Leaps & Lies

Chapter One

V ivian Ladoe didn’t set out to be a liar. She simply never imagined that she’d make it through Ellapond Ballet Company’s open audition. Despite being smaller and newer than some of the city’s dance companies, Ellapond has quickly earned a reputation synonymous with excellence.

Sure, she moved to Bristol from Brighton Harbor with the singular goal of pursuing her ballet career. And yes, breaking into a newer company is easier than being cast by one of the city’s ballet pillars, Mouveaux Dance, for example.

But still. The odds of being invited for a private audition were so slim during her open audition that Vivian never considered what to do if she saw Ladoe, Vivian on the callback section of EBC’s website. She barely let herself imagine the possibility.

As she sits on her lumpy green couch in her shoebox studio apartment, Vivian stares at the email from Maureen in administration at Ellapond.

Thank you for your interest in joining the team at Ellapond Ballet Company. On behalf of our casting director, we invite you to join us for a company class. Please indicate which of the company classes you are available to attend.

Vivian prefers not to call herself a liar, but as she stares at Maureen’s email, a brick of anxiety settles in her stomach. It’s a poorly kept secret that youth is a prized characteristic among dancers. Bright eyes, nimble limbs, and naive malleability make for beautiful ballerinas. Particularly from the perspective of choreographers and directors aiming to avoid the physical limitations and hefty price tags of seasoned professionals.

Ballet has always been Vivian’s dream. The language of her soul. After twenty-four years of just scraping by, dance is hers . The thing that draws the line between surviving and living.

But auditioning in her age group is practically a death sentence. If she’s lucky, Vivian might get a chance to be selected for the corps de ballet, but she’ll have absolutely no shot at a more prestigious role. Even the newest dance company isn’t going to risk casting her with no resume or portfolio as a soloist. As a no-name ballet dancer auditioning for the first time at twenty-four, she’ll be lucky if they don’t laugh her out of the company class.

By twenty-four, she should be on her way to the height of her career, not stepping onstage for the first time. Older dancers come with higher salary requirements, higher injury risks, and sometimes higher rates of drama. She understands why Ellapond would write her off. But she’s never going to get onstage if she doesn’t get in the door—any door.

With the weight of guilt pressing down on her shoulders and forming a pit in her stomach, Vivian emails Maureen to schedule her private audition during the YA (15–20) Company Class on Tuesday afternoon. Here’s hoping no one asks for her ID.