Chapter 64

I entered Pyramid the next week, very excited to go to the Oscars. "Skyfall" had been nominated for Best Original Song and Melody and I would be headed out to LA the next day. I had packed outfits and comfortable but fashionable shoes.

"We won last week!" Abby said right away. "It was a great number and a good experience for you to be taught by Rachelle. Now, this week, I have intel that Cathy is back- with her boys. You cannot let them beat you, yes? Joanne will not be with us this week, she's going to be performing at the Oscars with Adele."

Everyone clapped for me. I smiled.

"Yes, very good. Onto the pyramid. On the bottom, Maddie and Kendall, I hope that you've learned your lesson. Mackenzie, you were just too short in the group dance, and were a beat behind. Don't let it happen again. Chloé and Brooke, fine in the group, you both need to stand out more. Brooke, the duet was strong, I thought you were great. Chloé, second is the first to lose. In the middle, Paige, you shone in the duet. I was very impressed with you, and as the lead in the group dance. Ursula, you were part of a duet that got a perfect score, you looked great. Joanne, I didn't want you in the group but it won anyway, and you were wonderful in the duet and with your solo. Nia, top Teen soloist. Excellent."

Nia nodded happily, and Nicaya beside her was starting to grin with excitement.

"On top of the pyramid for the first time, Nicaya! You beat Chloé, you were beautiful, and that was a hard dance. You're a hard worker and you're getting better every day. You have to stick with it, and keep pushing."

Nicaya grinned. "Thank you! I will."

"Good. As a reward, you're getting a duet with Nia. Paige and Chloé, you have solos in the Junior division. Ursula, you're in the Senior division, and Brooke is our Teen competitor. The group dance is a beautiful Lyrical number, so let's get started. Joanne, you're dismissed to practice."

Melody and I got up early the next morning... and then my sister promptly fell back asleep. I'd eaten breakfast and showered by the time she dragged herself and her increasingly large stomach downstairs, with half an hour before Aunt Melissa would drop our cousins off at school and us off at the airport.

"Late night?" I asked.

"No, I slept well, this boy is just draining my energy," she grumbled. "At least I packed last night. Can you get me some toast?"

"Sure. Kenz, what do you want?" I asked.

"Toast with jam, please."

"Peanut butter for protein too." I winked at Kenzie.

Two hours later, Melody and I were going through security at the airport. It wasn't too busy, but of course we had to end up right behind a very nosy woman, who kept glancing back at us as if we bothered her. I was always better at being patient than Melody and eventually she said something.

"Can we help you, Ma'am?" The woman startled a bit. "Sorry, what?"

"You keep looking back at us," I explained. "It's a little weird."

"It's weird for a child to be pregnant," the woman sniffed. Melody shrugged.

"It happens. My kid will have a good life, please mind your business."

"How rude!" The woman shook her head and looked away. I just rolled my eyes.

We'd just gotten on the flight and were sitting next to a girl, who looked to be around ten, and her harried-looking father, who held a baby. "So sorry, she may cry," he said apologetically.

"That's alright, I'll need to get used to it," Melody said dryly. "What's her name?"

"Ava. I'm John and this is Mary," the man said.

"I'm Melody, and my sister is Joanne."

Mary was a bit nervous, but spoke up anyway. "Joanne from Dance Moms?"

I nodded. "It's nice to meet you."

"Oh, that awful show. No offense," John said. I laughed wryly.

"Yeah, this is my last season. It's not sustainable to continue with my ballet career in mind. I love all the other dancers, though. What brings you to LA?" I asked, deflecting a bit.

"We're visiting my parents," John said. "They're not ill or anything, they got a puppy. Mary really wanted to see it, so here we are. What are you two traveling for?"

"Joanne's going to dance at the Oscars," Melody said proudly. "Adele is performing 'Skyfall' and invited Joanne to dance to it."

"Oh wow! That's amazing!" Mary grinned. "How do you feel about that, Joanne?"

"I'm really nervous," I admitted. "I do a lot of competitions, but this is huge. The dance has to be amazing, to the eye of a non-dance expert. I think it'll be an amazing experience, though."

