Showstopper Read online

  Showtime!

  Two to Tango

  Let’s Rock!

  Step It Up

  On Pointe

  Showstopper

  Sheryl Berk

  To Pam Kaplan,

  K-kids forever XO

  Table of Contents

  1Give Me a Break

  2The Luck of the Draw

  3Designing Divas

  4Joking Around

  5Santa and Sushi

  6Home Sweet Home

  7I Love L.A.

  8A Change of Pace

  9Back to Ballet

  10Diva No More

  11Keeping Secrets

  12Viva Las Vegas

  13Family Crisis

  14Making Magic

  15House of Cards

  16Read My Lips

  Glossary of Dance Terms

  Give Me a Break

  Toni Moore rarely allowed her Dance Divas elite team a week off from rehearsal. There were simply too many routines to learn, too many costumes to fit, not to mention an endless list of competitions from coast-to-coast. But this time, as she contemplated the calendar tacked on the bulletin board outside studio 1, Toni drew a huge red “X” across Presidents’ Week in February.

  “No way! No dance for a whole week?” Rochelle asked her teacher as she passed her in the hallway. “Is the world coming to an end?”

  Toni sighed. Rochelle knew just how to push her buttons. “I simply decided to give us all—especially myself—a much-needed break since school will be closed here in New Jersey.” She raised an eyebrow. “Unless of course you’d prefer to be in the studio those days practicing your pointe technique?”

  Rochelle shook her head. “Nope. I’m good with it!”

  She rushed off to the dressing room to share the news with the rest of her teammates.

  “Really? A whole week off?” Scarlett cheered. “That’s amazing! Maybe I can convince Mom to take us to Florida for some sun and fun.”

  “Yeah, Disney World!” her little sister, Gracie, piped up.

  Bria checked the calendar on her phone. “Great. I can get in some extra studying for my algebra test, start my science fair project, and write my English paper on A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

  “Seriously? You’re free from Toni and all you want to do is study?” Rochelle asked her.

  “I don’t want to study. I have to study,” Bria said, correcting her.

  “Not everyone can be as naturally brilliant as you are, Rock,” Scarlett teased her.

  “Or as naturally beautiful,” Rochelle replied, laughing.

  “I think I’ll tag along with my mom to Hollywood.” Liberty suddenly jumped into the conversation. She was polishing her nails a perfect shade of Ballet Slipper Pink. “She’s choreographing a new music video.”

  “Is it for someone famous?” Bria asked. Liberty’s mom, Jane Montgomery, was one of the biggest choreographers in the music biz.

  Liberty grinned. “Isn’t it always?”

  Rochelle rolled her eyes. “Here comes the name-dropping,” she whispered to Scarlett.

  “Beyoncé was just saying how much she adored my mom’s last video for Ariana Grande . . . ,” Liberty bragged. “But I think the one Mom did for Britney was far more creative.”

  “So she’s choreographing Beyoncé? Or Ariana? Or Britney?” Gracie said, jumping up and down. “Can I go, too?”

  Liberty patted the little girl on the head. “No, Gracie, dear. It’s only for professionals.”

  “So how come your mom lets you go?” Gracie protested. “You’re not a professional.”

  Liberty frowned. “Because I act like a professional, that’s why.”

  “And because she nags her mom day and night till she finally agrees to take her if she’ll just stop whining,” Rochelle said.

  “I can whine,” Gracie said. “Scoot says I’m really good at it. If I do, will you take me?”

  Scarlett nodded. “She’s right. She’s a professional whiner.”

  “See?” Gracie pleaded with Liberty. “Pretty please?”

  Rochelle chuckled. “Aw, come on, Liberty, give the kid a break. Call up Beyoncé and tell her you’re bringing a friend. Oh, wait—you don’t actually have Beyoncé’s number, do you?”

  “At least I have somewhere exciting to go,” Liberty insisted, pointing a finger in Rochelle’s face. “What are you going to do with your week off? Sit and watch the grass grow? Change your baby brother’s diapers? It’s not like your family has a lot of extra money to go on a vacation.”

  Rochelle stood up. “You take that back.”

