I'm So Excited The Next Step

Previously on The Next Step...

'I think something's going on between Michelle and Eldon'

but I'm not exactly sure what.

It appears the dance crew, Seeds, has been saved at the 11th hour.

A dancer from a rival crew has agreed to step in and dance for them.

-We're even.

-All right, Compass.

-All right.

You guys are a joke.

Honestly, I just want to take Elite down.

CHEERING

MUSIC: Stutter by Marianas Trench

# O-oh, oh-o-o-o-oh

# And I'm begging you, bring me back to life,

# I just can't stand leaving you alone tonight... #

It's our first dance-off and

I feel awesome right now performing in front of all these people.

In this first round, we're up against Annex Dance Academy.

# Stutter, stutter, stutter

# Di-di, di-di-di-di-di

# Stutter, stutter, stutter... #

Teams compete one-on-one, and the judges award scores.

The judges have arrived at a decision

and in their first round, The Next Step has scored 86 points.

We scored 86 in the first round, which is pretty good.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Now, Annex Dance Academy is coming out to face the judges.

If they score higher than 86 points,

we're cut immediately.

Annex Dance Academy scores 84 points.

The Next Step moves to the second round

and Annex Dance Academy is eliminated from the competition.

A beautiful performance, but just not enough this time,

so they'll be going home.

I'm so happy we won our first round.

Now, we just have to win four more head-to-head dance-offs, and then

we will be the Regional Champions.

# We, we are gonna show the world

# Everything we're made of

# We're gonna tear the roof off this place

# Stand up! #

First-round dance-offs continue here at the Absolute Dance Regionals.

Watching some of the other dance teams is kind of boggling me,

because every dance team is really good.

It's way better than last year.

I just hope we've worked hard enough.

ConfiDance is moving on to the second round,

and CC is eliminated from the competition.

The competition continues to whittle down, and it's going to be

even tighter from this point on out.

And Elite, with the highest score so far, gets a total of 91 points.

Well, the Elite Dance Academy certainly showed off their mettle

with an impressive ten-point win over Step/s In Time,

and they're off to the second round.

I'm excited. They're one of my faves.

In their second dance-off, The Next Step scores 87 points,

and they're off to the next round.

Our biggest competitors are definitely Seeds and Elite.

Elite Dance Academy, they're our nemesis right now.

Earlier today, reporter Lisa Thompson spoke with

Elite Dance Academy captain, Amanda.

So, tell me about a memorable win for you in your career.

Um, definitely last year,

because of The Next Step coming and competing against us

and knowing that they wanted to beat us so bad.

Just, the victory made it so much better.

And really, in my opinion, it's really... It's their title to lose.

You know, Stacey, a lot of criticism

has been levied at this dance group,

because, well, they come across as cocky.

You know what? I don't know if it's cocky so much as confidence.

You know, they definitely are competitors.

It's one thing to talk the talk,

quite another thing to walk the walk.

Well, Elite Dance Company

has been walking and talking to three straight regional titles.

Count them chickens.

'Obviously, I'm nervous because they're such an amazing team'

but...I also just want to crush them.

# Tonight I want to see you dance with me

# Tonight I want to see you... #

# I want to see you dance so, so get on the floor... #

So we're just waiting to get onstage to qualify for the semifinals.

We're going head-to-head with Dance Inc in this round.

-Turn your head around.

-Is my hair piece in tight enough?

Can you relax? We're going to be fine.

I feel like my hair isn't done right. I should have put on more make-up.

I only have one shoe. I lost a shoe!

-Good?

-Good.

-'You forget your dance, then you remember,

'then you forget to put on lipstick, then you forget your jazz shoes,'

it's just like, craziness right before you get on stage.

Yo, man. How are you so chill right now?

Don't even worry about it.

# Say you will dance with me all night

# Say you will, I want you to be mine

# Say you will dance with me all night... #

You look beautiful.

-Really?

-Yeah.

Eldon telling me that I look good is...

It's really nice of him.

-Thanks.

-No problem.

'I kind of find it weird.

'I mean, yeah, Michelle's really pretty, but is it really necessary'

for my boyfriend to tell her that?

# Tonight I want to see you dance with me

# See you dance with me... #

-Good luck.

