Showstopper Read Online Free PDF Page B

office.
    â€œMay I help you?” Toni asked, clearly annoyed.
    â€œUm, no, I was just . . .”
    â€œSpying? Eavesdropping? Poking your nose where it doesn’t belong?” Toni fired back.
    She noticed her teacher was dressed in a pair of billowy pants and a crop top. Her hair was long and pulled back into a loose ponytail. Rochelle tried not to stare, but it was hard not to. Toni looked
strange
for Toni. She never came to class in anything but a leotard, ballet skirt, and bun.
    â€œAre you doing hip-hop?” she asked her teacher.
    â€œIf you must know, it’s a form of dance that I’ve never personally performed, and I’m trying to perfect my moves.”
    Rochelle shook her head. “But that’s just the thing. Hip-hop isn’t ballet or jazz or even acro. There is no ‘perfecting’ it. It’s spontaneous and loose. It’s just gotta come from the music.”
    â€œWell,” Toni huffed. “Since you think you’re such an expert, perhaps you’d like to come work with me in the studio and you can give me a hand.”
    â€œMe? You want
me
to teach
you
hip-hop?” Rochelle gasped.
    Toni handed her the boom box. “I’m still the teacher,” she reminded Rochelle. “Let’s not forget that, shall we? I’m working with a new form of hip-hop—like a fusion of ballet and street—and I need to try it out on someone.”
    Rock followed Miss Toni into studio 2, where they both quickly pushed the
barres
tothe back of the room. She pointed to a spot for them to take their starting position.
    â€œYou don’t want to be too stiff,” Toni said, showing her. “Feet should be hip-width apart. But I want the arms and legs to be less lock and pop, more ballet. Get it?” She demonstrated a kick ball change while gracefully pumping her arms to the sides.
    â€œYou could also do this,” Rochelle suggested,
pirouetting
in her sneakers while crossing her arms in front of her chest. She rolled her shoulders and slid her feet across the floor in a series of lightning-quick steps.
    â€œExactly!” Toni said, “I saw Charles ‘Lil Buck’ Riley jookin’ and I was inspired.”
    Rochelle’s mouth fell open. “You follow Lil Buck?” she asked. “He’s amazing! He does pointe in sneakers!”
    â€œIt’s Urban Ballet,” Toni corrected her. “And I love it. It’s very forward-thinking, very this generation.”
    â€œIt’s very cool!” Rochelle said enthusiastically.
    â€œSo you’re up for working it into your duet with Anya?” her teacher asked. “If we could fuse both of your styles, ballet and hip-hop, into one, I think your dance would take first place.”
    Rock smiled. “You had me at hip-hop, but first place works, too.”

    Meanwhile, Bria found a way to study and stay limber at the same time. She sat on the floor with her legs in a straddle and her English book on the floor in front of her.
    â€œThat does not look very comfortable,” her mom said, watching her stretch.
    â€œIt’s not supposed to be comfy,” Bria insisted. “It’s supposed to be good for my middle split.”
    â€œAh,” Mrs. Chang replied. “How’s your term paper coming along?”
    Bria sighed. “It’s not. It takes me forever to read just one page of
A Midsummer Night’s
Dream
. None of it makes any sense!” She held the book up. “Just look at this! Who talks like that?”
    Her mom took the book and read aloud: “‘Awake the pert and nimble spirit of mirth!’”
    â€œSee what I mean?” Bria said, groaning. “It’s gibberish.”
    â€œTheseus is just saying he wants to throw a party,” her mom explained.
    Bria sighed. “I just don’t get it.”
    Her mom nodded. “I think I have something that might help.” She held up a pair of tickets to the