Livin' on a Prayer The Next Step

Previously on The Next Step...

-Hello?

-Hey, Alfie.

When are you coming down to the studio?

Tomorrow? The day after?

I'm not coming back.

I'm in Switzerland.

I've pushed myself so hard that I'm feeling a little lightheaded.

I wanted to be a good studio head, but I forgot to be a good friend...

and look what happened.

We would leave for the tour the same day

The Next Step would be dancing in the finals at regionals.

I can't bail on the team.

I guess you have a big decision to make.

I can't let the team down, not after Riley gave me this chance.

Can I?

I went back to Switzerland to forget about Riley...

but forgetting about her is impossible.

I thought time would help me heal my heart,

but I keep hoping that Riley's going to walk through those doors.

When I walk into Alfie's private studio,

I am sure I am the last person he wants to see.

But this is important.

I came all the way here because there is something I need to say.

I just hope Alfie's ready to hear it.

We need to talk.

# We

# We're gonna show the world

# Everything we're made of

# We're gonna tear the roof off this place

# Stand up! #

Welcome to day three of SNR's coverage of the

Absolute Dance Regionals competition.

I'm Chuck Anderson, alongside Tanisha Scott.

You know, today's duets competition determines which teams are moving on

to the semifinals.

We just saw Rhythm Plus advance

and now Sean Boutilier Academy of Dance -

we will see what they can put on the floor right now.

I'm really nervous.

What? But nerves never bother you.

Not nerves like this.

Watching these dancers,

knowing that the team is relying on us to get through to the semifinals,

all I can think about is how Noah and I lost at the qualifier.

It's too much pressure.

You know what? Pretend like you are dancing in your bedroom.

That's what I did when I was dancing at internationals.

Well, that and...

I was blindfolded.

I like that.

Works every time.

And here comes The Next Step,

stepping up onto the stage for their duet.

This is the moment of truth.

All we can do now is dance.

Certainly has a bit of a James Bond vibe to this...

-It does.

-..routine.

-I love the strength...

-NOAH:

-I feel amazing, dancing alongside Richelle.

This is the strongest I have felt in a long time.

-CHUCK:

-They really complement each other well, don't they?

-TANISHA:

-Without a doubt.

RICHELLE: I feel absolutely amazing,

but if the judges didn't like our duet,

regionals ends here for us.

And I thought I was nervous before.

If they lose again, they are out.

Will The Next Step stay alive?

Let's hear from the judges.

-TANNOY:

-The winning team is...

The Next Step.

-NOAH:

-We won.

This is amazing. The dance, the moves, my partner, the audience,

I can't ask for more.

We are going to the next round.

Sweet pad.

You've come a long way for nothing, you know that?

I don't want to hear what you have to say.

Let me say my piece and I will leave.

OK?

Shoot.

You are a great guy.

And I know that Riley likes you a lot.

But I am the love of her life...

..and she's the love of mine...

..and that's just the way it is.

I understand that.

No, you need to actually understand that.

You need to stop hoping that she's

going to walk through your palace doors and be with you.

-You have no idea what I feel right now.

-You are hurt.

You are in pain.

You love Riley and she doesn't love you back.

She loves me.

That's an impossible place to be.

And I know that this is the most soul-crushing thing

for you to be hearing right now...

..but you have to accept it.

You are going to find true love one day, man...

just not with Riley.

Welcome back to our coverage here on SNR.

Of course, this is the small-group portion and we have only four teams

remaining with the winners moving on to the finals.

Where is he?

What's going on, Riley?

-I keep calling and texting James, but he's not responding.

-Weird.

I have an offer to leave A Troupe and join a world dance tour,

but time is running out.

How can I choose between A Troupe and my dream?

Riley, do you ever miss dancing in the competition?

No.

I mean, once I became studio head,

I feel like I moved on from competitive dancing.

I mean, when I first made the decision,

I wasn't 100% sure, but...

I feel like now I grew into it.

I'm just going to go get some air.

-OK.

-Gisele needs an answer by the end of the day

and I'm still not sure what to do.