-Good luck, guys.

-You can do this!

'Dance Inc is doing a lot better than we expected.'

I mean, they're not exactly known for being amazing,

but right now...they are.

# Say you will dance with me all night

# Say you will... #

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

'I'm not nervous to go out. I just...'

I really want to get out there.

In their third round, Dance Inc scores 85 points.

THEY SCREAM

-That's pretty good.

-We just need to get higher than 85 to beat Dance Inc

and get to the semifinal round.

'It's not impossible.

'I mean, we got 86 and 87 on our last two routines.'

We just can't mess up.

Next up, competing against Dance Inc for the semifinal spot

is the Next Step.

Come on, guys! Do it!

-Keep your heads up!

-You got this!

'Dance Inc is a great studio'

but...I think we got this one in the bag.

They are kicking it into high gear

and I'm expecting some of their best dancing.

-So, let's see how Next Step fares.

-Absolutely.

MUSIC: Stutter by Marianas Trench

# I know I never make this easy

# It's easier to disappear

# You say, give me something that I can go on

# Together, yeah, anywhere but here

# Sing it back... #

'Kate and I are watching in the wings, they're doing so great.'

Better than they've ever done.

'I'm blown away. I mean, this is the best I have ever seen them perform.

'The energy is oozing out of'

every single of their fingers, their toes, their everything,

they're just... They're doing so good.

'All of a sudden, my glove gets caught in my feather'

and I know, right at that moment, we're done.

'She ran at me and I looked in her eyes'

and I could definitely tell something was wrong.

KATE'S VOICE ECHOES: 'Get focused, OK?'

'One chance at winning the regionals.'

'We actually have a shot at regionals this year.'

'I know that this could be the end for us.'

Something like that can make the difference

between winning and losing.

# Stutter, stutter, stutter

# Di-di, di-di-di-di-di

# Stutter, stutter

# Di-di-di, di-di, di-di-di. #

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Well...

Stacey, that was...

..an excellent routine if not for that one scenario,

where the hair clip comes out. That is devastating, is it not?

It is really devastating at this point in the competition.

Something like that can really throw the score.

So, I mean, she must be feeling all sorts of horrible right now.

In your experiences, is that a difference-maker?

-Absolutely. You know...

-Really?

-Yes.

Even with Riley's mess-up, I still think we can get higher than an 85.

But if we don't? Then we're going home.

The judges have arrived at a decision.

-Smile!

-Come on, guys!

-Smile!

-Be positive. Let's do this.

In their third round, The Next Step scores...

84 points.

The Next Step is eliminated.

APPLAUSE

APPLAUSE

Dance Inc is moving on to the semifinal round.

DANCE INC MEMBERS CHEER

Hey, guys, great job. Don't worry about it.

'Losing to Dance Inc. is an awful feeling.

'We wanted this so badly, and to have it taken away from us...'

..it's bad.

Guys, my hand got caught in it...

and then it fell out, and we just lost because of me.

-Riley...

-We just lost!

-Riley...

This stuff happens.

We were so close.

It's fine, Riley, look, we all gave it our best shot.

'It just makes me so upset.'

I let the team down. I let everybody down.

And now we lost! We lost it all!

Riley, everyone was great, OK? You gave it your all,

-it happened and there's nothing we can do about it now.

-Kate's right.

Look, you can't do this to yourself. OK?

You just can't.

Why is everyone so upset?

James, really?

Cos, uh, last time I checked...

we have a chance in getting the wild card spot.

You see?

I completely forgot about the wild card.

That's true.

And we're going to get it. So...

'It's kind of the smartest thing James said all year.'

I've never heard something that intelligent come out of his mouth.

You know what? For once, James is right!

I mean, other than Riley's hairpiece, we were flawless.

So maybe our score will be high enough to get us there.

-We worked too hard not to make it to nationals.

-Absolutely.

I'm sorry, guys.

ALL: Riley, stop!

# I've learned

# In my darkest hour

# As you looked down from your tower... #

Art And Soul is going head-to-head with Elite in this round

to see which one of them will make it to the semifinals.

# You and no other

# So I will wait... #

Elite has already won two rounds in their bracket

and they only have to win one more to move on to the semifinals.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Wow, that was, uh...

ethereal, orchestral. That was something else to behold.

