Chapter 44

Ursula's mother allowed me to stay at her place with Misty for the next two nights, as I didn't have any desire to talk with Maddie when the conflict was too raw. Then I flew out to LA, cat in tow, for a few days of work. I had three interviews and seven photoshoots, fitting in dancing in between. I had the great opportunity to be on the Ellen Show, and perform my Moulin Rogue solo.

It didn't take long for me to be cornered by fans. I was just settling into my plane seat, stowing Misty away, when a hand tapped me on the shoulder. I looked up to see two girls around ten and twelve looking at me.

"Uh... hi."

"Hi! I'm Niamh and this is my sister Saoirse, we're dancers and we're big fans," the younger girl rushed in an Irish accent. "Would you be able to sign something for us?"

"Nice to meet you," I said warmly. "Sure, what would you like me to sign?"

I signed a leotard for each girl. The plane was taking off soon, so with permission from their mother, they sat down next to me.

"Is this a friend of yours?" She asked.

"You know how we love to watch Dance Moms? This is Joanne from Dance Moms," Saoirse said. Her mother raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? And what brings you to this flight, Miss Ziegler?"

"I'm in LA for the week for some professional opportunities. I'll be back at the studio until the season is over after this. It's all a balance, really."

"I don't watch the show much, it's too dramatic for me, but these two will show me the dances. You're quite the talent," Mrs. O'Connell complimented me.

"Thank you, ma'am, it's certainly a lot of hard work." I spent the plane flight speaking with the family, then said goodbye and headed to the hotel that I'd be staying at, accompanied by my agent. I went to a photoshoot for Brooks after that, which Misty participated in, then went to the studio I used while in LA to practice ballet and for the Ellen Show, which was that night. I dressed up in a nice blue dress and had my hair in a ponytail, with some tasteful makeup. I wore my costume underneath and could quick change in and out of it.

Ellen's head of crew led me through the night; I would perform the solo, then get three minutes in an ad break to get into my dress, and would be able to answer a set of questions. Ellen could go a bit far but was being reined in due to me being so young.

I ate a nice dinner backstage and got to meet Ellen, who was nice enough, and her partner, Portia.

"Our guest today stars on the hit reality show 'Dance Moms', and she's a star in the ballet world. She performed with Adele and for Paul McCarney at the Grammys, launching herself into the spotlight. Please welcome Joanne Ziegler!"

I came out to applause, grinning at the audience before beginning to dance with the music. It was a little rushed but no one really seemed to care, and I was on beat and very entertaining. The crowd cheered as the cameras went off and I rushed off to slip my dress and shoes on, getting my hair down in the process. I was gestured over to the main stage entrance and walked onstage when the cameras came back on.

"It's magic!" Ellen joked, and I laughed lightly.

"Thank you for having me."

"Oh, of course! That was such a good dance, I don't know how you do it."

"Lots of practice and time," I replied. "Plus a lot of support."

"First things first, tell us a bit about yourself."

"Well, I'm thirteen and live in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with my cousins, cat, aunt and uncle, and sister. I have a girlfriend named Ursula- she's on the show too- and go to the Abby Lee Dance Company."

"How long have you been with your girlfriend?"

"Since last summer. We're both quite young so we're taking it quite slow, and besides we're both busy most of the time."

"But you like her? She's good to you?"

"Extremely," I responded.

"Please tell us how you got onto the show into the first place."

"Sure! Most of the others had to audition, but I was asked to go on in 2011. Everyone had to sign a contract, most for six seasons, but due to my age and career path I'll only stay for three."

"Oh, really? What would call you away so soon?"

"I'm beginning to look for apprenticeship opportunities at ballet companies. My main goal is the New York Ballet, it's my dream to be a prima ballerina there. You do have to start from the bottom, though, and an apprenticeship is the short-term goal."

"Isn't fourteen young for that?"

"Not really, honestly, though it is on the younger side. It's also about who you know, and what reputation you have. I'm working to build connections as well as improve my dancing."

"You've gotten perfect scores, won every solo, you're dancing an age group above. How much do you really have to improve?"

I pursed my lips. ​​"I mean, the improvements I make now won't be that obvious. I can always have better balance, be able to do more turns, turn out more, and more. That's what I like about dance, perfection is virtually impossible and there's always something to work on."

"It's either the gift that keeps on giving or an obsession," Ellen said.

