Broadway Baby by Samantha-Ellen Bound Page B

floating through the air in their own secret dance. The rows of shadowy seats rising all the way to the back. The sweet musty smell of the curtains. The spotlight casting a warm yellow circle on the ground.
    And me. Standing in the middle of my stage.
    â€˜This is all you need to think about and feel,’ said Cadence, still holding my hand but using her other arm to sweep about. ‘Fill everyinch of this stage with what you love about performing. This is your world and it doesn’t care about false eyelashes and braces marks. You’re here to perform and entertain, because it’s in your blood. So just listen to what your heart tells you.’
    I looked out at the auditorium. ‘Cadence,’ I said softly, ‘who told you that? That’s exactly how I feel.’
    â€˜Sometimes,’ said Cadence, ‘ you’re the only teacher you need and you just have to learn to listen to yourself.’ She squeezed my hand. ‘I’ll leave you alone for a bit. The stage is all yours.’
    â€˜Thank you,’ I said.
    Her footsteps died away and I stood staring out at my pretend audience. I didn’t make a sound and I felt very calm and peaceful.
    Cadence was right. This was where I belonged and my blood and heart knew it, even if sometimes my mind didn’t.
    â€˜Pssst,’ I heard from the side.
    I blinked.
    â€˜Ellie,’ someone whispered. ‘Over here!’
    Dazed, I turned to my left and saw three familiar faces peering out at me from the wings. The smallest, blondest one was holding a big bouquet of sunflowers, my favourite.
    â€˜Quick,’ Ashley hissed at me. ‘We’re not supposed to be back here but Cadence said this was where you would be. We brought you some flowers for your big debut!’
    â€˜And snakes,’ Riley said from behind her.
    â€˜And hugs,’ added Paige, holding out the bouquet.
    I smiled. There were other things, not dance-related, that your heart and blood and mind could tell you.
    And this time, I listened.

So You Think You Know Tap?
    Fun facts about tap and musical theatre:
Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken words, acting and dance. Musicals as we know them began to be popular in the first quarter of the 1900s. A lot of musical films you might have seen would have begun on the stage.
The first dog to play Sandy in the original Broadway production of Annie was saved from a pound and made a star. From then on, traditionally every dog who played Sandy was rescued from the pound.
Tap dancing is the fusion of British Isles clog and step dancing mixed with the rhythms of West African drumming. It began in the mid 1600s when Scottish andIrish workmen brought their social dances to the United States of America, where it was copied by slaves.
In the late 1800s, there were two tap techniques used: a fast style using wooden-soled shoes, and a smoother style using leather-soled shoes. By the 1920s they had merged when metal taps were introduced to the ball and heel of the dancer’s shoe. Before that, people would often stick coins on the bottom of their shoes to make a louder sound!
Hoofers are tap dancers who dance mostly with their legs, making a louder, more grounded sound. This kind of tap dancing is called ‘rhythm tap’.
‘Broadway tap’ is more common these days, and is a fluid style influenced by early tappers like Fred Astaire, who added elements ofballroom, and Gene Kelly, who used his ballet training to give tap athleticism.
    Famous tappers
Fred Astaire
Gene Kelly
Bill ‘Bojangles’ Robinson
Gregory Hines
Savion Glover
    Musicals with tap
Singin’ in the Rain
42nd Street
Billy Elliot
Mary Poppins
All That Jazz
    Movies with tap
Chicago
High School Musical
Happy Feet
Bootmen
Stepping Out

Glossary
    Hey there, hoofers!
    That is, of course, what they called tap dancers in the olden days. But tapping is just as much fun if you do it now! Here are some