Riley left A Troupe to pursue her dreams.

I'm sure she would support me if I decided to do the same...

right?

-Hey, Amanda.

-Hey.

-So I had exactly two minutes between dances,

so I thought I would come and check in to see how you're doing.

-How am I doing?

-Yeah.

-Well, I have to make the biggest decision

of my life by the end of the day.

I really don't know what to do and I'm kind of freaking out,

having a mini panic attack. And see how fast I'm talking?

-It's going even faster in my head.

-OK, Amanda, breathe.

So if you were to go on this world tour, what would be the pros?

Well, I would be a paid professional dancer.

I would get to see the world.

I would meet a lot of amazing new people.

And I would be a part of something big and insane.

And what would be the cons?

I wouldn't get to dance in the final number.

Well, we have nine dancers, so even if we do get to the finals,

we won't be dancing.

I would be away from you for a long time.

If you decide to go, I will be here waiting for you.

Don't make a decision on me.

Make it for you.

Thanks.

Well, I can't wait to hear what your decision is,

but I've kind of got to go and rehearse for our small group dance,

-like right now.

-OK, wait. A kiss for good luck.

-OK, go.

-OK.

-Noah is the greatest boyfriend in the world

and the idea of leaving him makes this decision impossible.

This is a disaster.

Well, so far, so good from The Geminis,

earning their way through to the first round of semifinals.

Small group routine is our last stop before the final round.

It's a really important dance and, I've got to be honest,

I am happy we are not facing The Geminis.

So they are using a basketball.

-Here we go with the prop again.

-Uh-huh.

And they took major chances with this

because you have to know how to dribble,

you have to pass at the same speed. You can easily mess things up.

This is a team that looks primed to go right to the top of this competition.

So far, no team has come up with

the choreography that they are actually giving

and I wouldn't be surprised if they actually won this whole competition.

Wow. No matter what The Geminis do, it just seems to be incredible.

I can't believe I pulled us out of the second qualifier because I was

afraid of losing Alfie and yet, here we are, without him,

and it's all because of me.

As ironic as it is, we are going to be fine.

-Wow.

-The Geminis seem unstoppable.

Even though Rhythm Plus had a great routine,

The Geminis killed that dance.

I would hate them if they weren't so good.

-TANNOY:

-The winning team moving forward in this competition...

The Gemini Dancers.

And The Geminis take it again.

It's like I said before, they are definitely the team to beat

and I do see them winning this whole competition.

The Geminis won again.

That means, if we win our semifinal round,

we will be going head-to-head against them in the finals.

Is that everything?

The Next Step is not eligible to win regionals without you.

Why?

Well, Sloane got disqualified, Michelle's in hospital.

Basically, you need to come back with me and dance the regionals,

or The Next Step loses.

No.

Don't you owe that much to the studio?

They became your friends, man.

And they were there for you when you needed them.

And now, when they need you,

what, you're going to chill out here and lick your wounds, like a coward?

You're manipulating me.

All this stuff you said before to help me move on, that's all just...

to get me to come back and dance.

Alfie, think about Riley - she needs you.

Riley's the last person I want to think about right now!

I'm sorry.

My answer's no.

Look, I know you are new at having friends...

..but you have them.

The wealth of our lives is measured by our friendships...

..and all of this is worth nothing without them.

As I am leaving Alfie's studio,

I can't help but think that

the chances for the team are pretty slim.

I've said my piece.

I guess we're going to have to think of something else that we can do.

Watching a beautiful dance routine like this

reminds me of how much I love dance,

but when I think of how much

Noah and I have been through this year,

I finally know what I need to do.

Is everything OK?

I... Yeah. Just...got to go.

Amanda leaves just before we are about to go on stage.

She's not even going to be here to support her team?

That's not like her.

-Gisele.

-Hey.

-Thank you for meeting me here.

-It's OK. What's going on?

I'm not coming on tour, not right now.

-OK.

-I feel like I've finally found my spot on A Troupe

and I'm not ready to give that up yet.

