CHAPTER 3
“Front and one, side and two, back and 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.