Free Madonna by Andrew Morton Page A

routine, unaware that the young dancer had a surprise in store. On the night of the performance Madonna’s act went perfectly until the finale. Then, as the sound of gunfire echoed around the auditorium, she whipped off her trenchcoat, revealing that all she was wearing underneath was a black leotard. This impromptu ‘flashing’ display provoked gasps from the audience, and led to a furious Tony Ciccone grounding her for two weeks. Naturally she did not win any awards that night – the top prize went to Ruth Dupack and Nancy Baron for their gymnastics routine. But whatever the intention behind her small, defiant act, she did set tongues wagging. As parents drifted out of the hall there was an undeniable sense that Madonna was seen as a rather ‘fast’ and ‘forward’ teenager. ‘People were saying: “My goodness, what behavior from a thirteen-year-old,”’ Ruth admits.
    If this incident seems a curious one, it has its roots not in the myths surrounding Madonna’s supposed promiscuity, but in her childish craving for love and attention. Yet just as her skimpy school clothes were a sign of rebellion against her stepmother, so her behavior on the dance floor that night won notice from her father, however angry he may have been, attention that she felt she did not receive at home. This, far more than her burgeoning sexual awareness, was the overriding motive behind the last-minute alteration to her dance routine.
    Unfortunately, her reputation as one of the ‘hot babes’ of West Junior High rather preceded her when, in 1972, she followed her brothers Tony and Martin to the coed Adams High School, Rochester, a sprawling complex a few miles north of the world-famous Meadowbrook outdoor music theater and the main campus of Oakland University. Close to several golf courses and shopping malls, it has the feel of a country club. This is not altogether surprising, since its student body is largely drawn from among the well-heeled sons and daughters of predominantly white middle-class families, in a catchment area where today the average home sells for a shade under $200,000. This is middle-class, middle-income, Middle America; and a far cry from the impression given by Madonna in some of her early interviews that her school was in the midst of an inner-city black ghetto. In fact, during her four years at Adams High, there was only one black student at the school. As to the ‘ghetto,’ among her fellow students were Cindy Kresge, one of the heirs to the Kmart billions, and the Caratos brothers, later to hit the headlines for their Mafia activities.
    Although one of the youngest in her class, the fact that her brothers were already at the school ensured that Madonna was known to many of the older students. Sharp-witted, friendly and vivacious, she fitted in well. In her freshman year not only did she get through a series of auditions to make the junior cheerleading squad, but she was also awarded a plaque in a school ceremony for being one of the top ten academic achievers in her year. A member of the French Club and the school choir, she took a full part in school life, volunteering for the Help-a-Kid program and working as a lifeguard at the local swimming club. ‘She was creative academically,’ recalls Lucinda Axler, who was also on the cheerleading squad. ‘A real cut up in class. She got into trouble for being out of line but she enjoyed life, she was a happy personality. Madonna always had chutzpah, courage and gumption.’
    She drew the most attention, however, in her cheerleader outfit at football games. ‘She was very good, very showy,’ Lucinda adds. ‘She knew how to draw attention to herself. She had a big mouth and had the moves too.’ From the first, Madonna dared to be different, suggesting to her squad that they build a dance routine around a song by the rock band Uriah Heep, rather than the rather hokey tunes that were then in vogue. Their routine proved a great success: not only did the spectators