Welcome to 2017 Debut Authors Dash! This widespread blog tour, created by YA Reads, features different debut authors of 2017 along with the bloggers who will promote them! Don't miss the chance to read the books too! On my tour stop today I'm featuring Nikki Katz author of "The Midnight Dance"!
Summary from GoodReads
When the music stops, the dance begins.Seventeen-year-old Penny is a lead dancer at the Grande Teatro, a finishing school where she and eleven other young women are training to become the finest ballerinas in Italy. Tucked deep into the woods, the school is overseen by the mysterious and handsome young Master who keeps the girls ensconced in the estate – and in the only life Penny has never known.
But when flashes of memories, memories of a life very different from the one she thinks she’s been leading, start to appear, Penny begins to question the Grand Teatro and the motivations of the Master. With a kind and attractive kitchen boy, Cricket, at her side, Penny vows to escape the confines of her school and the strict rules that dictate every step she takes. But at every turn, the Master finds a way to stop her, and Penny must find a way to escape the school and uncover the secrets of her past before it’s too late.
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GUEST POST
Recitals and Rivalries
Although The Midnight Dance features a ballet recital/performance, I did not grow up in a world of dance. I took several ballet and jazz classes but never participated in recitals. I did, however, participate in theater all four years in high school and my fifteen year-old daughter has been involved in theater for ten years, five of those professionally. I definitely felt qualified to speak to the performance aspect of recitals, and the rivalries among the girls!
Whenever there is an event that involves auditioning, there is bound to be rivalry. There is bound to be someone who gets the part and someone (many people) who do not. There are pros and cons to this type of competitive environment, lessons you may not learn elsewhere!
Pros:
- You have to fight for what you want. You have to come prepared. You have to try your hardest and do your best job.
- You learn to live with disappointment. Not everything in life goes as planned. It’s a tough lesson for a child or teen to learn, but it’s imperative to learn to lose with dignity and grace.
- You learn to work as a team. Many times, especially in dance, one or two people will get lead roles in a performance, but there is still an ensemble. You have to put your differences (and perhaps jealousy) aside to work for the betterment of the group.
Cons:
- Jealousy runs rampant. It is extremely difficult not to be jealous of the person who beats you out.
- It brings out the ugly. I’ve seen girls who try to psych out their competition by stretching or singing or speaking very highly of themselves right before an audition occurs.
- It can be devastating. My daughter once walked out of a final callback thinking she had nailed the part. The director was very complimentary to her and practically ignored the other children. When she didn’t get the part, she was a wreck for two days. I had to explain that it wasn’t necessarily that she did a bad job, it was that the part just wasn’t right for her.
In participating in a recital/performance type activity, it’s imperative to put rivalries aside, no matter if you get the lead or an ensemble role. Nobody likes a gloating winner and nobody likes a sore loser. My best advice is to accept a lead role graciously and understand that those around you will experience jealousy. It’s okay for them to be happy for you and sad for yourself. The flip side occurs as well … if you get an ensemble role do your very best to shine in that part. Be happy for the person who got the lead, but it’s also okay to take a little private time to be sad for yourself and reflect on what you might be able to do better next time!
About the author:
Nikki is an author, editor, freelance writer, and social media stalker. THE MIDNIGHT DANCE is in stores now and THE KING’s QUESTIONER is set to be published Fall, 2018 (both novels by Swoon Reads | Macmillan).
A busy mom of three kiddos, Nikki is also the Managing Editor for SocialMoms.com and a Scribe for Book in a Box. She has published articles on a variety of topics and her work has appeared on Storia, About.com, iVillage, b5media.com, and dozens of other websites. She is also the author of four nonfiction puzzle and games books.
Previously, Nikki was a project manager and management consultant, and she has a B.S. in aerospace engineering. Yes … rocket science!
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