Stand and Deliver The Next Step

Previously, on The Next Step:

-Richelle.

-Oh, my gosh! I'm dance captain?

-Yes.

-Congratulations, finally.

-Thank you.

-You won't regret this.

-I better not.

Piper, you're the new dance captain of The Next Step West.

I'm dance captain. I can't believe it.

I had to give up dance because it's just so expensive

and my family just couldn't afford it.

I can't believe our plan worked.

No more TNS East, no more TNS West.

I was able to get you an audition at Gemini.

That's it. My mom's going to make me go to the Geminis,

whether I like it or not.

Right now we're in Studio 1

and it's great to have TNS East and TNS West dancing together.

I mean, having such a great time, freestyling, doing some tricks.

Just two days ago, we were, like, enemies.

Now everything's great.

I always found the TNS East dancers a little intimidating.

They're really strong and technical,

but freestyling with them is totally different.

I really feel like it's one team.

# Baby, come down, take a ride with me

# We can live it up loud with our teenage dreams

# We're unstoppable, unbreakable

# They can't take that away

# Welcome to the sweet life, welcome to the A-side. #

Noel seems to know both East and West dancers really well.

He's being very inclusive right now.

He's making sure everyone has their chance to dance

and their time to shine.

Now that the teams are joined together

I feel like nothing can stop us.

We're a full troupe and we're ready for Regionals.

# We

# We are going to show the world

# Everything we're made of

# We're going to tear the roof off this thing. #

Stand up!

All right, guys, today is the first day of the new A-Troupe.

That's right.

APPLAUSE That's right, that's right.

And now that we're one team, we need a dance captain,

but, moving forward,

Richelle and I have decided that we need one unified voice.

I thought that there might have been a possibility that this might happen

but I kind of dreaded thinking about it.

We'll be holding a vote later today for the best dancer that you

think will be the best leader for our team.

Dance captain is my whole world at the studio

and I've worked way too hard to lose it now.

Whatever happens, I need to keep my spot as dance captain.

There's only a few hours before the dance captain vote

and I have no idea how many votes I'll get.

This is WAY too important to lose.

Hey, girl.

Richelle. What's wrong?

How can you ask that? Don't you know?

The dance captaincy.

If we're going to win, we have to start planning now.

I mean, who's going to even vote for me?

Obviously you and me, but who else?

Josh, who knows what he's thinking?

Zara, I don't know about Zara.

Noah? Maybe, but it's going to be a lot of work.

We do not have enough votes to win this.

-We're going to lose!

-Richelle, relax.

Richelle is taking this really to heart,

like, even more than I thought she would.

She's stressing way too much.

You may be right, but right now we should go see whose votes

we have for sure and convince those who are still on the fence.

-Right, we need to stay ahead of Piper.

-Exactly.

-Come on, let's go.

-OK.

I would totally love to run for dance captain, but I see how

much this means to Richelle and this year it's about making friends.

Hey, Amy, it's Piper.

Again, I just... I just wanted to know how your day at Gemini was.

Let me talk. Let me talk. Let me talk to her.

-Henry wants to talk to you.

-Hey, Amy, it's Henny-Penny here.

I just want to let you know that I miss you

and that I'm touting for you and, OK, bye!

-Henny-Penny?

-We have inside jokes, too.

I'm starting to get worried because Amy always answers her phone.

Always. This is not like her.

-That's the third missed call.

-It's Gemini.

They probably don't even let you

bring your phone into the building over there.

-Besides, you need to be focused on becoming dance captain.

-Right.

-Yes.

-Do I have your vote?

-Of course you have my vote,

but my vote isn't the one that you should be worried about.

You need to get out there and talk to all the other dancers.

Henry's right. I need to stop worrying about Amy

and start thinking about the dance captaincy.

# We're floating through the darkness endlessly

# We're meant to be in the stars. #

KNOCK ON DOOR

-Hey, you wanted to see me?

-Yes, I did.

I need someone to combine these files from TNS West with

-the ones from TNS East and put them away.

-OK.

