Chapter 9

Sharvona fished her keys out of her pocket and unlocked the door of her flat. The smell of chicken pasta wafted out of the door and she sniffed the air appreciatively.  She plonked her bag down by the coat rack and hung her jacket on the hook before making her way to the kitchen. 

“Hi mum, been cooking it smells nice” 

“Thanks darling, actually tonight is a celebration dinner for us… I have a new job!” 

“Really when did you apply?” asked Sharvona feeling confused. 

“Well to tell you the truth I was made redundant from my last post, they needed to get rid of some workers. So I applied for the secretarial office at the Shelham Dance Academy. I’ll be starting in September. The wages are much higher than what I was normally earning, so between us me and your dad can now afford to get you extra things”. 

“That’s great mum, today I was told that the gala is a competition. The first prize is a six week summer school at that Academy. It’s all in the letter Madame Tarknova gave me”. Sharvona ran out of the kitchen and pulled out the letter. She gave it to her mum who sat down at the kitchen table to read it. She read it through twice and then smiled widely. 

“Well done Sharvona, I had no idea it was a competition. There are 5 tickets here so let me see: me, your dad, Megan, Madame Tarknova and … I know how about your cousin Amy. She will be in London tomorrow and she is staying with her friend. I’ll call her and ask if she can come.” 

Amy was Sharvona’s favourite cousin. There was a big age gap but it did not stop her from loving her cousin just as though they were twin siblings. Amy was on leave from University; she had been studying law and was due to graduate in November. Sharvona felt like jumping up and down when she heard this news, she had not been able to contact her cousin for a while but she would be seeing her  next week. Two minutes later the door opened again and Sharvona’s dad came into the kitchen. He was a tall man with broad shoulders and a serious face; he wasn’t always serious and could be quite humorous when he wanted to be.  Sharvona ran up to him and told him the exciting news. 

“That’s brilliant Sharvona, do we get to come and see you perform?” 

“Yes and Mum says she’s going to ask Amy if she can come too”, replied Sharvona. Her mum fished out the pasta and the family was soon sitting down.  Sharvona tried not to feel too worried about the approaching gala. She had practised as hard as she could and all she could do was her best and hope that the judges would be fair. Suddenly she remembered that she had a History essay to complete, to make matters worse it was due tomorrow second lesson. Sharvona bolted down her food quickly and prepared to leave the kitchen. She snatched up a muffin from the cupboard and headed off to her room. She knew her parents were watching her with concern and so she tried her hardest to walk in a calm manner. 

Sharvona switched on her desktop lamp and stared gloomily at the sheet of lined paper. If she spent at least an hour on the essay tonight she could add any finishing touches during registration. She clicked her biro pen and began writing furiously, glancing every and now and then at her open textbook and exercise book. Fifty-five minutes later she pushed back the two sheets of paper with a smile of satisfaction. Her eyes felt very heavy but she was proud with the effort she had put into it. 

The next morning Sharvona was awake very early. She lay in bed listening to the dawn chorus and trying not to worry about the day ahead. She had completed her essay so she had no need to panic.  There was no noise from any part of the flat and so she assumed her parents must still be sleeping. Tying her dressing gown belt and slipping her feet into a pair of slippers Sharvona made her way into the kitchen. She quickly made herself a cup of tea and poured some cereal into a bowl. She sat down to eat her breakfast at the kitchen table, the clock showed half-past seven so that meant she had exactly half an hour left before Megan would knock for her. Sharvona shovelled the last spoonful into her mouth and ran off to get showered. She was out by ten to and by the time she had brushed her hair properly Megan was rapping on the door. Megan and Sharvona raced down their road to the school, Sharvona suddenly realized how much fun it was to run. It was one of the ways she could make herself think clearly, she always found she had more energy after a lot of strenuous exercise or a long run. 

School passed by without any mishaps and before anyone had realized the last bell had rung. Sharvona waited for Megan by the cloakroom. She had already told her about the tickets and the competition. Megan slipped on her coat and hooked her arm through Sharvona’s. 

“Can you come with me to Costa, my mum gave me some extra money because it’s Friday. I know you have the ballet rehearsals but I believe a break might do you good”, suggested Megan. Sharvona knew that she was right, even though the gala was a week from Saturday she probably could do with a quick break; surely it wouldn’t hurt that much. Sharvona smiled her thanks and the two of them set off for the nearest Costa branch. It was a fairly large one with leather seats and cream coloured walls. There was a big selection of cakes and teas. Sharvona and Megan selected their food and sat down at one of the tables. Sharvona was very grateful for Megan’s offer; she really did need a break. 

“I guess that’s what makes Megan the great friend she is, really good friends look out for your interests as well as their own”, thought Sharvona as she tucked into her ham and cheese Panini. 

“So, the gala’s next Saturday?” asked Megan as they prepared to leave. Sharvona zipped up her jacket and slung her backpack over her shoulder. 

“Yes, it is next week and you’re coming as well, do you want to knock for me or should we pick you up in our car. My dad’s driving us down but I’m guessing we are going to take the train down to Central London. My dad never knows the driving route around there”. 

Megan laughed and slipped her arm through Sharvona’s. 

“I’ll knock for you at 8 o’clock next Saturday. Then we can all go down to the station together”, said Megan as they walked back home. 

