Behind The Spotlight

Chapter 1 --A New Studio--

"Hi! I am Blakely", I say excitedly as I introduce myself to all of the A-Troupe members. They all have a very confused expression on their face as they turn to Michelle and Emily who are standing beside me. "Yes, Thank you Blakely", Michelle tells me and mentions for me to go over and stand with the rest. They all kind of look me up and down before turning back to Michelle and Emily, desperate for an explanation. "As many of you already know, the rules of the Absolute Dance Regionals have changed quite a bit", Michelle tells the dancer before Emily continues. "There will be multiple categories in each age division to compete in this year. You've got the solo division, the duo division, the trio division and the small group division as well as the team division. But the biggest change is that a team should consist of 12 dancers instead of 10 dancers. That's why we brought Blakely in." "Yes, she's a phenomenal dancer. She's a consistent title winner. She doesn't only have the technique but she has the passion. When she dances, she opens up her heart and takes everyone on a journey with her, and that's why people fall in love with her when she dances", Michelle adds. "Care to share something Blakely?", I hear Michelle ask me. I nod my head and walk to the middle of the floor as all the other A-Troupe members walk over to the mirrors in the front of the studio, and sit down to watch me perform. Michelle starts the music to the solo I auditioned with, and I start dancing. I really don't like to brag about myself but I'm kind of good in/with all styles of dance. I can do ballet, contemporary and lyrical, but I can also do hiphop. I'm very versatile in acro and trained in ballroom for quite a while as well. I think quick on my feet which makes me kind of good at improvisation and I'm quite good with choreo as well.

So I get through my solo, hitting all the moves and tricks, as well as nailing the emotional aspect of my dance. Once I'm finished, I hear all of the A-Troupe dancers clapping as they all stand up. "That was honestly amazing!", I hear one of the boys say. "Yeah, you're exceptional!", a short girl says kind of in disbelief, as I can see Michelle and Emily walking over to us. "We saw her at a local dance competition and we just immediately recognized that she's a TNS-dancer. She's going to fit in and vibe so well with you guys", Emily tells everyone. "So, what do you guys think... Is she our twelfth dancer?", Michelle asks all of the A-Troupe members excited. "Hell yeah!", a boy screams as all of the others nod their heads and before I know it, I'm wrapped up in a big group hug. "This is going to be our year guys", I can hear Michelle say as we all break apart from our hug. A big smile forms on my face. Maybe this is the place that will turn out to be my home.

"Okay well, we are going to give you guys some time to get to know Blakely a little bit. Ask her some questions, tell her some stories and choreograph a little fun combo so we can see what you guys look like as a team", Emily tells us all before she walks over to her office, Michelle following behind her. "Okay, maybe we should just start choreographing something. I have a fun song I've been holding on to so spread out and start warming up", a rather tall and handsome boy says. "Ow, and I'm Noah by the way", he adds as he looks at me. I give him a little smile and start warming up. When I get down to stretching, two girls with dark hair, a short one and a tall skinny one, walk up to me. "Hi Blakely. We just wanted to let you know that you are truly an exceptional dancer", the shortest girl tells me sweetly. "Oh Thanks", I say back to her, giving her a little smile. "Yeah, you're definitely an asset to our team", the other girl says as I look down kind of shy. I'm not really good at receiving compliment. "I'm Piper", the shortest girl says. "Oh Piper? You're James' little sister. I've heard so much about you and it's so nice to finally meet you", I say back to them, facing the shortest girl I can now identify as Piper. "How do you know my brother?", she asks me, kind of in shock. "Oh, uhm I was at a workshop he was teaching this summer and I heard him talk about you a lot", I answer, trying to sound sure of what I was saying. It's not exactly true but I don't want anyone finding out the whole truth. Not yet anyway.
"Oh okay that makes sense", Piper says back to me and I'm relieved that she believes it. "And you're Summer, the amazing Stacy Carpenter scholarship award-winning dancer. It's a privilege for me to be dancing with you", I say, facing Summer now. I can see a big smile forming on her face. "Oh thank you!", she says as her smile only grows bigger. I'm definitely better at giving compliments then I am receiving them. "I think you're going to fit in great here at The Next Step", Summer tells me and I give her a little smile.