You know, they are innovative, they are fresh,

they are contemporary at its best.

Elite has won three times in a row at Regionals,

so Art And Soul has no chance of beating Elite in this round.

Elite Dance Academy is looking really good.

Well, Chuck, to be honest,

they really are one of my favourite teams.

They are time after time just on point.

So I'm just really excited to see what they pull out here.

Well, they certainly haven't disappointed, have they?

-Absolutely not.

-As they gun for a fourth straight regional title.

-Let's take a look.

-All right.

LOW ELECTRONIC ORGAN MUSIC

APPLAUSE

Already, just the way they take the stage is...

-Truly, they're professionals.

-It's like an occasion.

CAMERA CLICKS

CHEERING

'When I was at Elite, this was the dance they were learning'

for regionals, so they've been working on it a long time.

It's really a piece of art.

I wish I could say that Elite wasn't dancing very well,

but I can't watch one of Elite's numbers and say that.

-ELDON:

-It's mapped out perfectly. The choreography is perfect.

Elite's dancing can only really be described as impeccable.

I mean, they're exceptional. The choreography, the tricks.

Their technique alone should win them this whole competition.

-They look like a team that is primed for a fourth...

-And the audience...

-..regional championship. They love it.

-You can just hear it.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Elite's dance seems to just be getting better and better

every time they perform it.

Art And Soul definitely has no shot against Elite.

Elite has scored...

..94 points.

CHEERING

They have defeated Art And Soul and are advancing to the semifinals.

They just sailed on into the semifinals like it's nothing.

I am not surprised that Elite made it to the semifinals.

I just hope we can get there too.

Seeds' score of 88 is enough to defeat ConfiDance,

and get them to the semifinal round.

So, that's a pretty good score right off the bat, you know,

heading into the semifinals.

The three troupes that have made it into the semifinals are...

Elite...

Seeds...

and Dance Inc.

The fourth contender will be the wild card winner,

and let me tell you,

it's a debate that's been long-held in the sports world.

Traditionalists hate anything to do with a wild card.

This is my favourite part of the competition, because

it's really just, all the dancers are waiting for that second chance.

And I mean, my heart is pounding.

I'm nervous for them. cos it's really,

it means everything, you know, to get into the semifinals.

Will The Next Step, ConfiDance, and Art And Soul please take the stage?

EMILY: The wild card spot is decided by the judges.

They take the highest scoring losing teams,

throw out their scores and then decide who best deserves that spot.

It's really a crying shame that one of these teams,

two of these teams are going home.

Absolutely. But how exciting for the team that gets that wild card spot.

This is it, this is our last chance. If we don't get this wild card spot,

we're literally going home. And it was a waste of a year.

'West helped Seeds get to the semifinals'

just because we wanted to face them.

'And now we might not even get a chance.'

That's just kind of a little ironic to me.

It's really nerve-racking waiting for the news about the wild card spot.

'Michelle just grabbed my hand

'and after I realised it, I didn't let go.'

Neither did she. And I wanted to share this moment with her.

The judges have made their decision.

The troupe that will be facing Seeds in the semifinal round is...

..The Next Step!

THEY CHEER

-The Next Step, what a trip they are on.

-They did that well.

The phoenix rises, The Little Engine That Could did,

-sending them to the semifinals.

-Whoo!

'I'm just so stoked, and I'm so ready to go out there onstage'

and bring it so much more than we have.

'Not only do I get to make it up to everybody'

for losing my hairpiece onstage,

but we get a chance to beat Seeds.

THEY WHOOP

Oh, my gosh, welcome to the semis!

Finally, my team is able to go up against Seeds.

I can't wait to see West dance for The Next Step against Seeds,

the team he was dancing for.

It just means that we're one step closer

to being in the finals.

I'm actually pretty happy that we don't have to go up against Elite.

Yet.

-The drama unfolds right in front of us.

-Incredible. Wow.

Next Step, moving on to the semifinals

at the Absolute Dance Regional Championships.

# We, we are gonna show the world

# Everything we're made of

# We're gonna tear the roof off this place

# No, you can never fade us out

# Don't even ask the DJ

# Everybody knows we own this sound. #