New Moves

by Margaret Gurevich

  “I’m sorry!” I blurt out. “I’m sorry it seemed like I didn’t want to hang out with you guys, and I’m sorry I blamed it all on you when you came over to apologize.”

  Grace, Jada, and Brie stare at me, surprised.

  I bite my lip. “Wait,” I say hesitantly. “That is why you guys came over before, right?”

  Brie recovers. “Totally! It’s not all your fault.”

  I breathe easier.

  Jada blushes. “We got a little jealous.”

  “A lot jealous,” adds Grace.

  Brie nods. “It just seemed like you only wanted to spend time with Sophie, and since we couldn’t talk about contemp with you …”

  “We thought you didn’t want to hang out anymore,” Jada finishes.

  My eyes widen. “What? That’ll never happen!”

  “But even if we felt left out, we should have wanted to hear about your new class. It’s important to you,” Brie continues.

  “We’ll do better.” Jada smiles shyly.

  “And I’ll work on including you all more,” I say. “Sophie made me realize I wasn’t doing a very good job including you guys.”

  Grace looks embarrassed. “None of this is her fault. I’m sorry we were rude to her. She seemed really nice at the mall.”

  “She is!” I exclaim. “That’s part of why I like her so much. She’s just like us. She’s silly and funny and a great dancer.”

  “Think she’ll give us another chance?” Jada asks. “Or at least let us apologize?”

  “Definitely!” I reply.

  “Do you want to text her and invite her for pizza?” asks Grace.

  “You sure you’re all fine with that?” I ask.

  “She did make you think rationally,” says Brie with a wink.

  I laugh and text Sophie. When she replies Be there in 10!, I feel even happier. For the first time in a while, things feel normal.

  CHAPTER 9

  Home Stretch

  “Let’s get to work, ladies,” Mr. Viktor says on Thursday. “We only have today’s practice and Monday’s. Then it’s showtime!”

  Excited whispers fill the room.

  Mr. Viktor claps his hands for silence. “Today we’ll learn the scorpion pose and illusion. If the latter move is done correctly, it will look like a giant, spinning pinwheel,” he says. “Let’s tackle the scorpion first. Plant your right foot on the floor and raise your left leg behind you.” Mr. Viktor demonstrates as he talks. “Bend your torso forward and reach behind you to grab your left ankle with both hands.”

  I watch carefully. It’s clear you need a lot of flexibility for this move, and I’m thankful for all my ballet stretches.

  “Now you try,” says Mr. Viktor.

  I scrunch up my face and concentrate hard, wanting to do the move perfectly. I’m a rag doll, I tell myself as I fall forward and reach behind me to grab my ankle.

  “Fabulous!” cheers Mr. Viktor. “Now, for the illusion. Begin in needle position with your raised leg on the twelve. Keep the pressure in your foot, not your hands, as you rotate on the ball of your foot. You want to move in a half circle.”

  He uses his hands to move halfway around an imaginary circle, but I see his pressure is in his foot.

  “Let’s try this before we move on to the next step,” he says.

  I’ve mastered the needle, so that part is easy. I place my hands on the floor, put pressure on my right leg, and raise my left leg high in the air. I turn, making sure it’s the ball of my foot that’s moving me in a circular position, not my hands.

  “Terrific!” Mr. Viktor cheers. “Now do that again, but move the leg at the twelve o’clock position around with you. Use your hips to rotate your whole body. Watch me.”

  Mr. Viktor demonstrates the move as he did before, but this time the leg in the air follows him all the way around in a half-circle. When he’s done, he’s facing in the opposite direction from where he started.

  “The goal,” he continues, “is to do this without placing your hands on the floor at all. Think of a no-handed cartwheel, but with one leg on the ground and one in the air.”

  This helps me visualize what he means. I keep practicing, moving my leg faster and faster.

  “Line up facing your partners,” says Mr. Viktor. “Do your illusions facing each other down the line. And a-one, and a-two, and a-three.”

  In unison, we bend down and complete our rotations. Mr. Viktor has each group take turns watching the others. Just like he said, with the legs moving, it looks like a pinwheel.

  “Fantastic!” he shouts. “We’ll run through the routine one more time Monday. But please practice over the weekend as well. It will be fabulous!”

  He’s right—the sampling will be fabulous. Especially now that my friends will be watching and cheering for Sophie and me.

  CHAPTER 10

  Showtime

  After one final contemp practice, it’s showtime. Sophie and I get into position in the largest studio at Ms. Marianne’s, along with the rest of the contemp dancers. All the other dancers and instructors are squished into the studio to watch what we’ve learned. It’s not a recital, but I’m still excited to show off my new moves.

  Be loose, I tell myself. The music starts, and we pop our hips and lift our legs to the side for the tilt. The music speeds up, and we swing our legs back and forward again for the fouettés.

  Sophie and I bring our hands to the floor. Our fingertips touch while our legs lift behind us.

  Upright again, we form two circles for the layouts. We arch our backs, kick our legs forward, and raise our arms behind us toward our ears.

  Melt, I tell myself as I bend forward, bringing my leg behind me and extending my arms backward to grab my ankle for the scorpion pose.

  For the illusion, we stand in a V and bend our torsos toward the floor. In needle position, we move our bodies in a half circle, using the balls of our feet to propel us around. Our legs swing around, twirling like the hands of a pinwheel.

  As we finish, the other dancers who’ve crowded into the studio applaud. Our contemp team links hands and takes a bow.

  “Yeah, Sophie! Go, Gabby!” Grace, Brie, and Jada holler above everyone else.

  I squeeze Sophie’s hand. Grace, Brie, and Jada jump up and down as they cheer. They look so proud of us. I feel proud of myself too.

