Rosa danced across the stage, turning with every step. Her pale blue ballet dress swirled around her as she stopped and spun on the spot. She was lost in the beautiful music, feeling like she really was a dancing water nymph. Ending her spin in a demi-plié, she held her arms up gracefully. The lights on stage were very bright and she couldnât see the faces in the audience, but she could hear the applause as it burst out!
She grinned and held out her hands to the sides. The other girls on the stage ran forward and made a line with her. They were all dressed in different shades of green and blue. They curtseyed together, smiling happily, and then the curtains closed.
Rosaâs best friend, Olivia, hugged her. âWasnât that brilliant?â
Rosaâs eyes shone. âIt was!â Her class had been performing a ballet at the local theatre about an underwater kingdom and she had been the main character, a water nymph called Ondine.
âCome on, girls!â Madame Za-Za, their teacher, called from the side of the stage. âOff you come!â
As they left through the wings, Madame Za-Za smiled warmly at them. âThat was excellent, all of you!â She turned to smile at Rosa in particular. âWell done. I donât think you have ever danced so well, Rosa.â
Rosa glowed with pride as she went downstairs to the dressing rooms with Olivia. There was a TV monitor on the wall which showed what was happening on stage.
The next class were performing the Sugar Plum Fairyâs dance from The Nutcracker. Rosa glanced at her red ballet shoes and smiled to herself. It was amazing to think that she had actually met the real Sugar Plum Fairyâ¦
Rosa had a secret. Her red ballet shoes were magic! Sometimes they started to sparkle and then they took her to Enchantia, a land where all the different characters from the ballets lived. Rosa had been on some brilliant adventures there. She wondered when sheâd go again.
âHey, Rosa! Have some of these!â Looking round, Rosa saw that her friends were sharing out a big bag of sweets. Pushing the thoughts of Enchantia away, she ran over to join them.
After the show, the girls piled out of the dressing rooms and into the theatre foyer to meet their parents. They were all chattering excitedly. Madame Za-Za had given them each a glittering hairslide as an after-show present. Rosaâs was made of sparkling red jewels and she had clipped it into her blonde hair.
âThereâs my mum and dad,â said Olivia. âSee you tomorrow, Rosa.â
She ran off. Rosa caught sight of her own mum. She was talking to a slim auburn-haired lady who had a notepad in her hands.
âMum!â Rosa called.
Rosaâs mother looked around and her face lit up with a proud smile. âYou were wonderful, sweetheart,â she said as Rosa hurried over.
Rosa grinned happily. Her mum had been a fantastic ballet dancer before a car accident had left her in a wheelchair. Rosaâs dream was to be a ballerina just like her one day.
âRosa, this is Imogen Green,â her mum went on. âWe used to dance together when we were younger, but now she works for the Royal Ballet School.â
Rosaâs eyes widened as she looked at the red-haired lady. The Royal Ballet School! That was where her mum had trained. Everyone knew it was the best ballet school in the country.
âHello, Rosa.â Imogen smiled at her. âMy job is to help organise the auditions for the Royal Ballet School. I am a friend of Madame Za-Zaâs and she told me she had some very talented young dancers in her classes. Would you be interested in auditioning?â
âOh, yes!â Rosa exclaimed in delight.
âI have a list of other girls here too,â said Imogen, looking down at her notepad. âThere was a girl called Olivia in your class and a few girls from the class above.â