pink.â
âYes!â I exclaimed. âCadence, are you me in another body?â
âI hope so,â said Cadence, âbecause I want to wear this!â She touched the fluoro crop top and short set I was wearing (a bargain from the Dance Ahoy online shop, which Iâd sneakily looked at when I was banned from the internet, and then convinced Mum to buy).
After we were well gorged on snakes, sherbet bombs and the butterfly cupcakes Cadenceâs mum had packed her, we moved on to the tap sequence for the main number in Act Two, âStep in Timeâ, which weâd learnt to sing the other day.
I didnât let any negative thoughts come into my head, and I went straight to the front of the group (still at the side, though, so I could watch others if I needed to). There would be no more hiding in the back for me!
The dance started off easy and slow before building up to a bang, when the notes spilledout like they couldnât hold back any longer. The choreography was basic toe punches and slaps and stomps to begin with, just punctuating the music. Easy enough, but I made sure my tapping was crisp and sharp, and that my rhythm was worthy of Gene Kelly. (Just in case you donât know, Gene Kelly is a famous movie-star tapper. I know, because Iâd spent three hours looking him up on YouTube last night. Oh yeah, while still being banned. But education waits for no one).
Things quickly got more complicated though, but I stayed cool.
Donât think about it too much. Just watch Periwinkleâs feet, listen to the rhythm of his taps, and let your feet move how they naturally move to copy the sound.
So when we had to do a time step, which involves brushes and shuffles and a transfer of weight on the feet, at first glance my mindwent âeek!â, but then I broke it down and trusted my feet and suddenly I was doing the move like my name was Cadence Kohdean. My feet were making music!
I felt like Iâd broken through a barrier. Tap was quickly becoming one of my favourite styles of dance, although I would never turn my back on my beloved jazz.
Billie, Periwinkle and the director asked to speak with me at the end of the day. Wham. I felt a force field of worry hit me. Was I fooling myself? Had I just made a joke out of my dancing? Were they going to tell me I wasnât quite up to being in the musical?
âEllie, dear Ellie,â said Periwinkle after rehearsal.
âYes?â I gulped.
âWeâve been keeping a close eye on all the dancers,â said Periwinkle. âEspecially today,because there are minor roles in some of the dances and scenes we havenât filled yet.â
âIt will mainly be dancing parts,â Billie said, smiling.
âYes,â said the director. âThereâs a doll in âPlaying the Gameâ, a statue that comes to life in âJolly Holidayâ, and a small singing part for a girl in âLetâs Go Fly a Kiteâ.â
I nodded. Iâm sure my eyes were popping out of my head.
âYouâre quite the little dancer,â said Periwinkle. âAnd Billie particularly sings your praises. Youâve got a very powerful voice, too.â
âReally?â I squeaked. âThank you.â
âThereâs no missing you,â joked the director. âSo weâd like to give these few small roles to you. We can see youâd do a great job and are very dedicated.â
My heart stopped. My breath was caught. I risked a look at Billie, who was wearing theproudest, silliest grin. I felt my own mouth start to split in half.
It wasnât quite the part of Jane. But it was a good start.
âIâd love to!â I exclaimed.
Chapter Fifteen
Well, as if my busy schedule wasnât enough! At the next rehearsal the director had announced that the Bayside council was holding a fund-raising variety night and the cast of Mary Poppins were going to perform a number from the upcoming