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"Fancy Footwork" is the 28th episode in Season 1 of The Next Step and the 28th episode overall. It premiered on December 20, 2013.
Synopsis
The Next Step studio hits the stage for the first time in their bid to win Regionals.
Plot
The Next Step performs their routine on stage against Annex Dance Academy. The Next Step wins the round with 86 points and moves on, while Annex Dance Academy goes home, having garnered only 84. Riley confesses that they just have to win four more rounds to be Regionals champions.
Lisa Thompson interviews Amanda.
The competition continues, and Kate confesses that the standard is much higher than the previous year. Other teams moving on to the second round include Confidance, Dance Inc. and Elite Dance Academy, which scores 91 points, the highest score of the competition thus far. The Next Step wins their second round with 87 points. The SNR Network's coverage then cuts to an interview with Amanda and Lucien done by Lisa Thompson earlier in the day. During the interview, Lisa asks Amanda what one of her most memorable wins is and Amanda references the previous year's Regionals, because Elite defeated The Next Step despite them wanting to win so badly. The coverage returns to Stacey Tookey and Chuck Anderson; Chuck reveals that many think Elite to be cocky, though Stacey believes it to be confidence. Either way, Chuck commends Elite on having a three year winning streak at Regionals. Backstage, Lucien taunts Kate as his team passes by.
Eldon tells Michelle that she looks beautiful.
A-Troupe watches Dance Inc. perform from backstage, waiting to perform against them. Most of the troupe feels anxious about their upcoming performance; some of the dancers re-do their make-up while Riley asks Emily if her hairpiece is on tight enough. James seems to be the only one remaining calm, after Eldon questions him, he indirectly reveals that he actually doesn't feel calm at all. Amongst the chaos, Emily overhears Eldon telling Michelle that she looks beautiful, which makes her uncomfortable. Dance Inc. scores 85 points, but A-Troupe is sure that they can do better as they haven't ever scored lower than 86. The Next Step takes the stage and begins their performance; the team dances exceptionally until Riley gets her glove stuck in her hairpiece and is forced to pull it off her head, causing her to miss a few steps of the routine. Some of the dancers are hopeful that they still might score high enough, but their hope is for nothing; The Next Step only scores 84 points, and is eliminated from the competition. Riley is devastated, confessing that she has blown it for everyone. The team sadly walks off the stage, and Giselle retrieves Riley's fallen hairpiece.
The Next Step retreats backstage as Dance Inc. celebrates their victory. Riley expresses her guilt at the team being eliminated, but Emily and Kate assure her that nobody blames her and there is nothing they can do about it. Some of the dancers notice that James seems surprisingly calm about their loss; he reveals that he is confused as to why everybody is upset, since they still have a chance at getting the wildcard spot. The team is reassured at this realisation, and Emily confesses that besides Riley's mistake, their routine was flawless, and that it could be enough to take them to the semi-finals.
Max stands at the beginning of his team's performance.
Art & Soul Dance Company is performing their routine; they are up against Elite for a spot in the semi-finals. Despite their stellar routine, Riley confesses that they have no chance against Elite. After their performance, Elite takes the stage and performs an impeccable routine; they easily move on to the semi-finals with a score of 94.
Seeds Street Crew defeats Confidance with a core of 88 points, moving onto the semi-finals. This means that the teams moving onto the semi-finals are Dance Inc, Elite, Seeds, and whichever team is chosen as the wildcard option. Art & Soul, ConfiDance, and The Next Step take the stage to find out which team has won the wildcard spot. As The Next Step waits to hear the verdict, Michelle takes Eldon's hand, and he doesn't let go. It is announced that The Next Step will be moving on to the semi-finals; The Next Step is ecstatic and celebrates backstage, where they are congratulated by Seeds. West expresses his excitement that they will finally be able to compete against his old team.
Trivia
- This episode was aired as "I'm So Excited" on CBBC.
- Elite Dance Academy has defeated Art & Soul Dance Company in the third round at Regionals, and has qualified for the semi-finals.
- Seeds Street Crew has defeated Confidance in the third round at Regionals, and has qualified for the semi-finals.
- Despite losing their third round to Dance Inc., The Next Step Dance Studio has qualified for the semi-finals by way of the wildcard spot.
