We twist the opposite way with the “and four” and then look to our instructor, whose face says it all.

“Yup, that’s it. Remember that change. Let’s do it again!”

Vanessa drilled into us all the new choreography changes, until they became second nature to us. Lily performed with flawless extension because she’s the most flexible one on the team. Trina’s trademark footwork skills were at their peak. Riley’s signature facials could not and would not fail to energize the audience. Megan owned her tricks and overall awesomeness like nobody’s business. And I managed to make my fiercest leaps and turns look easy. After a quick bite to eat—thank goodness for the downstairs deli—we went in one at a time to rehearse our solos.

“Come in,” Vanessa greeted me when it was time to work on my solo. I left the other girls in the warm-up room, where we had been listening to music and doing our stretches and conditioning. It was a cool-down room that we all appreciated having access to after the nonstop rehearsing. And, knowing that we nailed the group performance and switched to a solos mind-set, everyone had kind of retreated to their own individual bubbles. There was less talking and joking around. It was every dancer for herself.

“Ready?” Vanessa asked me as I placed my bag down in one corner and peeled out of my gold, white, and pink jacket and matching track pants.

In the months since I’d joined DanceStarz Academy, Vanessa had become someone I totally admired. She may be tough at times like this, but she has a way of recognizing your strengths and pushing you to reach further, aim higher, go harder.

“Ready!” I nodded, focused and pumped.

My solo was a lyrical dance with intricate footwork. At first I was mortified that Vanessa would pick something with tricky footwork. She knew what a hard time I had learning how to perform like this without looking like I’m counting in my head and concentrating on every step.

When I first joined her dance studio, she got Trina to meet with me after hours for the extra help I desperately needed. Never mind how embarrassing that was for me to acknowledge at first. The last thing I wanted to do as a dancer was come across robotic. Especially at an epic event like nationals. For the few moments following her announcement of our scheduled solos, it felt like Vanessa was trying to sabotage me.

“Is there any way I can perform a different type of choreography at nationals?” I’d stayed behind to ask her at the time.

“I wouldn’t give you anything you couldn’t handle,” she’d answered. “And I believe you can do this. Besides, the judges in New York will award a routine like this higher technical points, which will put you in the running for the top spots.”

As amazing as that sounded, there was more than top spots on the line. Scouts from the most coveted summer dance programs would be in the audience at nationals, recruiting standout performers. A strong showing meant an invitation to one of those career-making programs. This would be a dream come true. I knew this was the same for Megan and Eliza, too.