  Scarlett jumped in between them—as she always did—to referee. As the unofficial team captain it was her job to keep the peace and remind them of what Miss Toni would expect. Toni ran a tight ship, and wouldn’t stand for anyone rocking the boat.

  “Guys,” Scarlett said, “do you recall what Miss Toni threatened to do to anyone on her team who isn’t getting along?”

  “She said they won’t be allowed to go to Smooth Moves in Las Vegas,” Gracie piped up.

  Both Rochelle and Liberty backed down—there was no way either of them was going to miss out on a trip to Vegas—or one of the biggest dance competitions in the country. And they knew Toni meant business when she made a threat.

  Anya strolled into the dressing room with her dance bag slung over her shoulder. “What did I miss?” she said, noticing Rochelle and Liberty glaring at each other.

  “Oh, just the usual,” Scarlett said.

  Anya turned to Liberty. “Did you insult Rock again?”

  “She started it,” Liberty said grumpily. “But I’m willing to forgive and forget. I’m the bigger person.”

  “You’re certainly the bigger mouth,” Rochelle muttered under her breath.

  Bria tried to change the subject—anything to keep those two from fighting. “Anya, did you hear the news? Miss Toni gave us Presidents’ Week off! The whole week!”

  Anya’s eyes lit up. “Really? I’ve been dying to go home to L.A. and see my family.”

  “You miss them a lot, don’t you?” Scarlett asked her.

  “I do. Especially my big brother, Alexei. He’s the coolest.” She found a photo on her phone of a tall teenage boy with blond hair and blue eyes at the beach and showed them.

  Rochelle grabbed the phone out of her hands. “Wow. You never told us you have a cute brother!”

  “And you have a boyfriend,” Bria reminded her. “What would Hayden think of you drooling over Anya’s brother?”

  “I wasn’t drooling,” Rochelle said, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. “I was just looking.”

  “Alexei’s an amazing surfer—he taught me how to ride waves just like him,” Anya told them. “He’s going to be a really famous filmmaker one day—he’s always shooting movies. He even has one of those cameras you wear on your head. He wore it last week skating down the pier in Santa Monica. He got the most amazing video of people’s feet!”

  “He sounds weird,” Liberty interjected. “Who films feet?”

  “He’s just really creative, and he’s always there for me,” Anya explained. “When my parents didn’t want me to come join Divas full-time here on the East Coast, he convinced them that my mom and I should move here. He’s my biggest fan.”

  Scarlett smiled. “Then you should text him and let him know you’ll be home soon,” she said. “Get the surfboards ready.”

  The Luck of the Draw

  When they reported to the studio for technique class, the girls could hardly contain their excitement.

  “Why do I hear chattering?” Toni asked. She had her back to the class and was studying her binder filled with dance notations and schedules. “This is a silent warm-up.”

  The girls obeyed but Anya couldn’t help beam
ing as she stretched at the barre.

  “Very nice, Anya,” Toni said, looking up and noticing her cambre back. “Your flexibility has improved a lot these past few months.”

  Toni took a seat on her stool at the front of the studio. “I suppose you’ve all heard the news by now. I’ve decided to close the studio over Presidents’ Week for vacation.”

  Gracie’s hand shot up. “Liberty’s taking me to meet Beyoncé in Hollywood!”

  Liberty groaned. “I never said that.”

  “I’m sure you all are excited to make plans,” Toni continued. “I would just like to remind you that two weeks later, we are competing at Smooth Moves. City Feet will be there as well, and losing is not an option.”

  “Can’t Justine give it a rest?” Rochelle complained. City Feet’s coach—and Toni’s archnemesis from her ballet school days—was always trying to outdo the Divas.

  “No, she can’t,” Toni replied. “And I guarantee her team isn’t resting either. I’m sure they’re working straight through the holiday week. Which means we have to work ten times as hard now if you want to have those days off.”

  Toni then dug into her tote bag and pulled out a deck of playing cards. “See these?” she asked her team. “I want each of you to pick one.”

  “Is this a magic trick?” Gracie asked. “Are you going to make a card appear behind my ear?”