I know money is tight for Heather

and I do have a bit of an idea how I might be able to help,

but first I need to see how she handles responsibility.

I could have asked anyone to do this, but I'm asking you.

-You can count on me.

-Good.

This is my chance to impress Emily.

Thank you.

Especially after the merge, I really need to stand out from the crowd.

I'm dancing right now because, since we've merged studios,

the team has gotten a lot stronger.

I have to bring my best.

# You and me, baby, going to dance tonight

# Go you girls how to get it right

# Shake your body from side to side. #

Lola suggested that we talk to the dancers to keep me in

for dance captain.

We're starting with Ozzy

just to make sure that I have his vote no matter what.

I'm pretty sure we have Ozzy's vote.

I mean, he is head-over-heels for Richelle,

but we really need to make sure we can count on him.

Hey, Ozzy, I just wanted to make sure that I have your vote.

Well, I planned on voting for you, but I was talking to Piper earlier

and she's made a pretty strong case for herself.

Well, what can Richelle do to guarantee that she has your vote?

I want Richelle to admit that she thinks I'm cute.

OK, fine.

Ozzy, I think you're pretty cute.

Boom!

So can we count on your vote?

Richelle can always count on me.

Well, that was easy, but we need to get more dancers on board.

I just hope that we can pull it off.

Eh-eh-eh.

THEY LAUGH

I just came in to start sorting the files like Emily had asked,

but I'm curious what these guys are up to.

Looks like fun.

Break dance!

What are you guys doing?

We're doing the Robot Dance Challenge.

The Robot Dance Challenge is an online competition

that's going viral.

Personally, I love a good robot and I love a good dance challenge

-so this just goes perfectly.

-Cool.

Put that down, come join us. Let's have some fun.

I have a lot to do for Emily, but between work and dance

and school there's never any time for stuff like this.

Seriously, it'll take five minutes.

-Heather, put it down.

-You know, yeah, I'm not busy right now.

-Yes!

Josh is right. What's five minutes?

The work can wait.

The Robot Dance Challenge is amazing.

This robot army is not going to be stopped.

# When the crowd gathers, there's a groove man

# Nothing's going to stop until the countdown starts. #

I'm having so much fun with my team-mates.

I never just get to hang out with my friends.

This is amazing.

What's going on here?

Uh-oh.

This is awkward.

Heather, are you done with the filing?

Um...

I was just about to get around to that.

Well, you know what, don't bother.

I'll find someone a little bit more reliable.

I honestly never thought that Heather would act

this irresponsibly.

I guess I can't count on Heather like I thought I could.

Piper, where is Amy?

She's at Gemini, remember?

No, she's not at Gemini.

I just got a call from Skylar saying that she didn't show up to

rehearsal today, so I know she's here.

Don't waste my time and just go get her.

She's not at The Next Step.

Honestly, I've been calling her all morning

and she hasn't been answering.

But...that's not like Amy.

I'm supposed to be thinking about my dance captain campaign,

but now I'm really worried about Amy.

I hope she's OK.

SHE EXHALES Come on!

PHONE RINGS

Amy?

Thank goodness. She's OK.

Wait, she's here? What?!

What are you doing here?

I couldn't stand being at the Geminis.

They were so mean and mean to each other.

Amy, your mom is worried sick about you!

Piper, I can't talk to my mom.

OK, she doesn't understand.

My mom and I have always had a difficult relationship.

I feel like I can't really speak my mind around her.

She always knows what's best.

Your mom is making your life impossible.

You have to be honest with her. You've got nothing to lose.

Everyone, can we get your attention?

I've gathered some of the dancers to make sure that

I have the votes 100%.

Richelle is totally going to win,

especially with me as her campaign manager.

So, Richelle would like to tell you what you'll get

if you vote for her to be dance captain.

-Richelle.

-Piper.

Without the Amy drama, I can focus on campaigning.

Beating Richelle isn't going to be easy.

But I really want to keep my spot as dance captain.

Piper! You're just in time to hear about great things Richelle is going

to do for the studio.

