Chapter 54

The tension was a bit lower at Pyramid the next week, much to my relief. "We did well at In10sity Dance last week. The lowest anyone placed was second, so that was good. This week, we are going to Dance Troupe Incorporated in Greensboro, North Carolina. I want to continue to win. Onto pyramid- on the bottom, Maddie, you didn't dance. You were off in rehearsal. I hope that you do better this week. Mackenzie, you were fine in the group, but you had timing issues. Fix it."

Aunt Melissa frowned but didn't say anything.

"Nicaya, you were strong in the group, you didn't have an extra dance. Chloé, you were great in the group, good job."

Chloé smiled and nodded. "Thank you."

"Kendall, you were a standout in the group routine for me. The first person in the middle is Brooke- the duet and group were solid. I want you to push that little bit harder, though. Ursula, you were fabulous in the group. I really enjoyed your performance. The duet was solid, but I need more from you performance-wise. Paige, you did get second place, but I was impressed with your solo. You were strong in the group as well. Nia! You won the Junior solo category, great work."

Nia grinned.

"But, on top of the pyramid for the third week in a row, is Joanne. You led the work to victory and got a perfect score with a beautiful solo. You were a wonderful representative of the Abby Lee Dance Company."

I smiled. "Thank you!" Everyone clapped for me.

"Yes, excellent work. This week, I'm giving out four solos, all taught and choreographed by Joanne. Nicaya, Kendall, Chloé, and Mackenzie. Joanne and Nia, you have a duet that will be in the Teen category. Joanne will not be in the group dance; it's Jazz. Let's get to work."

I practiced ballet until Kenzie came in to learn her solo. "I'm glad that you're teaching it to me! What genre is it?" She asked. She'd gotten a bit more mature but was still very energetic.

"It's Jazz, called 'Firecracker.' It doesn't have many tricks but it has a lot of sass. You're a girl who loves attention, basically, it's not a complex story. Let's begin."

Kenzie learned her solo pretty quickly, but I was getting the feeling that she was rushing and as a result she was sloppy. "You're messy and rushed. I think that you need to slow down and take it section by section," I advised her. "It's only the first day and you know the moves, you can relax a bit. Good job, please send Nicaya in."

"I'm glad to be back," Nicaya said.

"I'm glad for you. Okay, this solo is called 'Raging' and it's about someone who's been wronged, cheated, use your imagination. It's a strong Contemporary routine that's quite technical."

Nicaya embraced the solo, though she was a bit shaky on the harder technical moves. "You just need to practice," I told her. "You picked it up well, good job."

Kendall's solo was a more mature Lyrical routine about a girl who was writing a letter to her love who was far away. She was already struggling to emote. Chloé, who I taught last, I gave a Contemporary piece about being lost in your head, or more generally about mental illness. She was a good actress and could pull it off.

Abby started Nia and I on our duet the next day, even before the group. "You have proven yourselves in Contemporary, so I'm giving you hard-hitting, sassy Jazz. This is entitled 'Save Me' and it's about two girls who are fighting over a guy. You'll need to do excellently to win."

This dance didn't have a great storyline but it was competitive enough, so that Nia was struggling to pick up the choreography a bit and we were only halfway done with the duet by the end of rehearsal. It worried me for sure. The next day, though, we were able to finish and start cleaning it up before I worked with the solos, which were coming along well... except for Kendall's. She was struggling with performing to the level it needed to be at, which became clear when Abby asked to see the solos.

Nicaya, Kenzie and Chloé got solid feedback. Kendall was last, and was nervous and shaky from the start, falling out of her turns and not emoting at all.

"Kendall! What are you doing?" Abby snapped. "That's a mess, have you even been practicing?"

"She's been pretty good in rehearsal, much better than that," I reported. "Kendall, I think you're nervous and letting it get to you. You can definitely perform better than that."

"No more Nice Teacher. That was terrible, Kendall. If you don't do it better when you try again, you won't be onstage on Saturday," Abby snapped. "Do it again."

Kendall did better the second time, but she still looked scared to death. I pulled her aside after we were dismissed. "Hey. Are you doing okay?"

Kendall sniffled and looked up at me. "You're not mad that I'm doing the dance wrong?"

"No, first off, you can do it right, and second off, I care more about your well-being," I said gently. "It's okay to be scared of Abby's temper, but you're letting it get to you and making it worse."

"How do I stop that?"

"Well, try what I do. The only person that I dance for is myself, and so whenever I'm performing, I block everything out and just focus on what I need to do. If I'm with others, they're included in that world. Why do you dance?"