  I finally figured it out. Old moves are just as important as new ones. Together they create something new and wonderful. Friends are the same. Bringing together old friends and new friends creates twice the fun and new memories.

  Glossary

  alignment (uh-LAHYN-muhnt)—

  the proper adjustment of parts in relation to each other

  bristle (BRIS-uhl)—

  to show signs of anger

  discipline (DIS-uh-plin)—

  a field of study

  emphasize (EM-fuh-sahyz)—

  to stress as being important or so as to stand out

  illusion (il-LOO-zhuhn)—

  a misleading image presented to the eye

  latter (LAT-er)—

  the second of two things referred to

  precise (pri-SAHYS)—

  very exact

  propel (pruh-PEL)—

  to push or drive, usually forward or onward

  rationally (ra-SHUH-nuh-lee)—

  having the ability to reason

  unison (YOO-nuh-suhn)—

  in perfect agreement or at the same time

  visualize (VIZH-oo-uh-lahyz)—

  to form a mental image of something

  Talk about It!

  Trying something new, like Gabby does with contemporary dance, can be intimidating. Have you ever attempted something new? Were you nervous, excited, scared, etc.? Talk about how you felt.

  Being the new kid in any situation can be hard. Imagine
you are Sophie. Talk about how you would feel starting at a new dance school and not knowing anyone.

  Both Gabby and her friends act poorly—talk about why you think each girl reacted the way she did. What are some of the possible reasons behind their feelings?

  Write About It!

  The disagreement in this story came from friends having different points of view. But what about Sophie’s point of view? How do you think she felt during the scene at the mall? Write the scene in the dance store from her perspective.

  All the dancers in this story specialize in different types of dance. If you could try one type of dance, what would it be? Write a paragraph explaining your choice.

  Gabby and her friends have a tradition of getting pizza after ballet practice. Do you and your friends have any traditions? Pick one and write a paragraph explaining what it is and why it’s special.

  More About Contemporary Dance

  Contemporary dance is a type of dance that combines elements of several other disciplines, including classical, modern, jazz, and ballet. Contemporary was first created in the mid-20th century and is still popular today.

  Although contemporary dance emphasizes the strong, controlled legwork of ballet, it also allows dancers to be creative and improvise. Unlike the strict, precise movements of ballet, contemporary dancers work to connect the mind and body through fluid dance movements.

  While many other types of dance require specific footwear—like ballet slippers or tap shoes—contemporary dance is often done barefoot. It can also be performed to many different types of music. Contemp dancers often focus on floorwork, using gravity to pull them down to the floor. Unpredictable changes in rhythm, speed, and direction are also a part of contemporary style.

  Want to know more? Take a closer look at some of the moves used in this story:

  fouetté—A quick, whipping movement of a dancer’s raised leg, usually accompanying a pirouette. Fouetté means a “whipped throw,” and is one of the hardest turns to learn.

  layout—A high extension of the working leg where a dancer’s body leans back, away from the kick, until his or her torso is at least parallel to the floor and the arms are extended backward.

  needle—A dancer keeps one foot flat on the ground, in line with his or her shoulders, and the opposite leg is kicked back, reaching for the sky. This puts the dancer in a “needle” position, with the straight legs forming a straight line, from head to toe.

  tilt—A move that requires a dancer to start from a standing position and then lean his or her upper body in one direction while lifting one leg high off the ground.

  About the Author

  Margaret Gurevich is the author of many books for kids, including Capstone’s Gina’s Balance, Aerials and Envy, and the award-winning Chloe by Design series. She has also written for National Geographic Kids and Penguin Young Readers. While Margaret hasn’t done performance dance since she was a tween, this series has inspired her to take dance classes again. She lives in New Jersey with her son and husband.

  About the Illustrator

  Addy Rivera Sonda is a Mexican illustrator currently living in Los Angeles, California. She loves color and nature. They inspire her to think that stories and art are slowly but surely changing the way people understand themselves and perceive others, building empathy and a more inclusive world.

  THE FUN DOESN’T STOP HERE!

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  www.capstonekids.com

  Academy of Dance is published by Stone Arch Books

  A Capstone Imprint

  1710 Roe Crest Drive

  North Mankato, Minnesota 56003

  www.mycapstone.com

  Text and illustrations © 2019 Stone Arch Books

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Names: Gurevich, Margaret, author. | Sonda, Addy Rivera, illustrator.

  Title: New moves / by Margaret Gurevich ; illustrated by Addy Rivera Sonda.

  Description: North Mankato, Minnesota : Stone Arch Books, [2019]

  Series: Academy of Dance

  Summary: Gabby is taking the new contemporary dance class at Ms. Marianne’s Academy of Dance, and she quickly bonds with Sophie, who has transferred into the Academy—but her best friends seem strangely reluctant to include Sophie in their after-class fun, and soon Gabby feels torn between her new friend and her old ones, whose attitude she does not understand.

  Identifiers: LCCN 2018037071 | ISBN 9781496578235 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781496580214 (pbk.) | ISBN 9781496578259 (ebook pdf) | ISBN 9781496581617 (ebook)

  Subjects: LCSH: Dance schools—Juvenile fiction. | Dance—Juvenile fiction. | Best friends—Juvenile fiction. | Friendship—Juvenile fiction. | Interpersonal relations—Juvenile fiction. | CYAC: Dance—Fiction. | Best friends—Fiction. | Friendship—Fiction. | Interpersonal relations—Fiction.

  Classification: LCC PZ7.G98146 Ne 2019 | DDC 813.6 [Fic]—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018037071

  Designer: Kayla Rossow