The plane flight went smoothly, with Melody getting tips about parenting and Mary proving to be a bright nine-year-old who loved soccer and math. We chatted a bit about that, as I also loved math.

Adele had a car meet us at the airport, and we headed right to the Oscars venue for the first rehearsal and to meet the makeup crew. Melody's complaints were forgotten as she stared around LA, eyes bright. I was the first non-singing performer to arrive, and met up with Adele and her team (including her new baby boy) right away. Melody was very professional, to her credit. She and Adele got into a conversation about parenting while I let the makeup artists do their work, and got dressed in the costume that I'd be wearing.

"Will there be a spot for me to dance onstage? I can't imagine it's like a competition floor," I said when it was time to rehearse. Actors were starting to arrive for rehearsal or just to watch, adding to the pressure that I felt.

"There's going to be a dance floor rising onstage just for your performance," one of the tech directors informed me. "I know that you'll be turning and jumping. We're going to start with a sound check, so feel free to do whatever you want until you're called up."

I chose to practice my ballet while the sound check went on, doing my best to ignore the world-class actors and singers in the audience. Melody had wormed her way into talking with Scarlett Johansson and Anne Hathaway, of all people. Those two were both up for Oscars in different Best Actress categories.

I did the dance a few times with different lighting, then rehearsal finished and I could leave with Melody to the hotel... if I could get her away from a growing group of actors that now included Daniel Radcliffe, Russel Crowe, Sascha Baron Cohen and Hugh Jackman.

"How do you make friends everywhere you go, Mel?" I asked, amusement in my tone to hide the nerves at meeting all of these people.

"She's very charming," Daniel Radcliffe said with a smile. He was young, only twenty-four or so, and so successful already. "It's lovely to meet you, Joanne."

"You as well, all of you," I replied. "It's really an honor to be here, a bit intimidating, of course."

"I think you'll be just fine," Hugh Jackman assured me. "Your dancing looked wonderful. What were you practicing during the sound check?"

"I have two solo pieces for the YAGP Final coming up, so I took the opportunity to practice those," I answered.

"You two must be tired, but the Les Mis cast is going out to dinner, and we would be happy to have you join us," Hugh Jackman said, and suddenly I didn't feel tired at all.

The next two days were a blur of dancing and meeting the stars of the acting world. It was awesome watching all the other acts practice, and I went out with Melody and Adele (in deep disguise) to shop for a red carpet dress, eventually settling on a flowing dark blue gown. Melody wouldn't be walking the red carpet but bought a new dress for herself anyway.

I called up the team that Saturday evening, sitting in the hotel room with my schoolwork. "Hey, guys. How did the competition go?"

"Cathy beat us with her boys, they got a perfect score," Abby grumbled. "Nia and Nicaya's duet beat the boys' duet, Ursula and Brooke won their divisions, and Chloé beat Paige by a point. Mackenzie sprained her ankle, but it's not too bad, she'll be out for a few weeks."

"Oh no! Tell Kenz that I hope that she feels better soon."

"I definitely will. How's LA?"

"It's just amazing. Mel and I have met so many people, famous people who are really nice, and the stage and venue are beautiful. I'm really nervous for tomorrow, though, it's such a big deal."

"I think anyone would be nervous. I know that you can handle the nerves, though. Make sure that you represent me well."

"Make sure that you represent me well," Melody mocked once I'd hung up. "Who does she think she is? She barely even teaches you."

I laughed softly. "Yeah, she's a piece of work. I do want to perform well, though. It's the Oscars, and the 50th anniversary of James Bond. That's a big deal. I am excited too, though."

Before I knew it, I was about to walk the Red Carpet of the Oscars... and was going to get out of a limo with Adele. I put on my best performance smile and stepped out, trying not to flinch at the mass of people and cameras that immediately focused on us. Adele took most of the attention, luckily and rightfully, but I was asked to pose for pictures and do a few interviews. The main people who did interviews pulled me aside about ten minutes in.

"...And here we have Joanne Ziegler, who will be performing with Adele tonight. Miss Ziegler, you look lovely. How are you feeling about tonight?"

