Recitatif

Twyla mentions that some older girls liked to dance when they thought no one was watching. Twyla and Roberta developed the habit of looking at the girls while they were dancing, but unfortunately, when the two were caught by the older girls, they were harassed. Dancing is used here as a metaphor for freedom: in the time when the story takes place, there were very few ways a woman could be free. Because of this, dancing is seen by authority figures in a negative light, and those who indulged in the practice were punished for it.