Broadway Baby Read Free

exclaimed.
    â€˜Well, that’s super cool, girlfriend,’ said Billie, handing the poster back to me. ‘You’ve come a long way since you first started classes with me a few months ago. I definitely think you’re up to it.’
    â€˜What will I have to do at the auditions?’ I asked. (I HATE auditions.)
    â€˜Hmm,’ said Billie, ‘there’ll be a couple of group dance auditions. Then you’ll have to sing a number with piano and backing music for the director and the musical director,perhaps read a scene or two in a British accent. Can you do that?’
    â€˜Of course I can,’ I said, ripping off the accent from all the movies I’d watched. ‘And tapping? Will I have to tap?’
    â€˜Sure will,’ said Billie. ‘But I wouldn’t get too stressed out about that. Even if you’re not the best, as long as they see you’re giving it a red hot go it should be fine.’
    â€˜Maybe I could do a tap class with you?’ I blurted. ‘Before the auditions. You know, the one Paige is in? Just to see if I’ll go all right? I don’t want to be good at everything else and be let down by lousy tapping.’
    Billie gave a big, throaty laugh like it had blossomed right out of her heart. ‘We couldn’t have that,’ she said. ‘Yes, come along to the next tap class. Do you need to check with your parents first?’
    â€˜It’ll be fine,’ I said quickly.
    Even if it wasn’t, I would make it fine. I had to do the tap class. My musical theatre career depended on it!
    â€˜Okay, honeybee,’ said Billie. ‘We’ll see you with taps on Thursday.’
    I gave her a big confident smile, thanked her and then ran off, feeling like jellybeans were jumping around in my body.
    As I passed by the noticeboard I thought about keeping the poster so no one else would see it and audition. My chances of getting in would be so much better. But at the last minute I quickly pinned it back up. If I got in, I wanted to earn my place.
    It was time to start step-toe-heeling again.

Chapter Five
    Heel, heel, heel, heel.
    Toe, toe, toe, toe.
    Shuffle, shuffle, shuffle, shuffle.
    Slap ball change, slap ball change, slap ball change, slap ball change.
    â€˜I think I’ve got it,’ I whispered to the back of Paige’s head.
    She turned around at the barre and gave me a quick smile before switching to do allthe steps on her left. ‘Unfortunately it gets a little harder than this,’ she whispered.
    â€˜What?’ I said, because the sound of twenty kids tapping can get pretty loud.
    â€˜It gets harder than this,’ she repeated, louder. ‘But you’re a natural, Ellie, you’ll be fine.’
    So far I was breezing through my trial tap class. I was lined up with other kids, doing warm-ups in unison. What a terrific sound! It made me remember 42nd Street , and I got so excited that I mucked up the timing on my steps.
    Focus, Ellie , I told myself. You’re here to learn and to see how quickly you can master this tap thing. You can dream of fame and fortune later.
    Lucky I did focus, because things got harder pretty much straight away. Next we faced the barre and Billie yelled out, ‘Pick ups!’.

    A double pick up was a step where you had to brush back with both feet and land on the balls of your feet. Then Billie had us do trenches – where it took everything I had not to fall forward onto my face – and then wings, which was one of the most uncoordinated experiences of my life.
    As if that wasn’t enough, then we went around the room doing them all individually so Billie could listen to what kinds of sounds we were making.
    I started to feel hot. For once, I didn’t want the spotlight to be on me.
    â€˜Ellie,’ said Paige, giving my hand a squeeze. ‘You might be thinking too much about it. When I first started learning tap I used to just focus on the