Rosa and the Secret Princess

To Phoebe and Zoe, as they are the inspiration behind Magic Ballerina.

Magic Ballerina

Rosa and the Secret Princess

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 let’s follow Rosa 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…

Map

Rosa ran up the steps to the old front door and turned the brass handle. She liked to get to Madame Za-Za’s ballet school early so she could warm up before class and today was particularly special because it was her first day back after the summer holidays. She couldn’t wait for classes to start again.

Hurrying to the changing rooms, she put on her pink leotard. Over the summer she had made a new friend, Olivia, who was going to be starting at the ballet school that very day. Rosa had arranged to meet her before class to show her around. She was really looking forward to it!

It’s going to be very different this term, she thought. Several of the older girls who had been in her class had moved up into another group. Rosa was going to miss them, particularly her friend, Delphie. At the end of last term, Delphie had given Rosa a pair of red ballet shoes that didn’t fit her any longer. They were very old and the leather was very soft. Now Rosa took them out of her bag and put them on, crossing the ribbons neatly over her ankles and tying them firmly. They fitted perfectly.

When Delphie had given her the shoes, she had said something odd – something about: “Watch out for King Rat”. Rosa didn’t have a clue what she had meant by that, and the few times she had seen Delphie in the summer, the dark-haired girl had refused to tell her. She had just kept smiling mysteriously and saying that the ballet shoes were very special.

And indeed, Rosa loved them and couldn’t wait to start dancing. Going over to the mirror, she fixed her long white-blonde hair into a bun. Then she put on her favourite hairclip before leaving the changing rooms to go to the ballet studio. She wished she could come to classes every day. When I’m older I will, she thought. She was determined she was going to be a ballerina just like her mum had once been. Her mother didn’t dance any more because she had been in a car accident, which had left her in a wheelchair, but she helped Rosa practise.

Rosa went to the long wooden barre that ran all the way around the walls and began to warm up. The red ballet shoes felt really comfortable, and it was so lovely to be back in the ballet studio again that she completely lost track of the time. A little while later she looked at the clock and gasped. It was only a few minutes until the class started. She had promised Olivia she would meet her in the changing rooms almost ten minutes ago!

As Rosa ran back to the changing rooms, she was worried that Olivia would be alone and upset. She burst through the changing room doors and stopped dead…

Olivia was standing there with two of the other girls from the class. She was laughing as one of them helped her tie her brown hair back and smiled, in what seemed to Rosa a casual way. “Oh, hi there, Rosa!”

“Hi. I’m…I’m sorry I wasn’t here to meet you,” Rosa said, feeling a bit silly to have burst in so quickly. She felt suddenly unsure of herself, seeing her friend so at ease.

Olivia smiled. “Don’t worry. Everyone’s been really friendly. Asha and Rebecca showed me round.”

Asha, who was fixing Olivia’s hair, smiled. “Madame Za-Za’s a cool teacher. I bet you’re going to love coming to classes here, Olivia.”

A mixture of emotions swirled around inside Rosa. She was pleased that Olivia wasn’t upset but she also felt a tiny twinge of jealousy that the other girls had been the ones to take her new friend around. “I was going to show you how it worked and help you get ready,” she said. She knew she sounded cross and grumpy but she couldn’t stop herself. Olivia looked surprised. “But you weren’t here, Rosa and…” She broke off. “Look, why don’t you show me round again after class?”

“Oh, what’s the point?” Rosa said angrily. “You’ve seen everything now!” And with that, she marched back to the ballet studio.

As soon as Rosa got to the studio, her anger faded. She felt awful. She shouldn’t have snapped like that. All Olivia had done was make friends with the others.

I’d better say sorry, Rosa thought guiltily. She felt annoyed with herself. Her mum was always telling her she needed to control her temper and think more before she acted but sometimes she just couldn’t help herself. It just welled up inside her and came out – like all the times in her old school when the girls had teased her about her mum. Just then, Olivia came into the studio with the other girls and gave her a hurt look. But before Rosa could run over and apologise, Madame Za-Za also came in. The ballet teacher was wearing a calf-length dress and bangles on her wrists. Her hair was tied back in a loose bun. Her face was lined but her eyes were very bright. She clapped her hands for silence.

“Welcome, girls. Let’s start at the barre. No talking please!”

Rosa knew there would be no chance to say sorry now until the end of the class. Madame Za-Za got very cross if she thought anyone was chatting and not listening. “Facing the barre, first position please.”

Rosa followed Madame Za-Za’s instructions wishing she could apologise.

After they had worked at the barre and then in the centre of the room, Madame Za-Za told them that they were going to learn a dance from Swan Lake.

“Who can tell me the story of Swan Lake?” she asked.

Rosa put up her hand. It had been the last ballet her mother had ever danced in and one of her favourites. “It’s about a magician who enchants a princess called Odette. In the day time she’s a swan – the Swan Queen – but at night time she turns back into a girl.”

“Very good,” said Madame Za-Za. “That is indeed the basis of the story. One night, a prince sees the Swan Queen, falls in love with her and invites her to a ball. But the evil magician stops Odette from going and instead uses magic to disguise his daughter, Odile, to look like her. The prince thinking Odile is Odette asks her to marry him.”

Madame Za-Za smiled. “You will all be swans dancing with the Swan Queen. Rosa, I would like you to be the main part.”

Rosa gasped. “Me!”

Madame Za-Za smiled at her. “I am sure you will dance it very well.”

Rosa was delighted. She listened intently to Madame Za-Za’s instructions as all the swans surrounded the Swan Queen.

There was one tricky bit where she had to dance to one side and then the other, before turning another pirouette while the others danced in towards her and then out, over and over again. They practised it quite a few times without the music and then Madame Za-Za put the CD on. Rosa really wanted to get it right. But she overbalanced on her pirouette and bumped into Olivia, treading heavily on her foot. Olivia gasped and stumbled into Asha, knocking her over.

Madame Za-Za snapped the music off. “Honestly, girls. Come along, you can do better than that! Up you get, Asha. Let’s try again.”

Rosa looked quickly at Olivia. She tried to mouth “sorry” but Olivia turned away. Rosa groaned inwardly. She was sure Olivia thought she had stood on her foot on purpose.

When the class finished, she hurried towards her friend.

“Rosa!” Madame Za-Za called. “May I have a word please?”

Rosa shot a look at Olivia’s disappearing back but there was nothing she could do. She walked back to the teacher. Madame Za-Za was putting away the CD. Rosa waited as she finished.

“I see you have the red ballet shoes, Rosa,“ Madame Za-Za said.

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