Rhythm and Blues (7 page)

‘Riley, what are you doing?' cried Paige, rushing over to me. ‘You know you're not meant to be dancing on your ankle.'

Ashley and Ellie shuffled in after her slowly.

I collapsed on the floor and took in some big, heaving breaths. My ankle tingled a little, like it was scolding me. But my chest was wonderfully light and cool – all the flames had gone. There was perhaps a small piece of coal
in there, barely warm. But my head, and my heart, felt clear.

‘Sorry for dumping the tinies class on you,' I said to Paige.

‘That's fine,' said Paige, kneeling down next to me. ‘I'm more worried about you. You looked terrible back there.'

‘It's been a rough couple of weeks,' I said, avoiding the desire to look at Ellie and Ash. But then I decided that, no, it wasn't doing me any good to keep everything all bottled up, so I pushed on.

‘Miss Caroline made me her personal assistant and I thought that was really cool,' I said, poking softly at my bad ankle, ‘because it let me be at Silver Shoes and stay in-the-know. I only ever wanted to do a good job. But some people thought I was being mean and bossy when I was just trying to help.'

‘You
were
being mean and bossy,' Ellie muttered. But then she sighed, and slumped down on the floor next to me. ‘But I guess I can be too when something's bothering me.' She tossed her hair and plucked at her pink tights. ‘Also, you were right about what you said, you know, about my back arching and not finishing off movements and stuff. Miss Caroline mentioned something about it today.'

‘Oh?' I said, trying to look surprised.

‘Yeah,' said Ellie. ‘I know you were just trying to help when you told me.'

I pulled on my braids. ‘But I probably could have told you in a nicer way,' I admitted, before turning to Paige. ‘Also, that time in the studio. I could have said those things too without being mean. Or, like, not in front of the whole class. I never wanted to embarrass you.'

‘I know you didn't,' said Paige. ‘Also I do rely too much on other people in the exams.
I just needed to be told because I was fooling myself that I was fine. But I've been trying really hard this week to remember everything on my own.'

‘And you're doing great,' Ellie added, smiling at her. ‘You always need to trust yourself more, Paige. You're just as good as everyone else.'

‘I'm working on it,' said Paige.

There was a silence while everyone wondered if Ash and I were ever going to speak to each other.

Finally I decided, for my own happiness, to break it.

‘Look, Ash,' I began.

‘Hey, Riles,' she said at the same time.

Finally we caught each other's eye. Then she started to grin, the big, jokey, Ashley smile that was so infectious. I think it's what I love about her best.

‘You caught me on a bad day that time in Miss Caroline's office,' I said. ‘I was feeling yuck 'cause I missed dancing and I took it out on you. And I guess I got carried away with being a personal assistant. It's just that it made me feel useful and important, while having an injury made me feel exactly the opposite. So I'm really sorry if I was rude.'

‘Ah, well,' said Ash. ‘It's like my dad says – never interrupt a man at his work. Except you're not a man. Well, I don't think so, anyway.' She prodded me with her toe. ‘I was a bit much with the attitude too, in the change room. Sorry about that.'

‘Yeah, you gave Jasmine a run for her money.' I giggled.

Laughing, Ashley threw herself on me in a big hug. ‘Whatever, Riles. You've missed me, attitude or not.' Untangling herself from me, she patted my leg. ‘Now that all the
emotional stuff is out of the way, what about this ankle? You were dancing like your old self just then. So it's feeling better? Back in the exam race?'

‘It is feeling better,' I said happily. ‘Definitely not 100 per cent, and I probably shouldn't have been dancing like that. But … it did make me remember how much I love dancing, and how soon I want to get back to it. I think I need to amp up my recovery program.'

‘You haven't been doing your strengthening exercises, have you?' Paige asked.

‘Not really,' I said. ‘I've just been trusting my own instincts. But I'm no doctor.' I looked round at all of them. ‘Which is why I need you guys to help me and make sure I'm doing everything I absolutely can to get this ankle right.'

‘A chance to be bossy,' Ellie joked. ‘Apparently, I'm quite good at that.'

I stood, pulling the girls up with me. ‘Will you come with me to see Miss Caroline, now? I want to ask her advice on the best things to do for my ankle so it's right for exams.' I gave an embarrassed cough. ‘And I'll actually listen this time.'

‘You want me to piggyback you there, ol' Peg Leg?' asked Ash.

‘I can go and get a wheelbarrow,' said Ellie.

‘I think there was a horse and cart out front,' added Paige.

‘All your bad jokes are hurting my brain,' I groaned.

But inside, I was so, so happy. I had my friends back, and soon, if I did the right things, I would have my ankle back, too.

And then I would be able to dance again.

