“Normally it
would be pervy for a middle-aged man to touch a teenager’s rear. But there
hasn’t been anything normal about my
life ever since I moved to Arizona this fall.”
Those are the
opening lines to the second book in my Dani Spevak Mystery Series, Pointe of No Return. The middle-aged man
in question is my heroine’s dance teacher, a Soviet-era soloist with the Kirov
who defected during a US tour.
I didn’t go
to a performing arts boarding school like Dani, and there was a distinct lack
of mystery-solving going on, but my tween and teen years were definitely shaped
by countless hours at the studio. Between classes, private lessons, and
rehearsals, I spent around 30-ish hours dancing every week in addition to the
regular academic workload of, well, middle school and high school. Needless to
say, my life revolved around dance.
So when Carey
told me that this month’s topic was all about teachers, I knew I had to write
about dance teachers. One specific dance teacher, actually – the director of
the studio I attended. We’ll call him Mr. K.

Like Grigor
Dmilov, Dani’s intimidating teacher in Pointe
of No Return, most of us were scared of Mr. K. No, I take that back. We
weren’t exactly scared of him, but we
respected his authority and didn’t want to risk his wrath. He wasn’t a former
Soviet soloist, but he’d worked with some of the top names in the biz during
his own performance career. And he had a very impressive track record for
turning out dancers who went on to dance on Broadway or in ballet companies.
I’m very
grateful to Mr. K for instilling a strong work ethic in me, which to this today
continues in my non-dance pursuits such as writing. I also love the memories I
have of performing. Some of the best times of my life.
But even
though I didn’t realize it at the time, I was also engaged in some very risky
behavior. Mr. K was notorious for holding weekly weigh-ins. Dancers had been
moved to the back of a routine – or worse, out of the piece entirely – for such
minor infractions as being even a pound above what he felt they should be.
(Which had nothing to do with actual medically-recommended body mass charts, of
course.)

When I was 13,
I was cast as an understudy in Gaité
Parisienne, this fabulous 1890’s can-can ballet (which is probably why I
wrote my as-yet-unpublished 2008 Golden Heart finalist, Party Like It’s 1899). I didn’t think I’d get to perform, but at
the last minute, one of the older girls got hospitalized for bulimia.
I was
thrilled. Pretty morbid, huh? But it seemed like fabulous luck at the time.
Looking back, I realize just how warped that was, and also realize how
disordered my own eating really was – even if I was never officially diagnosed.
But it just seemed normal to me. We didn’t want to get Mr. K upset with us, so
we did what we had to do.
Codename: Dancer and Pointe of No Return are lighthearted and
fun, but they also tackle the very serious issue of eating disorders in the
dance world.
My new fave
fictional dance teachers these days are this pair, Fanny – played by Gilmore Girls alumna Kelly Bishop – and
Michelle, Broadway darling Sutton Foster. (Although I regret to say there’s
been a distinct lack of singing and dancing coming from Ms. Foster. Why cast a
Tony Award-winner if you’re not going to use her talents?)

SPOILER
ALERT!
Although
Fanny’s tactics to keep Boo alive in the auditions during this week’s episode
bordered on the ridiculous, it showed that she believes in her and wants her to
succeed without having to resort to starvation diets. Although you’d never call
her “fat,” Boo will never have a long, lithe body because she’s short. But that
doesn’t mean she should give up her dream. I do hope the show will continue to
portray a healthy body image and use the pulpit they’ve created to tackle
eating disorders head on.
YOUR TURN: Tell us about a teacher who encouraged you to follow your dreams.
Amanda Brice lives a double
life. During the day she’s an intellectual property attorney for a large
federal government agency. At night she writes young adult mystery novels with
a touch of romance. A two-time Golden Heart finalist, she’s the president of
Washington Romance Writers. Barnes & Noble called her newest release, Pointe of No Return, a “compelling read
from an author you need to know.” You can learn more at www.amandabrice.net.
7 comments:
Thanks for stopping by Amanda. I am a huge Dani fan. I bought a copy of Codename: Dancer for our school library and can't wait to add Pointe of No Return to the collection.
I would have to say that my drama teacher cultivated my love of theater and the arts in general. I will always be grateful to Mrs. Edwards for that. :)
Thanks for sharing with us, Amanda.
I *love* BUNHEADS! It's one of my fav shows right now, even though I've never been a dancer myself (two left feet and all ;).
I'm looking forward to reading Codename: Dancer and Pointe of no Return!
Thanks for visiting, Amanda! I've often admired dancers, but not the hell they have to put their bodies through. I met some performers after a show one night, and I could see each girl's breastbone jutting out from beneath her skin. I'm not sure why ballet dancers have to stay so thin...is there a logic reason for this, or is it just part of the culture?
great post, Amanda. Really made me think about the choices we make in life that seem so normal and obvious in the moment and in retrospect seem so wrong (like starving yourself or worse to keep a dancer's weight). Definitely an eye-opener. Thanks so much for visiting with us today!
Great post, Amanda! Enjoyed reading about your prior life in dance--and Pointe of No Return sounds like a fun read!
Can't wait to read your book! My second grade teacher inspired me to teach, and my 11th grade English teacher & newspaper teacher during h.s. inspired me to write:-)~chEERs!
Great post, Amanda!
I love your series and I really admire how you've woven deeper issues under the story with Dani's eating issues.
Wishing you continued success with this series!!!!
Addison
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