To Phoebe and Zoe, as they are the inspiration behind Magic Ballerina.
Welcome to the world of Enchantia!
I have always loved to dance. The captivating music and wonderful stories of ballet are so inspiring. So come with me and letâs follow Holly on her magical adventures in Enchantia, where the stories of dance will take you on a very special journey.
p.s. Turn to the back to learn a special dance step from me â¦
Cover
Title Page
Dedication
Authorâs notes
Map
Prologue
1 Dancing on Stage
2 The Enchanted Carousel
3 In the High Mountains
4 Dancing Magic
5 Captured!
6 Breaking the Spell
7 Saying Sorry
Darceyâs Magical Masterclass
Acknowledgements
Copyright
About the Publisher
In the soft, pale light, the girl stood with her head bent and her hands held lightly in front of her. There was a momentâs silence and then the first notes of the music began. For as long as the girl could remember music had seemed to tell her of another world â a magical, exciting world â that lay far, far away. She always felt if she could just close her eyes and lose herself, then she would get there. Maybe this time. As the music swirled inside her, she swept her arms above her head, rose on to her toes and began to dance â¦
Holly Wilde stood with her class, waiting to go on stage, as beautiful music filled the theatre. Her teacher, Madame Za-Za, had choreographed a forest ballet for their Christmas production and this dress rehearsal was the first time the girls had danced properly in their costumes. âOh, I hope we donât get anything wrong,â whispered Chloe, Hollyâs friend.
The other girls nodded anxiously.
âIâm so nervous!â said Alice.
âMe too,â agreed Lily.
Holly tucked a loose strand of brown hair back into her bun and moved a few steps away. She didnât feel nervous. After all, they were only dancing the part of the corps de ballet.
The corps were supposed to dance together with no one standing out or being different. A small sigh escaped Holly. She would have loved to have got a main part, but she had only been at Madame Za-Zaâs for six months and all the bigger roles had gone to the older girls.
She looked around at her classmates â like her, they were all wearing long white dresses to dance the parts of sylphs â fairy-like creatures with wings who led people astray. But, unlike her, the other girls were whispering nervously together. It made her feel very different.
But things are different for you, Holly reminded herself.
Her mum and dad were both professional ballet dancers and whilst that was exciting, it didnât make for the easiest of lives. Holly had spent most of her early years travelling around with either one or the other of them. Six months ago, they had decided that she needed to put down roots in one place, so sheâd been living with her aunt and uncle ever since. She was getting used to it and now, at least, sheâd made a friend in Chloe. Her first proper friend. Well, in this world, she thought.
An image of a dancing white cat flashed into Hollyâs mind and she smiled. For she had a secret â a pair of magic red ballet shoes that whisked her away to the land of Enchantia, where the characters from all the different ballets lived. Holly couldnât wait to go back, but so far the shoes hadnât sparkled with magic since her first visit.
Still, there was plenty of time for that, she told herself and snapping out of her reverie, she practised a plié, finishing by rising up on her toes, her free arm moving out gracefully to the side.
Chloe came over. âHow are you feeling?â
Holly looked at her in surprise. âFine.â
âReally?â Chloe whispered. âYouâre not nervous?â
âThereâs nothing to be nervous about, is there?â Holly said, as she heard a change in the music. âCome on, itâs almost time to go on. Weâd better join the others!â
They hurried over to get ready.
When they danced on to the stage, the lights were so bright, Holly couldnât see anything in the darkness of the auditorium, but she knew Madame Za-Za would be out there, watching them. Holly did just as the others were doing, moving forward with tiny running steps, sweeping her arms down, and then up and turning round, before continuing onwards again.
But gradually the music took hold and the urge to dance as well as she possibly could started to build inside her. She tried to ignore it at first, but it grew fiercer and stronger. When the others stood on their toes, their arms in the air, Holly held her position for a moment longer, and as they moved into a circle and stood on one leg, she lifted hers higher than anyone elseâs. She wanted to be different. She didnât want to be just the same. She wanted to dance her very best!
At the end of the dance, the girls all ran offstage in their line. Holly stopped in the wings and took a deep, happy breath. She felt wonderful!
She vaguely noticed a few of the other dancers giving her cross looks as they headed off to the changing rooms, but she didnât really take them in until Chloe came over to her. âHolly! How could you?â she said.
âWhat?â said Holly in surprise.
âDance like that. You were showing off like crazy!â
âNo, I wasnât,â Holly protested.
âBut you were!â Chloe went on. âYou know weâre supposed to be dancing together, all doing the same thing. But you were dancing differently. Madame Za-Zaâs going to be really mad.â
Holly felt a flash of anger as the buzzing happiness she had been feeling after the dance was abruptly extinguished. âI was only dancing as well as I could,â she said, aware that a certain amount of haughtiness had crept into her voice. âWhatâs wrong with that?â
âItâs not what you do when youâre dancing in the corps,â Chloe said. âYou know itâs not.â Her voice softened. âWeâre meant to act like a team.â
Holly felt angry and she marched away, grabbing her old red ballet shoes from where she had left them at the side of the stage. How could Chloe tell her off like that? They were supposed to be friends. How dare she say she was showing off!
But you were, werenât you? a little voice in her head pointed out.
I was just dancing the best I could, Holly thought defensively. Weâre supposed to do that.
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