I was ready to ace exams.

Fun facts about modern, contemporary, lyrical and neo-classical dance:

It's easy to get confused about what exactly modern or lyrical dance is, when it has changed, evolved and been influenced by so much in the past one hundred years. So here's a simple outline of the main differences in styles.

 

Modern or contemporary dance:

• A natural, often instinctive way of movement that allows you to use creative lines and body weight to produce distinct ways of moving
  
• Lines are often abstract or isolated from other parts of the body
  
• Movement is centred around a central axis
  
• Movements often begin with one body part, transitioning into another
  
• Fall and release, movement and suspension, isolations and contractions, and travelling steps done in plié are a key to this style of dance
  
• A big reason for the growth in popularity of the modern dance in the early 1900s is that it signified a rebellion against the rigid, uniform lines of classical ballet
  

Lyrical or neo-classical dance:

• The fusion of ballet and jazz technique, which is held together by the expression of the dancer's inner emotion
  
• Traditional lines taken from the classical style
  
• Choreography usually has movements that flow very naturally and smoothly into each other, with little or no stopping, or moments of stillness
  
• Movements are flowing, carving, or arcing with emphasis on pathways merging into one another
  
• Focus on how the dancer expresses themselves, with less concentration on precision and more on individual style
  
• Connection between music and movement is central, which means the audience can easily understand and connect to the dancer, the choreography, and the music
  

Popular modern and lyrical dancers

• Maddie Ziegler
  
• Mia Michaels
  
• Lady Gaga
  
• Martha Graham
  
• Isadora Duncan
  
• Alvin Ailey
  
• Cirque du Soleil
  

Best of modern and lyrical on YouTube

• Chandelier
  – Sia
  
• Wandering Star
  – Polica
  
• Bad Romance
  – Lady Gaga
  
• White Nights
  – Oh Land
  
• Lamentation
  – Martha Graham
  
• Calling You
  – Travis and Heidi
  (So You Think You Can Dance?)
  
• Dancing
  – Lacey and Kameron
  (So You Think You Can Dance?)
  

Hey guys,

First of all, I've got to say, you should never dance when you're injured! Always tell an adult and ask for help if you think you might have hurt yourself. Trust me, I Iearned the hard way! Here are some terms you might come across whether you dance lyrical, neo-classical, or contemporary. Strong technique is always the best foundation for these styles of dance, but also think about selling the mood, emotion, or feel of the song. The best dancers always dance from their heart!

Love, Riley

 

barrel jump
a jump where you completely turn around with legs in bent position

chaine chassé
a turning sequence; the first turn is in a deep plié and the chassé turns that follow are performed in a three-step sliding motion, where one foot ‘chases' and displaces the other

contraction
a movement based on breath inhalation and exhalation, the foundation of contemporary dance. At its most basic, the body jerks inwards, like being punched in the stomach!

dégagé
when you shift the weight from one foot to the other

développé
when you unfold one leg in the air

isolations
movement separating one part of the body from the other parts

lame duck turn
when you fall onto the right leg, then swing the left leg around to
replace the right, and move the right leg up to the knee. The turn is done away from the supporting leg.

layout
a very dramatic movement where you extend one leg out and arch your back at the same time

pas de bourrée
a travelling or transitional step done on the points of the toes that moves back, side, then front

plié
when you bend the knees in any of the five positions, with your body upright

posé turn
a travelling step where you step out onto demi pointe or pointe, keeping a straight knee, with the other leg in passé position

preparation
the step or position you use before you go into a jump, turn, leap,
extended sequence etc. It is very important for correct technique and avoiding injury (like me!)

relevé
a rising movement where you roll onto your toes from a flat foot

saut de basque
a turn where the leading foot is stepped on and the other leg is brushed forward and jumped on

soutenu
when you step to parallel second in plié, and then pull the second leg in to meet the preparation leg as the turn is done with both feet in relevé

tendu
when you slide your foot out in pointe to the front, side or back, lifting your heel off the floor

tombé
when you step out into second in preparation for a travelling step

turning jeté
a jeté that is turned into through a plié; coming into a 360-degree rotation on your turn, the momentum is used to jeté forward

turnout
a rotation of the leg that comes from the hips, causing the knee and foot to turn outward, away from the centre of the body

waltz step
in jazz or ballet, a travelling step that moves forwards and is done to the
one
two three waltz rhythm

Samantha-Ellen Bound has been an actor, dancer, teacher, choreographer, author, bookseller, scriptwriter and many other things besides. She has published and won prizes for her short stories and scripts, but children's books are where her heart lies. Dancing is one of her most favourite things in the whole world. She splits her time between Tasmania, Melbourne, and living in her own head.