You Love Me The Next Step

Previously on The Next Step...

-They're so in sync.

-Yup.

I feel like no-one wants to go up against LOD because

as soon as you face them, you know you're going home.

The Next Step!

I'm so happy that I won.

This means that our whole team gets to perform

in the semifinals round.

# Oh

# If I beg and I plead

# Will you stay by me? #

Attention, all groups competing this afternoon must report back to the...

Whoo-hoo.

Right now, we're on an empty stage rehearsing

our routine for the semifinals.

Since Michelle won the fourth round,

we will be competing against Joanne Chapman's.

I'm getting kind of nervous because Joanne Chapman's is really good.

They're really clean and really up to date with their style.

But I am still happy we don't have to go up against LOD...

yet.

As I'm warming up on stage, I look over and I see Thalia

kind of walking around, just looking at the floor.

Thalia...what are you doing?

I'm looking for the sweet spot.

A sweet spot is a place that really gives me good energy.

It is a place that feels like magic

and where someone can be really comfortable.

Ah, see? I knew it.

Actually, I found a sweet spot in my solo.

Right here.

-Over here?

-Right here, nope.

Over here?

No, no, no, no, no.

Over here.

Right there.

This feels good.

It's our secret, though.

OK.

Hey, guys.

Just so you know, we have around ten more minutes on the stage,

so, uh, make sure you're in the zone, all right?

The team does look good,

but I don't know if it's good enough to beat the other three.

Hey, what's up?

Hey! How are you?

Good, good.

So, you know, I've been...

I've been doing some big thinking.

And what big thoughts have you been having?

Well...

I think we should go on a date.

What?!

Yeah.

I mean, I'm shocked! It's out of nowhere.

I mean, I guess we have been hanging out a lot lately

and I don't hate the idea of dating him.

West, we are two hours away

from dancing in the semifinals at Nationals...

..and you think that you would take me on a date?

You know, we've been spending a lot of time recently

and, you know, I'm having a good time

and I want to continue to have good times with her.

You're ridiculous!

Well, you won't really know how ridiculous I am

until you agree to go on a date with me.

-All right?

-Go rehearse!

So, that's...that's a yes, right? All right, cool, sweet!

We need to focus. We have worked so hard to make it

to the final four

and I don't want anything to get in the way of that.

# We

# We are gonna show the world

# Everything we're made of

# We're gonna tear the roof off this place

# Stand up! #

Last year at Nationals, CDC was bounced in the fourth round.

This year? You could say mission accomplished.

They are in the final four, but they are in tough.

Yep, and they are up against Life Of Dance

And, you know, right now for CDC...

it's life or death.

-Guys.

-Hey.

How are they doing?

Um...they're amazing.

CDC is actually a lot like The Next Step.

We're both in the semifinals for the first time and we're both

going up against groups that made it to the finals last year.

Their storyline I think is what pushes it

really over the edge.

They have a Charlie Chaplin character who

starts off really happy and he gives flowers to all

the other characters who are kind of sad.

And it...

It's really cool because it's a contemporary number

but it's to this old comedian.

Probably one of the most creative pieces

I've seen at Nationals.

He's just trying to make everybody happy

so he gives people these flowers to make them happy,

and by the end he runs out of flowers, so he becomes sad himself.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

That was good.

CDC'S number was really good and I always love creativity

but, for the judges, I don't know if it's clean enough

to beat Life Of Dance.

West.

-Hey.

-Hi. Uh...

I have a question...

Yeah, about us...going on a date, right?

-Yeah, that.

-Yeah.

I just want to know why someone

like West would even want to date someone like me.

I'm controlling...

You know, she sees herself as controlling, stubborn, mean...

I see the good in her and it's unfortunate that she doesn't.

Emily. I see so much more in you than that.

When West tells me he sees so much more in me,

it makes me believe in myself a little bit more.

CHEERING

# I know you better than you know yourself

# You're trying to tell me... #

LOD's concept for their routine is that one person

breaks free from the group

and the rest of the group tries to bring them back.

It's kind of like LOD itself -

you can never escape.

# You keep yourself locked up in these castle walls

# Where no-one comes to save you till you know who's at fault... #

Their mix of stepping with soundography -

almost perfection, if not perfect.

I feel bad for CDC.

# Oh, you ran to me

# When you broke free

# When you broke free, yeah

# These chains have come unchained

# Now you'll never be the same from today

# And you don't know what to say... #

-Wow!

-Yeah!

# To the roots of the forests and the trees

# No-one ever said it was gonna be easy

# You have to believe

# Oh, you ran to me

# When you broke free

# When you broke free, yeah... #

Everything they do is so precise, so sharp and so together -

they're seriously like an army.

A dance troupe army.

# Don't know what to say, don't know what to say

# Keep on shining through

# Don't let anybody see

# Only you know the truth

# But while you're here

# You cannot undo. #

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Did Life Of Dance wrap up another trip to the finals

here at the Absolute Dance National Championships?

We're about to find out.

CDC had a great story to their routine

but LOD all around are just better dancers.

And if you're judging just on dance, then LOD is the clear winner.

The first of two dance troupes in the finals is...

Life Of Dance!

And so, for a fourth consecutive year,

Life Of Dance will be moving on to the finals

here at the Absolute Dance National Championships.

It's amazing that we've come this far, but if we win

the semifinals, we're going to have to compete

against Life Of Dance.

And to beat Life Of Dance...

we're going to have to pull a miracle.

# Unsinkable

# Unsinkable. #

Well, Life Of Dance is off to the final,

but we've got ourselves quite a confrontation in moments

as Joanne Chapman gets set to take on The Next Step.

-Got to go all or nothing.

-I know. This is it, man.

I know, this is it.

Last year, they lost in the finals.