- Briar Nolet and Shelby Bain, who would go on to play Richelle and Amy respectively, both make cameo appearances in this episode, as a CDC dancer and a Dance Inc. dancer respectively.
- It is important to note that these particular actors are not, at least canonically, portraying the characters that are later introduced in future seasons. Shelby Bain is not portraying Amy, nor is Briar Nolet portraying Richelle, but rather both are playing members of their respective studios.
- It has been confirmed that Briar Nolet could not have been portraying Richelle in this episode, seeing as Riley states that she remembers when Noah and Richelle were first learning how to do pirouettes in J-Troupe in "Today I'm Getting Over You" and Emily confirms that Richelle has known her for almost her entire life in "The Next Step's Best Studio Head", thus proving that Richelle was a member of The Next Step long before Season 1 and just did not appear on-screen until Season 2. However, given that Amy did not join The Next Step until Season 4, it is possible that Shelby Bain could have been portraying Amy in this episode - such as when Hanna Miller initially portrayed an unnamed member of Dance Extreme in Season 4, who is later confirmed to be Heather after Hanna was cast in Season 5 - but this has never been confirmed for Shelby Bain's Dance Inc. character on the show.
Continuity
- The wildcard spot, which is first mentioned in "I'm So Excited", becomes a pivotal feature of this episode.
- After Riley's hairpiece falls out, voiceover flashbacks of the team can be heard:
- Kate saying, "Get focused, okay?" from "Get the Party Started".
- Emily saying, "One chance of winning Regionals," from "Get the Party Started".
- Kate saying, "We have a real shot at Regionals this year," from "Get the Party Started".
- Riley saying, "Have not one dancer messing up," from "Get the Party Started".
Errors
- Emily confesses that The Next Step's score might be high enough to get them into the semi-finals via the wildcard spot, but she later claims that the judges ignore the scores and are allowed to pick any of the three losing teams to take the wildcard spot.
Production Errors
- Brennan Clost is on the cast list despite not appearing in the episode.
Cultural References
- The title of this episode refers to a song of the same name by Chromeo.
Cast
Main
- Alexandra Beaton as Emily
- Bree Wasylenko as Kate
- Brittany Raymond as Riley
- Isaac Lupien as Eldon
- Jennifer Pappas as Chloe
- Jordan Clark as Giselle
- Lamar Johnson as West
- Samantha Grecchi as Stephanie
- Shamier Anderson as Chris
- Tamina Pollack-Paris as Tiffany
- Trevor Tordjman as James
- Victoria Baldesarra as Michelle
Recurring
- Allain Lupien as Lucien
- Avril Wu as a Seeds dancer
- Briana Andrade-Gomes as a Seeds dancer
- Damian Goddard as Chuck Anderson
- Dave Matuszewski as a Seeds dancer
- Devon Brown as Max
- Jamie O'Leary as Tess
- Jazzmin James as a Seeds dancer
- Jennifer Taylor as Jen
- Kevin Scheitzbach as a Seeds dancer
- Kristopher Grzella as a Seeds dancer
- Logan Fabbro as Amanda
- Mackenzie Grant as Mackenzie
- Mariah Kirsten Delacruz as an Elite dancer
- Miles Faber as a Seeds dancer
- Nicholas Maiorano as Nick
- Nicole Stamp as Lisa Thompson
- Regan Reynolds as Regan
- Richard Walters as a Seeds dancer
- Ryan Matthew Harkins as an Elite dancer
- Sarah Di Iorio as an Elite dancer
- Shaquan Lewis as Marcel
- Steven Nguyen as Tony
- Tim Roberts as the announcer
Other
- Briar Nolet as a CDC dancer
- Shelby Bain as a Dance Inc. dancer
Guest
Absent
Featured music
- "Art & Soul's Regionals Song"
- "Dance 'til Dawn"
- "Elite's Regionals Song"
- "Senorito"
- "Stutter"
- "Turn Me Around"
Featured dances
Quotes
- Main article: Fancy Footwork/Quotes
Aftershow
- Main article: Fancy Footwork/Aftershow
Gallery
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"Look at that painting!"
To view the Fancy Footwork gallery, click here. |