  Toni tried not to laugh. Gracie was the youngest member of the Divas, with the most active imagination. “No, Gracie. It’s my idea for our group choreography and costumes.” She held the deck fanned out in front of her. “Pick.”

  Gracie pulled a card out and looked at it. “It’s a ‘joker,’” she told the group.

  “Well, that’s appropriate,” Liberty said, smirking. She was the next to choose and drew the queen of hearts. “And so is my card! I’m the queen!”

  Each of the girls pulled their cards as well: Rochelle was the jack of spades; Scarlett was the king of clubs; Bria was the ten of diamonds; and Anya was the ace of hearts.

  “The card you chose will inspire your costume,” Toni instructed them. “I don’t want a giant playing card made out of cardboard for this routine. I want something that’s flashy and fabulous and worthy of Las Vegas.”

  “I’ll have my mom call Lady Gaga’s costume team,” Liberty volunteered.

  Toni shook her head. “Nope. No costume designers, no moms, just you. I want you to make your own costumes so you are truly invested in this number.”

  Liberty looked shocked. “I don’t sew!” she protested. “I don’t even own a needle and thread. My mom has people who do that!”

  Rochelle elbowed Scarlett. “Oh, this is gonna be good.”

  “Couldn’t I get a teensy-weensy bit of help?” Liberty pleaded with her teacher. “I hear Katy Perry’s designer isn’t very busy at the moment . . .”

  But Toni put her foot down—literally. She stamped her heel on the studio floor. “Enough! I want to see a sketch of your ideas and some fabric swatches by this weekend.”

  When they got back to the dressing room, Bria immediately tore a sheet of paper out of her notebook and started sketching.

  “I think I should do a black leotard and skirt covered in shimmering faux diamonds, don’t you?” she asked Anya.

  “Don’t ask me,” Anya insisted. “The last time you BeDazzled our costumes for our duet, it was a fashion disaster.”

  “It wasn’t that bad,” Bria replied.

  “Really? It was so heavy I could hardly move! And the stars kept flying off and attacking the judges!”

  Bria shrugged. “Well, this is different. I’ll make sure the diamonds are superglued to the dress and don’t fly off.”

  “What does a joker wear?” Gracie asked.

  “He’s kind of a clown,” Anya explained. “With a silly hat and pointy shoes.”

  Gracie studied her card. “I could do pom-poms on the hat and collar.”

  “And two different colored tights for your legs,” Scarlett suggested. “Something really fun. I’ll help you, Gracie.”

  Gracie shook her head. “Uh-uh. I’m doing it all by myself. Miss Toni said so.”

  “My ace of hearts is going to wear a red tutu,” Anya said, envisioning her design. “Maybe with a white satin bodice—and red lace fingerless gloves?”

  “Do you think I should wear a mustache?” Rochelle asked, looking at the dapper gent on her playing card.

  Scarlett also noticed the jack had curls in his long blond hair. “You definitely gotta do that ’do,” she said, giggling.

  “Yeah, well, your king has curls in his beard!” Rochelle pointed out.

  “But I get to wear a cool crown,” Scarlett replied.

  She suddenly noticed Liberty was very quiet. “Your queen has a crown, too,” she told her. “That should make you happy, Liberty.”

  Her teammate just sat, staring at the card in her hand, not saying a word.

  “I think she’s still in shock that Miss Toni nixed having someone do her work for her,” Rochelle whispered to Scarlett.

  “It’s not so bad, Liberty,” Anya tried to reassure her. “I mean, you have great taste in fashion. Maybe this could be the start of something big! Your own dancewear line!”

  Liberty got up from the bench, gathered her dance bag, and stormed out of the dressing room.

  “Was it something I said?” Anya asked.

  “No, she’s just upset,” Scarlett said.

  “Or planning something sneaky and underhanded,” Rochelle added. “Do you really think Liberty Montgomery is going to make her own costume?”

  “But Miss Toni said no helpers,” Gracie insisted. “Those are the rules.”

  “And since when does Liberty ever follow anyone’s rules but her own?” Rochelle said. “You just wait and see. She’ll find a way to wiggle her way out of it.”

  Designing Divas

  When Saturday rolled around, Toni ended acro class fifteen minutes early and asked each of the girls to show her their costume design ideas.