This year, they're coming back

for a rematch against Life Of Dance, so they've got some fire.

And they're about to take the stage right here

at the Absolute Dance National Championships.

We should honour them with our presence.

# Darling, I'm lost

# Adrift in the dark... #

The story behind Joanne Chapman's dance is a little dark,

but in kind of a beautiful way.

# So let in the light... #

This girl who sees a letter explaining to her

that someone she cares about has left.

From then on, the darkness - which is all the dancers

in the dark costumes - kind of consume her.

They're just so emotional

and so invested in what they're doing,

even I'm getting goose bumps watching it.

# In the darkest place

# My reflection

# Shows only your face

# Something is found... #

Psst. Emily. Come on.

I pulled Emily aside because

I've been doing a lot of thinking about

what she said. You know, why I like her.

I think I have an answer.

A book.

Yeah.

I'm... I'm sorry, I don't get it.

Open it up to the page I marked.

-Fire fairies?

-Yeah.

They're in charge of volcanoes, lava, fireworks, the sun,

and they're very fierce and loyal.

But once you get their friendship, anything is possible.

I know you think you're difficult

and hard to be around,

but I see you as a fire fairy.

When West tells me I'm a fire fairy,

it's honestly one of the nicest things

that anyone has ever said to me.

So, uh, am I winning you over?

We'll see how you dance!

That's a yes.

# I spilled someone's blood

# I broke someone's heart again

# Someone you knew

# You're looking at him, my friend... #

-This is it! This is it.

-Ready, ready, ready.

Yes, yes, yes, yes.

This will be the first time that a lot of us

have stepped out onto that national stage

and now it's time for everyone

to come together as a team and make it to the final round.

# Here we are

# In the darkest place

# To keep from forgetting

# I picture your face... #

I look around and I see my team-mates

and I just know that we're going to do really well.

# While we count the cost... #

We all have each others' backs

and I know that we would all do anything for this team.

# So I curse you

# My vampire heart

# For letting me love you

# From the start. #

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

I can tell you one thing -

these dancers do not want to go home.

The Next Step is off in the wings.

Looking at what they just saw,

that is quite a performance to have to ratchet it up to.

It is the time.

Time to perform.

All right, West, set us up, brah!

It's finally time for us to go out on that stage and do what we do.

Let's do it! You got this, let's go!

It's time for the team to come together, it's time for us

to work together, it's time for us to prove

that we're here to win.

CHEERING

# You can hear the sirens off in the distance... #

The story of the dance basically is

we're all trying to get somewhere but we can't do it alone.

So it's all about teamwork and team chemistry.

# But here with you now

# I'm lost in this moment... #

So, as one person tries to get there,

they can't make it without all of us being there.

So Riley tries to get up and we all go with her

and, as people start moving closer and closer to the edge of the stage,

it's kind of pulling everyone forward.

We can't move on if we don't have everybody.

It's kind of like A-Troupe.

# Unsinkable

# Unsinkable

# Unsinkable

# Unsinkable

# These voices I call in the darkness

# I wanna let out what you hold inside... #

It is a crazy feeling, looking out at the audience

and there's 1,200 people looking right at you.

# What's behind those troubled eyes?

# I count every second that ticks by... #

I'm just kind of overwhelmed with all the amount of support

that we have from the audience. It's just screams and screams

and I can barely hear myself think.

# Unsinkable

# Unsinkable

# Unsinkable

# Unsinkable... #

The dance is going amazing.

I can feel us moving as one, breathing as one...

We have this. We're going to win.

You all right?

APPLAUSE

-Oh, my gosh, I think she's hurt.

-What?

Uh, Tre, I was just about to say -

fantastic routine, but I think there may have been an injury.

What did you think?

What's wrong?

Emily, Emily, Emily!

-Come on, come on, come on!

-Ow!

What's wrong, what's wrong, what's wrong?

Knowing whether or not we won can wait -

I just want to make sure my sister is fine.

I'm not quite sure what happened.

We'll obviously get those details

as they funnel into us, uh...

-What happened?

-My knee.

-Which knee?

-What do you mean, your knee?

I think I might have rolled it.

What?!

I landed on my knee wrong. It pops, I feel it.

I can't put any weight on it, I can't put any pressure on it.

Ow! Ow!

Well, if that's the case...

OK, not one, but a few more just ran off.

-You OK?

-What's going on?

-She hurt her knee.

Try standing on it.

-Careful.

-We got you.

-Come on, come on, come on.

Ow!

Injury's bad.

She can't put any weight on her knee.

It's not good.

This injury is not good.

It's such a special moment and for something...

Again, we're speculating here...

For something as tragic as an injury to happen

at this juncture of the competition?

-I can't even imagine what that feels like.

-Guys, go, go.

Here's the thing - you're allowed to have an alternate.

Uh, however, it appears that The Next Step

doesn't have any alternates left, Chuck.

That's a problem. That is going to be a huge problem.

What recourse for The Next Step

if they do have an injury to one of their team members?

That's a wait-and-see situation.

And the second team moving on to the finals is...

..The Next Step!

We did it!

Wow, yeah.

The Next Step is moving on. Or are they, Tre?

The rules stipulate that you have to have ten dancers compete

and it looks like The Next Step is really up against it here

as they are hoping to move on to the final.

When The Next Step wins, obviously I'm over the moon.

I mean, I can't really show it because of my knee,

but I'm happy I didn't ruin it for them.

Guys...

..I don't think I'm going to be able to dance.

No, don't say that. You can, you can.

You just need rest.

-Right?

-You just need rest, that's it.

-Guys...

..no.

We're going up against Life Of Dance

and we have an injured dancer.

Tell me how this is going to work out.

I have no idea...

what we're going to do now.