I am not going to lose my spot to Piper.

I am going to do whatever it takes.

Under my reign, TNS will get back to glory.

We are on our way back to regionals, people.

And we need a dance captain that can keep us all on the right track.

-Yeah!

-Together, we'll be champions.

-CHEERING

-Well, I have a different philosophy.

It's on, Richelle. I'm not going to give my captaincy up that easily.

I'm going to be inclusive.

Everyone's voices will be heard

and everyone's skills will be highlighted.

Also, if you need to talk to about dance

or anything else, you can talk to me.

Richelle or Piper, I don't know.

They would both be amazing dance captains.

I think it's going to be a pretty tight race.

Piper, you have my vote.

I'm definitely voting for Piper because the merge was her idea.

She's the one who brought both of the teams together.

We need his vote, step up.

Well, if you vote for me for dance captain,

Saturday's rehearsals won't start till 10.

-Well, I won't start till 11.

-12.

-We won't even have rehearsals.

-Keep it coming.

-PIPER:

-I don't know what I'm doing right now.

I'm promising so many things that I won't be able to deliver.

It is just getting out of hand.

We will have free massages and sleepovers at...

-ALL SPEAK AT SAME TIME NOAH:

-What are they doing?

Now they are both sacrificing the team to try and get dance captain.

That's not at all what dance captain is about.

-Guys, stop.

-If you're lucky, I'll follow you on Instagram.

-Guys!

You guys are acting a little ridiculous.

I mean, the troupe has to rehearse and everybody loves to dance.

-It is not a big deal to come in on the weekend.

-True.

-Yeah.

If we want to qualify for regionals, we've got to work hard,

we've got to work as a team. You guys agree with that?

-I agree.

-Yeah.

-He's right.

Well, I hope you consider me for dance captain.

-Richelle.

-Piper.

-RICHELLE:

-Noah does have a point. We all do love to dance,

but that doesn't mean that I'm still not going to fight for my spot.

-NOAH:

-I really do hope what I said makes sense to them.

I mean, we need the best dance captain to get to regionals.

Right now, we're voting and I'm having a really hard time

deciding on who to pick.

There's someone who really stood out to me.

They were such a great leader and they included everyone.

And that's exactly what we need.

Especially if we want to go to regionals.

Voting for the dance captain is huge.

My vote might be a surprise,

but I'm confident in my decision.

Good luck, Richelle.

I don't need luck, but good luck to you too, Piper.

OK, guys, the only thing left to do is to cast the ballots.

So, here we go.

Thank you.

Richelle deserves to win this.

She was born a leader and she shows that every day.

I'm a little nervous,

but I'm hoping the dancers make the right choice and vote for me.

All right, we'll be back.

If I had to step down, it would be devastating for me.

I just hope that the work that I did today will pay off.

Oh, my gosh, Amy!

Why would you scare me like that? Why weren't you at Gemini?

It doesn't matter, I'll drive you back to the studio. Let's go.

No, Mom!

We are not going anywhere until we have a talk.

A real talk.

Where you actually listen to me.

OK.

Piper convinced me to come clean to my mom,

so I texted her to meet me at Neutral Grounds.

I just hope it goes well.

I hate it at the Geminis.

I don't fit in there.

The Next Step is my home.

Amy, I know that you think that I'm being hard on you.

And I know that you think that sometimes I am unfair...

..but Gemini is a fantastic studio.

This is such a huge opportunity for you.

When I was your age, I wanted nothing more in the entire

world than to be a professional dancer and I never became a dancer.

And I want so much more for you.

Mom, I'm not a little kid any more.

I think I'm able to make my own decisions now

and one of those decisions is deciding where I dance.

I belong here.

And my friends are here.

And if I'm going to win, I'm going to win with my friends.

Because that's what makes me a great dancer.

I've never talked to my mom like this before.

I just hope she understands where I'm coming from.

All right, Michelle and I are both happy to announce that the

new dance captain of our A-Troupe is...

I want to be dance captain so badly, this means everything to me.