"I'm definitely nervous, but also very excited," I answered honestly. "I didn't expect to get asked to do this and I've been able to meet so many stars over the last few days. It's a great experience."

"So, the first few episodes of Dance Moms Season 3 are out, and you announced that this is your last season! What are your plans after the show?"

This lady clearly hadn't watched the show, which I was fine with, but she did need to do her research better. "I got an internship with New York Ballet, which has been my dream since I was six, so while I'm sad to leave the other dancers, I'm thrilled to join the company. Ursula, my girlfriend, will also be in New York with the Cirque du Soleil."

"What are you going to do about high school?"

"I'm homeschooled and two grades ahead because I work over the summers, so I'll continue that until I graduate, then I'll take a break before college. It's a weird situation but it works for me."

"That's awesome! You seem like a very focused girl. Can you tell us a bit about the dance that you'll be performing tonight?"

"Sure, it's pretty much the dance that I did in the music video, but I'm doing more tricks because this time I'm not fifteen feet above the ground. I usually do more technical dances for competitions, so it's nice to do more of a showy dance."

"Is it less pressure because it isn't a competition?"

"Honestly, no. I mean, who wants to fall while performing a solo at the Oscars? I am confident in myself, though, and feel ready. I've known the dance for a lot longer than I know the vast majority of my competition dances, so that's a huge benefit. I'm really just happy to be here and looking forward to watching the whole experience."

"One last question. How did you like the movie?"

"I enjoyed it! I think that Javier Bardem made a real impact for not having much screen time, it was great having Q and Miss Moneypenny back, and that Daniel Craig and Judi Dench were great as usual."

"So is it your favorite Bond movie?"

"No, my favorite is GoldenEye and my second favorite is Casino Royale, but I still thought that it was a great movie."

I did three more interviews before heading inside, where Melody was waiting with dinner. I wouldn't perform for a decent amount of time so I settled in, vowing to enjoy the experience to the maximum. It was magical, with incredible performances and tears of joy during acceptance speeches.

I headed backstage and changed into my costume and hairdo, a simple ponytail, putting on minimal makeup. This wasn't meant to be a flashy dance. My costume was a gray top that went to my elbows and black pants that flowed with me, a bit hard to dance in. I didn't particularly care about that, though, especially after Jennifer Lawrence made her introductions as we took our places onstage. I took a deep breath, focused, and began dancing with the music, making sure that every move meant something and that I performed with my face and body.

"This is the end

Hold your breath and count to ten

Feel the Earth move and then

Hear my heart burst again

For this is the end

I've drowned and dreamt this moment

So overdue, I owe them

Swept away, I'm stolen

Let the sky fall

When it crumbles

We will stand tall

Face it all together

Let the sky fall

When it crumbles

We will stand tall

Face it all together

At Skyfall

At Skyfall

Skyfall is where we start

A thousand miles and poles apart

Where worlds collide and days are dark

You may have my number, you can take my name

But you'll never have my heart

Let the sky fall (let the sky fall)

When it crumbles (when it crumbles)

We will stand tall (we will stand tall)

Face it all together

Let the sky fall (let the sky fall)

When it crumbles (when it crumbles)

We will stand tall (we will stand tall)

Face it all together

At Skyfall

Where you go, I go

What you see, I see

I know I'd never be me

Without the security

Of your loving arms

Keeping me from harm

Put your hand in my hand

And we'll stand

Let the sky fall (let the sky fall)

When it crumbles (when it crumbles)

We will stand tall (we will stand tall)

Face it all together

Let the sky fall (let the sky fall)

When it crumbles (when it crumbles)

We will stand tall (we will stand tall)

Face it all together

At Skyfall

Let the sky fall

We will stand tall

At Skyfall

Ooh"

I was grinning and out of breath at the end. Adele pulled me in for a hug then thanked the audience, thrilled with her performance as well, and we left the stage happily.

Adele won the Oscar for Best Original Song not thirty minutes later, and I returned from changing and getting a bite to eat in time to hear her speech. She thanked me for performing with her, which I greatly appreciated.

Overall, it was a night that I wouldn't forget anytime soon.