, Liberty, you can speak, too,” Toni said.

“I think I should star in the documentary,” Liberty suggested. “I mean, I am the most talented and glamorous Diva, right?” She turned to Rochelle who was still wearing the tape on her mouth. “Anything to say about that, Rock?”

Instead of protesting, Rochelle took a piece of tape and secured it back across Liberty's lips.

“Thank you,” Miss Toni said, rubbing her temples. “We've got a long way to go before Nationals, and I'm not making any decisions till right before.”

She ran the girls through the jazz routine several times, then had them gather around her in a circle when they were done.

“I've decided to hold rehearsals during part of spring break,” she informed her team. The Divas groaned in unison—it meant cutting their vacation short.

“Seriously? My family was planning a trip to my Pappy Hee-Haw's in Alabama,” Rochelle complained.

“I knew it. I knew if we got a week off in February, we'd pay for it later on,” Liberty muttered.

“There goes the trip to Canada with Dad, Gracie,” Scarlett said. “I was so psyched to see our cousins in Montreal.”

The only one not upset was Anya. “My dad and bro are coming out here for a week,” she
said. “And I really can't think of anywhere else I want to be than here with all of you.”

Rochelle hugged her. “That goes double for all of us.”

Toni smiled. As much as her girls kept her on her toes, they also reminded her why she loved her job so much. They might bicker, but they truly cared about each other. She faced them all and clapped her hands above her head to get their attention: “Now you're talking!”

Glossary of Dance Terms

Arabesque:
a move where the dancer stands on one leg with the other leg extended behind her at 90 degrees.

Barre:
the wooden bar in the ballet studio that a dancer holds on to with one or both hands to practice/balance.

Cambre back:
a bend from the waist to the back.

Chaîné:
a series of quick turns.

En pointe:
literally on the point of your toes; dancing in pointe shoes.

Fouetté:
a turning step where the leg whips out to the side.

Frappé:
when a dancer beats her toe against her supporting foot's ankle.

Tendu:
the leg slides out to the front, back, or side, remaining straight all the way to the point of the toe.

 

Sheryl Berk is a proud ballet mom and a
New York Times
bestselling author. She has collaborated with numerous celebrities on their memoirs, including Britney Spears,
Glee
's Jenna Ushkowitz, and
Shake It Up
's Zendaya. Her book with Bethany Hamilton,
Soul Surfer
, hit #1 on the
New York Times
bestseller list and became a major motion picture. She is also the author of  The Cupcake Club book series with her daughter, Carrie.

Copyright © 2015 by Sheryl Berk

All rights reserved. You may not copy, distribute, transmit, reproduce, or otherwise make available this publication (or any part of it) in any form, or by any means (including without limitation electronic, digital, optical, mechanical, photocopying, printing, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

First published in the United States of America in April 2015 by Bloomsbury Children's Books

E-book edition published in April 2015

www.bloomsbury.com

Bloomsbury is a registered trademark of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book, write to Permissions, Bloomsbury Children's Books,
1385 Broadway, New York, New York 10018

The Library of Congress has cataloged the hardcover edition as follows:

Berk, Sheryl.

Showstopper / by Sheryl Berk.

pages     cm     — (Dance Divas)

Summary: Anya is just getting used to being the newest member of the Dance Divas when her parents want her to move back home to L.A. to study dance “more seriously,” which means she may have to say good-bye to Divas forever. The timing couldn't be worse. City Feet is back with a vengeance at the Smooth Moves Competition in Las Vegas.

ISBN 978-1-61963-576-0 (paperback)  •  ISBN 978-1-61963-575-3 (hardcover)

ISBN 978-1-61963-577-7 (e-book)

[1. Dance teams—Fiction. 2. Dance—Fiction. 3. Friendship—Fiction.] I. Title.II. Title: Show stopper

PZ7.B45236Sg 2015     [Fic]—dc23     2014034288