"Oh, yeah, it can be so easy to get caught up with it and lose yourself. Especially for us on the show, because we're getting fame and money from dancing. All the dancers are really lovely, though, so I'm not worried about it."

"Who are you closest with other than your cousins and Ursula?"

"Definitely Brooke, we've been best friends since before I moved in with Aunt Melissa. We do our best to hang out together and regularly sleep over at each other's houses. We're in the same grade so she, Ursula and I study together when we can."

"You talk like a much older teenager, I have to say."

"Thank you. I had to grow up quickly. It's a blessing and a curse."

The interview went pretty well, I had to say, and Ellen was on her best behavior. I went to bed, curled up with Misty, satisfied that night and got in an hour of dancing before two photoshoots the next morning. I danced for a few hours until my next interview, with Conan O'Brien, that night. I didn't have to dance for that one, and called Brooke to get caught up on studio happenings over dinner.

"What happened at Pyramid?"

"It went me, Paige, Mackenzie, and Kendall on the bottom, Chloé, Nia and Ursula in the middle, and you on top," Brooke said.

"Why was Kendall on the bottom?"

"I missed a step in the group," Kendall said. "It's fine, Kenzie and I have a duet to make up for it this week. Chloé and Nia have solos, as do Ursula and Brooke. We're up against the Candy Apples so Miss Abby is very militant."

Ah, they were being filmed. "Good luck, all of you. I have an interview at eleven at night, so I've drunk three cups of coffee today. Not the greatest choice."

Ursula laughed. "You're going to be extra hyper. I would stay up to see you, but I have a math test tomorrow."

"That's definitely more important," I agreed. "I'll tell you all about it. How do you guys like your dances?"

Conan turned out to be very warm and inviting, and we were already chatting by the time the show came around. He introduced me and I walked onstage, shaking his hand firmly.

"She's already won me over with her charm," Conan told the crowd. "Please welcome Joanne Ziegler!"

I walked onstage, waving at the crowd and smiling.

"I'm excited to have you on the show! You're certainly one of the youngest guests that I've had. I'm impressed at how independent you are."

I just shrugged while sitting down. "I've met more independent teenagers. My sister will be more independent, I'm sure, but she's not able to drive yet. My aunt rues the day."

"Melody, right? Is she into parties?"

"No, actually, she'll probably spend a lot of time at art galleries. She's a great artist, and has a whole business selling her paintings."

"That's really awesome! So both of you are artistically inclined."

"Yeah, it's great having her around. I can rant about dance and she can rant about art."

"Good, good. How are you this evening?"

"A bit tired. It is the night and well past my bedtime."

"Oh, I see. I appreciate you still coming out here."

"Of course! I wouldn't miss it."

The conversation eventually got around to Dance Moms.

"So do you watch the show?"

I nodded. "I do, though I skip past the fights."

"Is it odd to see yourself on screen? Are you portrayed differently than you actually are?"

"Not really, though because there's film from almost a full week, it has to be cut down to forty-five minutes and a lot of details are left out. It was odd at first with the interviews and cameras but we've all gotten used to it. The biggest thing that's left out is that if anyone gets a title, they've performed two solos and done an improvisation section, and the solos that you see starting this season are second performances for the best camera angles."

"Oh, wow! Is that tiring?"

"It can be, but honestly, it's helped my endurance. I don't know, I guess I'm just kind of used to it at this point. The hardest part is definitely learning dances in less than a week."

"I bet. How do you feel about choreographing more this season?"

"I love it. Miss Abby has great choreography, but I'll always prefer my own. I've learned a lot from her. She can be harsh, but she's always been fair to me, and she's treating dancers much more equally this season. It's really nice to see."

"Yes, Nia and Paige in particular have improved significantly. You tutored them last year, right? Has that continued?"

"I really enjoyed working with them last year, but they've been in a lot of ballet classes this year. Nia especially was behind, due to some health issues, but she's made leaps and bounds this year."

"You seem like such a strong leader."

"Thank you, I try my best."

I went through the rest of the week trying to distance myself from the drama at home and throw myself into the interviews and photoshoots, making the most of the opportunities I had. I arrived back in time for the competition, where the group beat the Candy Apples, Chloé beat Nia by two-tenths of a point, Ursula beat Brooke by five points, and Kendall and Mackenzie got second in their duet.