Lucky Break #6 Read Online Free PDF Page A

instinctively!” he said grandly. “And then I looked up the name in the library.”
    â€œYou fibber.” Pop laughed. “Someone must have been teaching you some ballet terms. I can’t believe you’ve been reading about them!”
    â€œGot to go,” Marmalade told the girls. Jack was coming over and Marmalade didn’t want them guessing that he was the ballet expert. “Come on, Jack,” he said rather pompously, not giving him a chance to put his tray on the table. “Let’s go and sit over there with the other dancers.”
    As they moved away, the girls burst out laughing. Jack looked at Marmalade with a worried face. “What were they laughing at?” he asked.
    â€œDon’t worry, not you,” Marmalade reassured him. “Or me,” he added uncertainly. “Probably just some silly girl stuff.”

5. Mr. Penardos Makes a Point
    At the next general dance class, Mr. Penardos had a surprise for everyone.
    â€œSome of you will need to sing and dance at the same time when you perform,” he told them. “And you will have to get used to wearing a special microphone like this.” He held up a small headset, and Marmalade exchanged excited glances with Chloe, who was standing next to him. “How many of you anticipate that you will sing at the same time as dancing onstage in the future?”
    Pop put up her hand, and Chloe and Marmalade did the same. Several others in the class did as well.
    â€œRight,” said Mr. Penardos. “Gather around, everyone. You’ll all get a chance to try this, but for now we’ll mike up Marmalade and see how he does. With a radio microphone like this, you have to wear a power pack, as well as the headset.”
    Mr. Penardos helped Marmalade adjust the tiny microphone so that it sat comfortably. It felt strange to Marmalade, at first, to be wearing the slim headset in his long, curly hair. The small power pack was less of a nuisance, and fit perfectly on the waistband of his pants.
    â€œNow,” said Mr. Penardos, when Marmalade was all set. “The sound is transmitted to a pickup, which amplifies it through a small speaker like the one I have here. Onstage, of course, the sound is fed into the mixing desk and the sound engineer makes sure it comes out at the right level.”
    â€œHow does it feel?” Chloe asked Marmalade, her eyes shining with excitement.
    â€œGreat!” said Marmalade. “It makes me feel very professional.”
    â€œOkay!” said Mr. Penardos, clapping his hands. “We’ll go through the routine now. Marmalade, you can sing along. I will turn our music down a bit so we can hear you. See how you manage with singing and dancing at the same time. I know that a lot of artists lipsynch while they dance, but if you can manage both it’s so much better.”
    They began, and Marmalade’s voice came out of the little speaker. Of course, Marmalade and his friends had often sung along for fun when they danced, but this was different. The pressure was on, because Marmalade knew everyone was listening to his voice. He had to concentrate hard on his breathing, because his dancing threatened to make his singing sound breathless.
    When he finished his routine, everyone clapped. “Well done,” said Mr. Penardos. “You did ver’ well. And practice will make you even better. Singing and dancing together is difficult, bu’ it is an important skill for any performer to master.”
    â€œHe looked very serious while he was dancing,” said Pop. “I’ve never seen Marmalade look so serious before!”
    â€œThat’s what concentration does,” Mr. Penardos said with a smile. “Bu’ you’re right, Pop. Marmalade was singing and dancing a happy song with a serious face. Expression is something else that you have to get right. And you need to be able to express the emotion of the song not just through your