Chapter 10 

The following week was a flurry of activity. Sharvona had practises upon practises and a more homework on top of it all. She was beginning to get very depressed and secretly wondered if the gala was worth all this extra effort. Still she knew that Madame Tarknova wanted her to try her best and so try she would. She had found out from her Mum on Wednesday that Amy was able to come, Sharvona could not have been more pleased , she  really wanted her cousin to be proud of her. 

On Friday afternoon Sharvona ran down to her ballet class, she had tried on her costume yesterday and today was the dress rehearsal. She tried not to feel nervous as she wound her pony-tail into a bun and made her tiara secure. The dress was a rich peach colour with diamante studded around the waistline and a gauze overskirt. Sharvona tied up her ballet shoes and admired her reflection in the tall mirror that ran around the four walls of the studio. She smoothed out her tutu and then headed into the staging area. The school had marked of an area in the auditorium that was exactly the same size as the area she would dance in at the Royal Opera House. 

Sharvona warmed up by the barre with a sequence of pliés and battement de tendus. Madam Tarknova came hurrying in with the sheet of music rolled up under her arm.  

“Ah, Sharvona it’s nice to see that you are practising. Remember to keep your back straight, posture is the key element to dance. When you are on that stage you want to draw all eyes towards you.” 

Sharvona completed her exercise and then ran over to the practise square. She tried to focus her mind on her dancing as the first four bars of piano music floated around the room. Sharvona began to imagine that she was a blossom flower, spinning on its way to the earth; this was something she had been advised to do; in order to make her lighter on her feet. To anyone watching it seemed as though she were gliding over the smooth floor. The music drew to a close and Sharvona sank into a graceful curtsy, her right hand raised as though acknowledging the silent applause of her imagined audience. 

Madame Tarknova laughed and then applauded enthusiastically, “well done Sharvona, you have a true sense of showmanship. You danced as though you were inspired just now. If you dance like this on the day then I can’t imagine you receiving anything less than a standing ovation. 

Sharvona pirouetted around the room in a happy daze. She was a success, well may be not quite but she was very close. All the hard work seemed to be paying off gradually but the real test would be the gala. 

The way home seemed even shorter as Sharvona ran past the various houses that she saw on her route. The gala was the next day so Sharvona needed make sure she got plenty of rest. She ran up to her room and hung up her costume in the wardrobe, she had made a list of the things she needed to pack in her ballet bag: ballet shoes, hair net and hair brush. 

The morning of the gala dawned bright and clear, the sun danced in through the windows and onto the cream coloured rugs and polished wooden floor. The silence was broken by the persistent sound of the alarm clock ringing. Sharvona reached over and turned it off, the illuminated hands showed 6.45 this meant she had exactly one hour before she would have to leave for the gala. After she had washed she slipped on her lilac tracksuit and checked that everything was in her case. “Sharvona, are you nearly ready, Megan will be here any minute and so will your cousin. When they get here we need to leave immediately”, called her mum from out of the kitchen. 

“I’m ready, shall I wait in the living room for them Mum?” 

“Yes, please and can you ask your dad if he means to leave today or tomorrow. I can’t get him to hurry up in the shower” 

Sharvona laughed , she knew that her mum was only teasing. Amy and Megan both arrived at the same time and soon they were all seated on the train taking them to the Albert. The Royal Albert was packed with spectators. Sharvona went with Madam Tarknova to find her dressing room , while the others made their way to their seats in the auditorium. Sharvona quickly changed into her costume and then proceeded to apply her make up. She wound her hair into a bun and then pinned it in place. The final accessory was the tiara , Sharvona  secured the tiara using hair pins to make sure that it did not come loose. 

“Overture , beginners on stage please?” Called the stage assistant, Sharvona checked herself in the mirror one last time before hurrying into the wings of the auditorium. She could hear the buzz of chatter dying down and being replaced by thunderous applause. This must mean that the conductor and judges were coming in. Sharvona fiddled with the hem of her tutu nervously as she waited for her turn to come. When her name was called Sharvona glided gracefully across the brilliantly lit stage. Her entrance received a spontaneous burst of applause. She waited for the orchestra to begin and then raised her arms above her head. Her movements were fluid and graceful. The leg was extended to the full on the pirouettes and her grand jetés made her seem to quite literally fly through the air. The music drew to a close and Sharvona curtsied gracefully; she ran back to the wings and watched the rest of the performances. There were quite a few soloists and some group acts. There were all types of dancing ranging from tap to ballet and even the waltz. Eventually the performances concluded and everyone waited with bated breath to hear the outcome. One of the judges stood up and held a microphone to her mouth. 

“I’m sure that you will all agree with me that this has been a spectacular event. The young dancers here clearly have talent and have done themselves proud, however we must award a 1st, 2nd and 3rd prize. So without further ado…3rd prize goes to Amelia Smith”. There was a burst of cheering and a small girl who had performed a tap routine hurried to the stage. “2nd prize goes to the Oscar stage school group”, six children who had performed the flamenco jumped up and down squealing in excitement. “1st prize has been awarded, by a unanimous vote to. Sharvona!” Sharvona looked stunned and then she realized that the audience were now on their feet applauding and cheering. She walked up to receive her trophy and the entrance ticket to the Shelham Dance Academy. Getting to her friends and family was by no means easy, everyone wanted to congratulate her and praise her performance. Eventually she reached the box where everyone was. Megan jumped up from her seat and flung both arms around Sharvona’s neck. 

“You won, you did it” 

Sharvona smiled, she had done it now she had a six week summer school to look forward to.