Richelle is a tough competitor, but I think I put up a good fight.

Now, it all comes down to this.

Noah!

Sorry, what, what just happened?

-APPLAUSE

-Did I just hear my name?

Wait...

What?

Congratulations, Noah.

Are you kidding me?

Noah didn't even campaign.

How could this happen?

CHEERING

This can't be right.

-Congratulations.

-Thank you very much.

I don't think anyone knows how bad I wanted this.

I'm nothing but a dancer on this team now.

Now that I'm not dance captain, I don't really know where I stand.

I've worked for years to get here.

To finally get it and then it's just gone. What did I do wrong?

I don't even have a role at the studio any more.

-Richelle.

-This is your fault! You did this to me!

What is Richelle talking about?

I gave up everything to help her and this is how she treats me?

OK, you are way overreacting. This is nobody's fault.

Lola, you know how much I wanted to be dance captain.

You know how much I planned to win this!

The two teams finally merged.

The least we can do is just move on and get over this.

Besides, Noah was on both troupes,

it kind of makes sense for him to be dance captain.

I thought you were my friend.

Clearly, you just don't understand.

JOSH: I'm walking into Neutral Grounds, I noticed Piper.

I know exactly what's wrong right now.

I'm really sorry you didn't get dance captain.

You would've made an amazing leader.

Dance captain was really important to me

and I'm feeling a little bit down ever since I got it taken away.

I just miss it, you know? Being such a special part of the team.

That reminds me, there was one morning, right,

I was with my brother, we were both going out to

-milk cows, like four in the morning, super early, right?

-Mm-hm.

And this cow's tail covered in dung...

-No!

-Yeah, yo, boom, across my face,

the other cow beside it, boom,

across the other face, covered, covered...

Wait, wait, what does this have to do with my situation?

Nothing at all, but it made you smile.

You know what?

That actually made me feel a lot better.

Josh is pretty cool.

Heather, what are you doing here?

I was just finishing up the filing from today.

I thought I told you not to bother.

You did, I know, but I don't break promises, that's not what I do.

I'm so sorry about today, it will not happen again.

I know I messed up. I messed up big time.

Well, you did do a pretty good job.

I am trustworthy, you know?

It means a lot that even after I told her not to bother,

Heather still decided to finish the task.

I am very, very impressed.

Look, I have an idea, I was wondering

if you wanted to cut your hours down at Neutral Grounds.

You could help out with baby ballet classes, lead warm-ups

and maybe even help out with J-Troupe.

-I would love that!

-Good.

Well, you'd better get going because you've got rehearsal to get to.

Thank you so much.

Now, here we go. We are going plie second.

Five, six, seven, eight. Hold, one...

NOAH: It feels really good to be the leader of the team.

I mean, I never thought I would be here.

I'm actually really excited.

To the right.

Hey, Heather, I uploaded that robot dance challenge video.

It already has like 500 hits.

-SPEAKS LIKE ROBOT:

-That pop and lock-atron was programmed for views.

Now that I'm working at the studio,

I'll have a lot more time to hang out with my friends.

This turned into the best day ever!

Three, four, five... Henry, lower. Seven, back, right.

Bro, this is crazy. TNS West never had workouts like this.

Buddy, we do this for an hour every day. Get used to it.

An hour! We have to do this for an hour?

This workout makes me realise where Noah got all those muscles.

Walking back into Studio A feels like coming home.

For the first time this year, I don't have to worry.

Have fun.

Thanks for everything, Mom.

Things are looking really good for my mom and I.

We went through some rough patches, but we were able to work them out.

Amy! Hey! Hey!

Guys, guys, guys!

I know you are excited to see Amy, but we're in the middle

of practice, so everybody back to spots, Amy, join in. Welcome back.

Amy took my advice and she's back where she belongs.

I couldn't be happier.

There you go. Right splits.

Piper, why is Noah leading?

Well, Noah is the new dance captain.

You leave for one day...

All right...

Now that we are all together, we can focus on making

the best qualifier video.

We're The Next Step. And we are unstoppable!