Dancing+in+the+Wings





This is a 21st century fairy tale (2000) written by a professional dancer, Debbie Allen, for her daughter to encourage her to follow her dream of dancing regardless of the obstacles that may come her way. The main character is too tall legs and has very large feet but she still aspires to be a ballerina. She is made fun of by the other children, her brother and even her fellow dancers. She is encouraged by her uncle to follow her aspirations and audition for the summer festival. Even though she blunders the audition she is chosen and ends up with a solo dance with a male ballerina. It was thought that she was too tall to dance with a male counterpart. It's a far stretch from its counterpart The 12 Dancing Princesses from which it was derived. Although there is no magic there are the fairy tale characteristics of (1) lesson to be learned of acceptance, (2) learning to be confident in ones self and (3) the happy ending.