CHAPTER 2
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?