Many prominent male dancers tell stories about taking their sisters to ballet class and deciding to give dancing a try—and finding that they love it. Ballet, modern dance, hip-hop and many of the performance-oriented forms require athleticism that is every bit as challenging as most sports. An advanced-level dancer can easily measure up, if not surpass, other athletes in terms of strength, endurance, and of course flexibility.
While times keep changing and gender roles are expanding, there are still parents, mostly fathers, who do not like the idea of their sons studying dance. Maybe it’s the music? Or the ability to look graceful while doing something hard? Or the fact that male dancers wear tights in ballet? Having spent a good part of my youth in dance studios and my early adult life as a professional dancer, I’ve seen these struggles repeatedly.
Teaching Male Dancers
As a dance teacher, I often encountered parents who weren’t happy to have sons who danced. I remember one teen who was particularly gifted. I helped him develop his skill and later apply for and receive a scholarship to a prestigious performing arts school. His father called me up and lit into me, demanding, “What have you done to my son?”
Having years of experience dancing with and teaching male dancers, how could I not use this subject in my DANCE ‘N’ LOVE romance series?
In KISS ME, DANCER, the divorced father of a talented young boy runs head-on into a determined dance teacher and sparks fly in many ways, especially in the romance department.
“So much depth, emotion, passion and love…A brilliant script for a chick flick we girls would love to cry and swoon about!”—Unputdownable Books
KISS ME, DANCER will be FREE on Amazon March 12 – 14. And it will be on sale for 99¢ through March 25.
A spinoff from the series, FINN’S CHRISTMAS DILEMMA, features a former male student who becomes a successful host on a popular TV dance show. He returns home at Christmas to help his mentor with a holiday program. Finn hopes to heal a rift with his father. He runs into the unresolved romance of his first love.
FINN’S CHRISTMAS DILEMMA will be on sale for 99¢ through March 25.
And remember, Spring is almost here, so keep on dancing!
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Alicia Street is a USA TODAY bestselling author and Daphne Award-winner often writing in collaboration with her husband, Roy, as well as on solo projects. She spent many years as a dancer, choreographer and teacher. A compulsive reader of every genre, she also loves watching old black-and-white movies and inventing new recipes for soups.
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These sounds so good!! I need to give them a try Alicia!!!
Thanks, Stacy!
Alicia, I love your books. I took ballet for several years and enjoyed the practice and discipline, and the joy and pride to master the difficult steps.
Thank you, Mona. I remember a photo you once posted of yourself as a young girl doing ballet. 🙂