Dance Till you Drop (7 page)

Dancing my waltz with Benji on the Silver Shoes stage, I realised it was probably the first time I actually really loved ballroom.

And do you know why?

It wasn't just because all my friends and the people I loved were watching me.

Or because there was no pressure to win anything.

Or because, for once, I actually felt like I knew the routine I was performing.

It was because I wanted to be there. I was excited to show off my dancing, and what I'd worked so hard learning.

And because I was having fun.

I remembered why dancing was such a magical thing.

As soon as our waltz music, ‘Greensleeves', began playing, a silence fell over the audience. I started my fouetté turns, and every time I went around I caught a sparkle from the butterflies in my hair.

After I couldn't fouetté anymore, and I had collapsed on the ground (acting, of course!), out came Benji as the tin soldier.

He picked me up and we went into our closed hold. Just before he began to lead into our driving step, he did the biggest, cheekiest grin, like he was about to have the best time.

My heart melted, or maybe it was the fairy ballerina's. And we began to waltz.

It really seemed like Benji and I were going round and round in a music box. Sometime during our dance I noticed Ellie, Riley and Ash had come to the side of the stage. They were huddled in the wings, watching us.

Forget about box steps and underarm right turns, whisks and promenade to close. It was just the story of the fairy ballerina and her tin soldier. There was also this new, nice feeling that I hadn't had before.

It was trust. Trusting your partner. I finally knew what Fleur meant when she kept calling out, ‘Paige, Benji! Where is your connection? You must have connection!'

Connection didn't mean touching someone. It meant trusting them. And ballroom made that really clear.

Mum had found a version of ‘Greensleeves' where the music at the end actually slowed
down in tempo, like it does when the music box runs out.

Benji and I began to turn slower and slower, until eventually I stopped moving and stood still. Benji bowed to me, as if to thank me for the dance, and then the lights faded as he walked offstage.

I blinked. I took a big breath. I stood in the darkness, slowly becoming Paige again, and not the fairy ballerina.

Then Benji was fumbling for my hand and the lights came back on. We walked to the front of the stage for our bows.

Fleur and Miss Caroline were clapping and cheering louder than anyone. Miss Caroline tipped me a wink that said, ‘You pulled it off, Paige!'

Mum was sitting next to them. When I caught her eye, she put one hand on her chest and blew me a kiss.

Her eyes were teary and I realised she was doing an embarrassing Mum cry. Usually it's Riley's mum who does that. It's kind of a joke between us four girls – whose mum will cry this time?

Speaking of us four girls, suddenly Benji and I were surrounded by the excited cheers of Ellie, Riley and Ash. Even before we'd got offstage they were jumping all over us and squeezing us to bits.

Poor Benji.

But that's how it was at Silver Shoes.

And I never wanted to be anywhere else.

Full name:
Paige Elizabeth Montreal

Nickname:
Paigey

Age:
10

Favourite dance styles:
Lyrical and ballroom

Best friend:
Ellie

Family:
Mum and Dad

Favourite colours:
Yellow and emerald green

Favourite food:
Jelly snakes, raisin toast

Favourite school subject:
Art

Hobbies:
Dancing, writing stories, drawing, art and craft (I help Mum make her jewellery!), collecting Cabbage Patch dolls

What I want to be when I grow up:
Dancer or teacher

Best dancing moment:
When Ellie and I did a ‘Beach Babes' duo as tinies and became best friends

Things I love:
Dancing, going on holidays to tropical Queensland, playing with our puppy Brie, staying over at Ellie's house, cooking dinner with Dad when Mum has a ‘girls' night', sleeping in (and Ellie wants me to say ‘Benji', but I won't!)

The closed hold is the most common hold in ballroom dancing. Partners stand facing each other, with the man's right hand on the lady's back, near her left shoulder blade. The couple's other hands are clasped together around chest- or shoulder-height.

Tip

Stand tall, with your head up and shoulders relaxed.

The promenade hold is a V-shaped position with the man's left side and the lady's right side slightly open, allowing the couple to walk forward. The man's head should be turned to the left; the lady's to the right. Hand positions are the same as for a closed hold.

Tip

To begin, make sure your feet are in third position rather than first or second.

Hello! Below are some terms you will come across in both ballet and ballroom. Because I'm new to ballroom, I'm still learning some of them too. Ballet is a great grounding for a lot of steps you will do in ballroom, especially once you get into the tango, salsa and paso doble. A good posture never goes astray! Apart from technique and energy, in ballroom what makes a really good dancer is a strong connection to your partner – it helps if they're cute, like mine!

Love, Paige

 

arabesque
to position yourself on one leg, with your other leg raised straight behind your body at 90 degrees or higher

 

battement
a beating action of your extended or bent leg

 

box step
a basic dance step named after the pattern it creates on the floor, which is like a square or a box

 

brisé
a jump where you sweep one leg into the air while jumping off your other, then bring both legs together in the air and beat them before landing on both feet

 

chassé
to glide smoothly, either to the back, side or front

 

closed hold
a basic ballroom dance hold where the man places his hand on the lady's back, the lady holds the man's shoulder, and the other two hands are clasped at chest/shoulder height

 

coupé
a linking step where your working foot cuts in front of your supporting foot

 

demi plié
to bend your knees. A grande plié is when you bend your knees fully and your body is lowered to the floor

 

driving step
the first or leading step when going into the box step

 

entrechat
to jump in the air from two feet, then beat your legs together in the air and land either on one or both feet

 

five positions
the foundation of all ballet work; all jumps, leaps and steps will start from any of the simple five positions

 

fondu
this means ‘to melt' – to stand on one foot while bending one leg and extending the other at the same time

 

fouetté
to stand on one leg and change direction of your hip and body while keeping your leg in the same place

 

pirouette
to turn

 

port de bras
this means ‘carriage of the arms' and is the movement of your arms to different positions. It may seem simple, but you have to work really hard to make it seem graceful, poised and seamless

 

posse
from a fondu, you step with a straight leg onto a demi pointe or en pointe, then bring your working leg into coupé

 

promenade
a V-shaped dance position where the partners travel in the same direction, closed at one end and open at the other

 

relevé
to rise from your foot to the demi pointe (the ball/toes)

 

reverse turn
a ballroom step performed in a closed dance hold where both partners rotate in an anticlockwise direction

 

rond de jambe
a circular movement of your leg

 

standing spin
a one-legged standing spin. The male stays on the one spot and spins the female around him.

 

turn-out
a move where your legs are rotated sideways from your hips/thighs, with heels together and toes out. It allows greater freedom of movement and is the base for jumps and spins.

 

underarm turn
this is where the man twirls the lady under his arm, keeping the rhythm of the box step

 

walkover
a walking flip where you rotate 100 degrees, keeping your legs in a split as they smoothly flip over

 

whisk
one of several ways to get into promenade position, used to turn you around corners or change your direction on the dance floor