Plus, the team's really been there for me this year

and I want to be there for them, too.

Amanda, I just want you to understand that this tour is a

once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Yeah.

The team just means more to me.

OK.

But you should go watch your team kick some butt.

And you go kick some butt on tour.

I will.

-Love you.

-Love you, too.

-I will see you later, OK?

-OK.

I never thought I would pass on an opportunity this big,

but I have to follow my heart.

This is what feels right.

-CROWD:

-Yeah!

This is a wonderful routine.

It is really beautifully choreographed.

-Hi.

-Hey.

-TANNOY:

-And would The Next Step please take the stage?

Good luck, guys.

This is it. Since Sloane was disqualified,

LaTroy is taking her place.

There have been a lot of line-up changes in this dance

and I hope these guys can pull it together,

otherwise we are going home.

HENRY: When I take the stage,

it's like a rush of energy just comes out of me.

You see the lights, you see all the people in the crowd,

and you're just thinking, "Now's the time."

-TANISHA:

-Oh, now, this is street hip-hop.

OK.

-LATROY:

-I learned these steps yesterday and I'm a little nervous.

But when I see Sloane in the crowd...

I feel OK.

-AMANDA:

-I'm watching the small group and everyone's amazing,

but I can't take my eyes off Noah.

And it makes me realise I am ready to tell him how I feel.

-There is a definite connection with the audience.

-Without a doubt.

And the use of canons.

Canons, Chuck, are when one dancer can move to one place following

through what the other dancer did.

-It's great staging.

-They are having fun, too.

Absolutely.

NOAH: I feel absolutely awesome in this dance.

Everyone's just bringing it.

And what a finish!

Look at the crowd.

-AMANDA:

-That was incredible.

No matter what happens next, I am so proud of our team.

But I gave up a world tour for this.

I really want to dance in the finals.

-TANNOY:

-The team moving forward...

Here we go.

..is...

-The Next Step.

-Yes!

-CHUCK:

-And The Next Step lives to dance another day.

We will see them alongside the upstart Geminis in the finals.

And let's hope that they don't disappoint.

-AMANDA:

-Noah, you were incredible.

The duet and the small group?

-What can I say?

-Enough about me.

What did you decide on the tour?

I decided that...

I am not going to go on the world tour.

I just can't leave the team right now.

They are too important to me.

You are too important to me...

..because...

I love you.

You love me?

More than anything.

I love you, too.

It feels so good to finally tell Noah that I love him.

I wanted to wait until I was sure and I have never been more sure of

anything in my life.

First of all, I want to say

congratulations for all your hard work.

You guys should be super proud of yourselves.

You gave it everything you've got

and we finally made it to the finals.

But we only have nine dancers.

Yes. I know.

The last dance requires ten dancers, but we only have nine.

It breaks my heart, especially after seeing

how hard the team worked to get here.

Look, as far as I see it, we only have two options.

We either forfeit now and we go home,

or we take that stage with pride and we dance our hearts out.

If you guys want to go home now, then we will do it.

We are with you, Riley. We will dance,

all nine of us. Right, guys?

ALL: Right. Yeah.

I am going to go on stage with The Next Step tomorrow and lose

instead of going on tour with Gisele.

But you know what?

I have no regrets.

We won't be in contention for the trophy, but we will do our best.

-Yes?

-ALL Yes!

-OK, then.

-Let's go.

-Bring it in.

-That's cute.

-What?

What are you guys hugging for?

-ALL:

-James? What's he doing here?

What's up?

What are you doing here? Where have you been?

I've been trying to get hold of you.

-I went on a trip.

-What?

I got you something.

That's sweet, but I'm not really in the mood

for any souvenirs right now.

Not even one from Switzerland?

ALL: Alfie!

I can't believe this.

With Alfie back, we could actually win regionals.

Staying with the team was the best decision ever.

# We

# We're gonna show the world

# Everything we're made of

# We're gonna tear the roof off this place

# You

# You can never fade us out

# Don't even ask the DJ

# Everybody knows we own this sound... #