  “I like the tutu,” Toni said, examining Anya’s sketch. “Let’s do matching red pointe shoes with it, and a headpiece with tulle and hearts.”

  Anya took notes carefully. “I was thinking maybe some red sequin hearts on the white bodice as well. Or is that too much?”

  Toni nodded her approval. “This is Vegas. More is more. It’s the one time you girls can go a bit over-the-top with your costumes and the judges will eat it up.”

  That was good news for Bria, who had already stocked up on yards and yards of rhinestone-beaded fringe to sew on her black velvet leotard. “I was thinking these could make a skirt of diamonds,” she explained to Toni.

  “My only concern is that all the fringe will tangle and might get in the way of your dancing,” Toni said. “But I love the fascinator hat and long black gloves. See how it feels when you try it on, but I do think it’s very Vegas.” She looked around the studio. “Who’s next?”

  Gracie emptied a large plastic bag at her feet. Scraps of different fabrics, buttons, trim, and assorted pom-poms spilled out. “I was thinking I could stick them here and here,” Gracie explained, holding pom-poms up to her head and shoulder.

  Toni looked lost. “I don’t understand,” she replied. “Is your costume polka-dotted, or are the pom-poms just trim?”

  Gracie considered. “Okay, I could do that.”

  “No, Gracie. I don’t want to tell you what to do. I want you to make some design decisions. Why don’t you give it some more thought.”

  Gracie gathered up her costume bits and baubles and shuffled to the back of the room. Scarlett was up next.

  “So my king wears a crown—around his waist,” she said, showing Toni a sketch of a gold skirt with a jagged hemline that fanned out to look like a crown. “I could BeDazzle it with different colored jewels.”

  “And what about the top?” Toni asked.

  “I was thinking maybe a red, long-sleeved leotard topped with a faux fur–trimmed white vest,”
Scarlett replied, pointing to the king’s outfit on the playing card. “He looks very luxe.”

  Toni nodded. “I’d like to see some kind of a headpiece as well. No royal would leave his or her head crownless.”

  “Then you’ll love my idea!” Liberty suddenly spoke up. She unrolled a large sheet of paper from a cardboard tube. “Ta-da!”

  On it was a photo of Queen Elizabeth of England dressed in her finest royal robes. On her head was a huge platinum, diamond, pearl, ruby, and sapphire crown with a puff of purple velvet beneath the open frame. “Behold! The Imperial State Crown!” Liberty said, waving the poster in Toni’s face. “It’s made of platinum with a 317-carat diamond on the front and the Black Prince’s Ruby in the center. It contains more than 3,000 gems, and Queen Elizabeth wore it after her coronation.”

  Toni stared. “And do you intend to call Her Majesty up and borrow it for Smooth Moves?” she asked.

  Liberty chuckled. “Of course not! I’m going to make my own version—the Imperial Liberty Crown!”

  Toni rubbed her temples. “I think it’s a stunning crown, but not doable.”

  “Well, of course it’s doable,” Liberty insisted. “And since the crown I’m making will be so spectacular, I’m going to wear something simple to go with it.”

  “Simple? Does Liberty ever wear anything simple?” Rochelle whispered to her teammates.

  “Okay,” Toni said, nodding her approval. “If you can pull it off, go for it. It’ll certainly catch the judges’ eyes.”

  “Not fair!” Rochelle whispered to Scarlett. “Liberty always gets her way!”

  Toni heard her—or just guessed that she would be complaining about Liberty’s royal headgear. “If you’re so eager to speak out of turn, Rochelle, why don’t you come up here and present your design?”

  “Rock it, Rock!” Scarlett said, giving her friend a pat on the back.

  “Well, my design doesn’t have diamonds or jewels or even pom-poms,” Rochelle began saying.

  She handed her teacher a drawing she’d made of a black spandex catsuit topped with a vest covered in red, black, and gold zigzag stripes. “I know it’s nothing fancy. I thought maybe I could sew a black velvet spade on a red baseball cap and maybe wear it backward. The hat this guy has on doesn’t really work for me. It kinda looks like a pineapple upside-down cake.”