"I love it."

"That's amazing. Focus on that when you perform the solo tomorrow, yes? Interact with the judges, but dance for you and no one else."

Abby had entered my solo from the week before at the last minute to put me in for a title, though my performance wouldn't be aired. I went without the makeup as it would be too obvious that I was performing a solo, as I would be doing every competition this season, otherwise. I wasn't upset about that. Ursula and Brooke were also performing unaired solos.

I was entry number three, after Ursula and Brooke, and the next soloist from the ALDC was Nicaya two hours later, so I performed the solo then went to a masterclass with my best friend and girlfriend. Then I went to the dressing room to get ready for the duet, which was not long after the solos.

Kendall was the first to go, and she did much better than in rehearsal, though she was quite stiff and her emotions were too mild for the piece. I gave her a high five and a hug anyway. "That was so much better," I praised her.

"I'm happy with it," Kendall said, smiling.

Kenzie went on and blew me away next, showing technical accuracy and maturity. She was having a great time and that came through for the judges. Nicaya did a great job telling her story, and was a much-improved dancer from the year before, especially with her flexibility. Chloé shone and was powerful onstage, moving with confidence. I was proud of all three of them.

Nia and I got ready for our duet. The costumes were bright blue and flashy, so our performances would have to match that.

"Let's have fun with this," I urged Nia backstage. "This is a great dance and a fun theme."

We did go out there and have fun, though had to stay in control because it was a hard dance. Nia had improved her Jazz facials to be less over-the-top and I was entertained every time I looked at her, that was for sure.

I was actually in a masterclass when the group routine performed, which was the next morning. The competitions were usually filmed as if they were only one day but they were usually two or three days. Brooke, Ursula, and I had our dance-offs for a title then it was finally time for awards.

"The top Teen Duo/Trio, scoring 289 points, goes to Joanne and Nia from the Abby Lee Dance Company, entry number three hundred!" Nia and I stood, holding the trophy together. Abby gave us the high clap.

"Your champion Mini soloist today, scoring 287 points and winning the 'Charmer' award, goes to Mackenzie from the Abby Lee Dance Company, entry number two hundred and twenty-six!"

Abby nodded in approval at Mackenzie, who she definitely had a soft spot for. Kenzie's grin spread wider.

"Third place in Junior solos, scoring 283 points, goes to Kendall from the ALDC, entry number two hundred and twenty-five!"

Kendall winced but put a smile on her face and accepted the award. Abby didn't look happy.

"Second place in Junior solos, scoring 286 points, goes to Nicaya from the ALDC, entry number two hundred and twenty-seven! First place in Junior solos, scoring 290 points, goes to Chloé from the ALDC, entry number 228!"

Chloé and Nicaya high-fived each other, smiling.

"Second place in Teen solos and first runner-up in the Teen Miss Dance Troupe Category, scoring 287 points, goes to Brooke from the ALDC, entry number 2. Your champion Teen soloist and being crowned Teen Miss Dance Troupe today, also scoring 291 points, goes to Ursula from the ALDC, entry number 1."

Brooke and Ursula hugged and congratulated each other.

"The highest scoring dance of the day, with 297 points, winning the 'Passion' award, also being crowned Senior Miss Dance Troupe and winning the Senior solos, it's Joanne from the ALDC, entry number 3!"

I took the awards proudly. The group dance placed second, which wasn't a pretty sight when Abby got back to the dressing room.

"Second place. That's unacceptable. Do you need Joanne in the group to win? Is that it? Well, tough luck," Abby snarled. "I saw a lot of mistakes. My duet, that was great. I loved it, very entertaining. Kendall, it was a bit weak. You have a lot to work on. Nicaya-"

"Hold on, Abby," Jill objected. "She had a hard dance, she was having a hard time in practice, and she made the corrections."

"Not all of the corrections, and while she was good, I'm looking for great," Abby returned sharply.

"Can't you give her a compliment for once?" Jill protested. Abby rolled her eyes.

"Kendall, you were perfect. You just got third. There. Nicaya, I saw a lot of improvement, and you really drew me in. Chloé, you were very powerful onstage. Mackenzie, I loved your dance. You charmed the judges and those turns were great."

"So everyone was good except for Kendall?" Jill demanded.

"No, she was good, everyone else was great. They all have things to work on."

"Mom, please," Kendall begged. "I could have done better, I got third, can we move on?"

"Thank you, Kendall," Abby said. "Let's pack up and move on."