#42 Jessi and the Dance School Phantom

[thtsgoodsquishy]

Tagline: Someone--or something--is out to get Jessi!

Mmm-hmm. Something. What, like the Locker-room Ness Monster?

I don't know about you, but I've watched a decent amount of crime-solving shows. I kept thinking of them during my initial re-read of this book. The one I've been watching most recently is NCIS.

Comments

[glitterberrys]

And gets new leotards every few weeks and new toe shoes as needed.
Doesn't every dancer get new toe shoes as needed? Don't dancers go through like 20 pairs a year?

Any teacher that would go on and on about how only Jessi is good enough in any way to get the part just sucks. And if she seriously used the phrase je ne sais quoi she needs a slap.

I'm only now realizing that this book is a riff on the Phantom of the Opera.

Is perfect passionless Mary the one who has an eating disorder in the next Jessi book? If so...well-played, Ellen Miles, nice foreshadowing. Subtle as a lead pipe to the head.

[thtsgoodsquishy]

I'm only now realizing that this book is a riff on the Phantom of the Opera.
See, I'm not an Andrew Lloyd Webber fan, and I've never seen Phantom, so I only thought that when Jessi prepared to "unmask the phantom." Given the time period (1991), it makes sense. I attended a music camp and within a year of the book being published (I want to say 1990) we read through some music from Phantom and all the kids were excited about it. Well, give Ellen points for being timely, I guess.

The toe shoes thing--Jessi even admits that her shoes only last a week or two, and only one or two performances. So, yeah, no surprise that Hilary gets them regularly.

I do believe you're right, Mary is the girl with the eating disorder, but it was a few Jessi books down the line.

[julietvalcouer]

You know, I may have leotards older than my dog, but I'm a ballroom dancer, not a ballerina, and besides, they're cheap. Especially kids' sizes. And toe shoes are not exactly breaking the bank, either, unless Jessi's expected to buy them out of her measley baby-sitting money.

And you know, Bluebird is not a BAD part per se, but if I were Carrie and old enough to be leaving (so late teens) I would be effing pissed that I lost Aurora to a freakin eleven-year-old (who come to think of it is too young to be en pointe for any length of time, let alone a freakin' full-evening ballet.)

[thtsgoodsquishy]

Jessi made a big deal about paying for her replacement stuff out of her baby-sitting funds. Because telling her parents she needed new stuff would have meant admitting something was going on at the school, and of course she couldn't do that. I'm wondering how exactly she got the stuff, including the fancy new bag, unless Stoneybrook has its own dancing emporium. It wasn't just the leo and the shoes (and bag), though--she also bought tights and legwarmers and a sweatshirt. That is a lot for an 11-year-old to buy at once.

Jessi said Carrie was only a few years older, so I kept thinking of her as 14. Totally agreed about Jessi being too young for en pointe, though. I have to remember the ballet book I read back in the day that explained all that goes into it, including that you have to be at *least* 13 or so.

[glitterberrys]

I assumed they made the pony costume out of like a sheet and a papier mache head...but I like your explanation better. hee.

[thtsgoodsquishy]

I kind of want to go, quit trying to make jumpsuits happen, Ann. I don't know a single person who wore jumpsuits in real life.

Also, I half wonder if she was trying to get a free trip to Disney World with all the Minnie Mouse references.

I don't remember the deal with the socks. I sort of think it has to do with Mallory wanting oodles of socks to push down, as was the style, but that would be pretty frivolous. One pair per outfit is plenty.

[lisaerin]

The babyitters not succeed? Are you nuts? One teacher made us announce our grades to the class and I got a shit grade. Then some jackass whispered that I got fourteen questions wrong (I don't know if it was 14, but it was a lot)and I was like, "It was just announced, jerk!"
I like being praised for my hard work and talents by my teachers, but I would much rather it be done in private, instead in front of the entire class.

[kakeochi_umai]

Hell, look at how she went to pieces when she didn't get that part in Peter Pan, even though that part was a lot more about acting and singing than dancing.

[loubeelou]

OMG THIS.

[aceattorneysho]

I'm surprised they didn't go for a full cop-out and dance to Phantom. I mean, it was (well, is) popular back then and if they're going to capitalize on it they could have gone all the way.

Also- that BSC sure gets a lot of damn threatening notes. It's like people don't like them or something. *Whistles*

[aceattorneysho]

Noooope. Mischief = Phantom. Always. And maybe I sort of wanted someone to pull that kind of crap in high school when the drama department head had his ego inflated so huge that he ruined/brought down productions for at least 3 years. "Yes, Aida was preformed well by the supporting cast, but you cast your lily white daughter to play an Egyptian princess. Cuz that makes sense. Oh and you couldn't get the rights to Beauty & the Beast which you've been promoting for a year and are just going to do Urinetown? Sure, why not."

Which, back to Phantom, really, for kids I don't like. Because can we honestly believe that the Phantom, who all but brainwashed Christine, didn't ah... make her do stuff?

[thtsgoodsquishy]

I said this above, but I'm not familiar with Phantom, so I didn't catch that it was a play on that until close to the end.

They *do* get a lot of notes in the BSC, don't they? The writers are probably going for the *the others are just jealous* angle, when in fact the BSC probably looks like a snobby clique to outsiders.