Dancer at Silver Spires Read Free Page B

thigh muscles! Mine are really strong because of horse riding.”
    But then Mrs. Truman clapped her hands to bring us all to attention. “Good work, everyone. Well done! Sit down now and I’ll tell you about the dance show that’s happening on the second-to-last Saturday evening of term.”
    I felt a gasp inside me. Why was Mrs. Truman telling us about the dance show? What did it have to do with us? This had been such a good gym lesson until now.
    â€œThis is a show for the whole school, which means that anyone can be in it. And we also need a nice big audience to help create a brilliant atmosphere. There aren’t any parents or outsiders at this event, but last year the whole school came along and had a great time!”
    â€œWhat kind of dancing is it?” someone asked.
    â€œWell I’m just coming to that,” said Mrs. Truman. “If you’re keen on doing a tap routine, or modern dance, jazz, ballet, national, Latin American or any other sort of dance I may have missed out” – she did a little chuckle – “then let me know by the weekend and I can get to work on the programme. You have to produce about three to five minutes worth of dancing, but it must be of a high standard.” Mrs. Truman stressed the word must . “I don’t know you Year Sevens too well yet, so if any of you has any particular talent, do please come along and tell me, and then we can see what you might be able to do in the show. So far, we’ve got tap, modern, street and ballet routines, which have been organized through the individual junior and senior clubs, but there’s no reason why people shouldn’t work out their own routines without any teachers involved, and then I can check them through and see if they’re up to scratch.” She smiled around at us all. “Anyway, have a think about it, and don’t forget, let me know by the weekend.”
    We six didn’t bother to change at the end of gym, as it was the last lesson. We just put our tracksuits on to walk back to Forest Ash.
    â€œThe dance show sounds exciting, doesn’t it?” Sasha said, when we’d hardly set off.
    And then the words I’d been dreading came up, as I knew they would. “Izzy, you must definitely dance in it! You’d be a natural,” said Nicole. “I mean, you must have done some sort of dancing when you were younger.”
    â€œYes, you weell be our Emerald dancer!” said Antonia, her eyes all sparkly. “You can dance for us all.”
    My mouth felt dry. “I…don’t really want to,” I said carefully. “I don’t actually do…dancing any more.” I didn’t look round but I could just feel lots of eyes on me, including Sasha’s. I thought I ought to add something more final to close the conversation completely. “It’s in my past.”
    The moment the words were out of my mouth I regretted them, because they sounded too dramatic. There was a silence, and I had no idea how to fill it.
    â€œWh… what exactly is in your past?” asked Bryony, looking puzzled.
    â€œBallet.” There. I’d said it.
    â€œSo, you did do ballet once…right?” said Bryony, still looking a bit confused.
    It was Emily who tried to get straight to the point. “Why didn’t you tell us? Don’t you like it any more, Izzy?”
    Yes, I love it , said the other me .
    â€œNo,” I answered, my voice coming out a bit more firmly than I’d meant it to.
    Sasha linked her arm through mine. “Well, it’ll be good fun watching, anyway,” she said brightly. “I wonder if it’ll be in the theatre?”
    No one answered and I felt embarrassed for making the atmosphere awkward, and for making Sasha feel sorry for me. I was sure she would bring up the subject later when we were on our own, but I really didn’t want her to. Maybe my no that had come out like a bullet would