Start the Party

**Start the Party** is the 1st Episode of the Next Step Fanon. It was released on August 20, 2015.

## Synopsis

The Next Step Dance Studio is holding auditions for A-Troupe, a new girl named Michelle arrives.

## Plot

A woman walks into a dance studio, and introduces herself through a separate interview as Kate, the owner of The Next Step Dance Studio. She explains that her mother owned the studio before her. She is accompanied by Chris, who introduces himself as the head choreographer. Kate and Chris briefly discuss their chances at Regionals and then open the doors to let all the dancers inside to audition for A-Troupe — the most advanced and competitive troupe in the studio, preceding B-Troupe, a recreational troupe, and J-Troupe, which is for junior dancers. A-Troupe is the only troupe that is allowed to compete at Regionals, and previous A-Troupe members must re-audition for the team each year alongside the B-Troupers, as no spots are guaranteed. Chris gets the dancers' attention by doing the Dolphin Tail noice he does every year, and Kate announces that the auditions are about to commence.

Emily, the dance captain of A-Troupe, explains that there are only ten spots open on the team, as ten dancers are needed for most competitions. She then introduces the E-Girls, a group of girls who are on A-Troupe formed by Emily when she joined the team; the members besides her are Stephanie, Riley, Tiffany and Giselle.

The dancers are put into groups for the auditions. The first group consists of Emily, and Stephanie along with Daniel and West who are in B-Troupe. Daniel dances first and confesses that he started dancing when he was seven, and although it was hard because he started several years later than everyone else, it gave him a good work ethic. He also confesses that if he doesn't make it into A-Troupe, it will likely be the end of his dance career. Stephanie is next, and confesses that dancing is a huge part of her life and she can't imagine doing anything else. West auditions next, and confesses that he used to be in a street dance crew and then joined B-Troupe, and is now auditioning for A-Troupe to bring his dancing to the ultimate level. Emily then auditions, and confesses that she has been at The Next Step since she was two and that she has been in every troupe in the studio. She also reveals that Stephanie is her best friend and that Riley is her "little" sister. The second group to audition consists of Beth, Riley, Charlie and Chloe; Riley confesses that she got into dance because of Emily, and that she loves her despite her overprotective nature. Beth dances first and messes up, essentially ruining her chances of making A-Troupe. Riley dances next, and confesses that she is nervous at the possibility of losing her spot. While Charlie auditions, Eldon glances at Emily attempting to get her attention; she instantly ignores him. Emily reveals that Eldon has had a crush on her for five years, but she is not interested in dating him; Eldon confesses his belief that someday she will realize that she has feelings for him. Chloe dances next and confesses that she has been at The Next Step since she was six, and that she has always wanted to be part of the E-Girls. An unnamed dancer then performs, followed by Tiffany, who confesses that dancing allows her to be Beyoncé on stage. She is followed by an unnamed Irish dancer and another unnamed dancer. Kate confesses that she plans on winning Regionals unlike the previous year, so their group of dancers needs to be strong; she announces the final line-up, which is James, Eldon, and Giselle. Just as they are about to perform, a girl with long, blonde, wavy shoulder-length hair enters the studio and inquires about the auditions. Everyone is shocked at her arrival, especially Emily, who reveals that they don't usually allow outside dancers to audition for A-Troupe. Kate and Chris approach the girl, who introduces herself as Michelle, and ask to speak with her in the office.

Michelle explains that she has just moved to the area from Madison, Wisconsin, and has been dancing since she was three. Emily enters the office and introduces herself to Michelle as the dance captain; in her naive optimism, Michelle reveals that she was dance captain at her old studio. Kate reveals that Michelle will be auditioning for A-Troupe; this only upsets Emily further, but she manages to conceal this from Michelle, who misinterprets Emily's facade for genuine hospitality.

The auditions resume, with Michelle now in the final group. James auditions first, and confesses that he dances because it gives him an advantage with girls. The E-Girls tease Riley during James's audition, saying that she is "blushing"; Riley dismisses this, claiming that she is not interested in James. Eldon dances next, and confesses his belief that the more he dances, the more respect Emily will have for him. Giselle performs third, and confesses that she started dancing when she was five, and instantly felt at home. She reveals that A-Troupe means the world to her, and she doesn't know what she'd do if she didn't get in. Michelle is the last to dance, and astounds everyone with how good she is — except for Emily and Stephanie, who dismiss her performance. Chris and Kate comment on how great the dancers were and leave to confer.

A few of the dancers introduce themselves to Michelle and compliment her on her dancing. James says that he is sure he has seen her face before but cannot place it. Meanwhile, having searched up Michelle on her phone, Stephanie informs the E-Girls and Chloe that she was Miss Nationals Soloist the previous year. Having also felt as though he recognized her, Daniel asks Michelle if she has won anything; she replies evasively, not wanting people's opinion of her to be affected. Emily is visibly aggravated by the discovery and dismisses it, despite Riley's disagreement. Emily turns to look at Michelle, who waves at her cheerfully; Emily mimics the wave back at her in a cruel manner, causing Michelle to doubt her initial opinion of her.

The E-Girls sit in Squeezed, a juice bar located one floor below the studio and a popular hangout for the dancers. As they converse, West approaches them and says that Kate and Chris are about to put up the list of this year's A-Troupe members; the girls follow him to the studio.

Kate and Chris congratulate the dancers on their auditions, and remind them that if they did not make it, they will be able to audition again next year. The list is put up, and Chris admits that he is sad that some dancers did not make it, but thinks this team will take them to Regionals. As the dancers run to see the list, Kate confesses that she had to cut some great dancers, and is sure that Emily will not be pleased with the decision.

## Characters

### Main

* Chloe - Jennifer Pappas
* Daniel - Brennan Clost
* Eldon - Isaac Lupien
* Emily - Alexandra Beaton
* Giselle - Jordan Clark
* James - Trevor Tordjman
* Michelle - Victoria Baldesarra
* Riley - Brittany Raymond
* Stephanie - Samantha Grecchi
* West - Lamar Johnson

### Recurring

* Beth - Megan Mackenzie
* Chris - Shamier Anderson
* Kate - Bree Wasylenko
* Tiffany - Tamina Paris