Upcoming book chat at Dance Advantage: dancergirl by Carol Tanzman

On Friday, March 13, at 12:30PM PT, Dance Advantage's Book Troupe will be discussing the novel dancergirl by Carol Tanzman, live online and with Carol as a guest!  A quick summary of the story from Goodreads:

Ever feel like someone's watching you? Me, too. But lately it's been happening in my room.

When I'm alone.

A friend posted a video of me dancing online, and now I'm no longer Alicia Ruffino. I'm dancergirl. And suddenly it's like me against the world.— everyone's got opinions.

My admirers want more, the haters hate, my best friend Jacy,— even he's acting weird. And some stalker isn't content to just watch anymore.

Ali. Dancergirl. Whatever you know me as, however you've seen me online, I've trained my whole life to be the best dancer I can be. But if someone watching has their way, I could lose way more than just my love of dancing. I could lose my life.

If you don't have a copy and want to read and join in the discussion on Friday, March 13 at 12:30PM PT, go to Amazon and get it as an ebook!

The book is a fun, fast thrill ride - a real page-turner! But what's really exciting for me is to have Carol Tanzman herself there to chat with us. Here are some things I'd like to talk about:

1. People film everything these days – and in some cases, it’s almost expected (concerts, outdoor performances, speeches). How did you feel about Ali’s video being posted online the first time? Was it an invasion of privacy or an act of admiration?

2. Dancers love to be watched – and so do lots of people. Photos and videos are posted all the time just for the likes. Is that part of our culture now? Is it something that will go away? Will it get worse and if so, how?

3. Did you guess Ali’s stalker? Did you find yourself suspecting everyone as she did?

4. Cyberbullying is a big topic these days. Do you think the concerns are founded or is it simply a more visible way for people to be mean to each other? Is it really a major issue for kids and teens? (and even adults!)

5. Many dancers, like actors, adopt a persona on stage in order to separate themselves from criticism. This seems to be what many people do on social media. But what does that do to our sense of selves? Does that confuse who we are?

6. This book was written and published 4 years ago. Do you think things have changed online? Have people become more or less sensitive to others’?

7. As parents, what should we be on the lookout for? Should we let our kids handle things themselves? As teachers, should we be sensitive to videos that go online from dance competitions or recitals?

And for Carol:

1. Did a singular event inspire you to write this?

2. What was the process? Did you write from experience? Did you do a lot of research?

3. Why did you choose a dancer as your main character? Could Ali have been a musician or performance artist?

4. Social media moves very fast. Is there anything you would update in your book now? Have you seen things change or evolve since the book was published?

5. When you started writing, did you know who the stalker would be? Did you already have an ending in place? How do you write the “red herrings”?

6. Would you ever write a sequel? What would Ali’s next story be?

7. Do you have literary inspirations? Are there mystery writers you like? What are you working on now?

Q&A with Carol Tanzman, author of "Dancergirl"

A few weeks ago, I reviewed the novel, "Dancergirl," a YA thriller about a dancer who's being stalked online.  Here is the review I posted.

Carol's book launched last week and even though she's massively busy, she graciously agreed to answer a few questions for us.

1.So many of the dance scenes with Ali feel very realistic.  Have you studied dance?

When I was five, I took tap lessons. A few years later, I added beginning ballet for a couple of years (until the dance teacher got divorced and moved away!). I credit my sense of rhythm to those early lessons. In college, I took modern to fulfill my “dance for actors” requirement.  When I had my first theatre company, I hired four actors, two dancers who could act, and a composer/pianist. I was very influenced by the total theatre movement, which utilized all three art forms to create plays. Specifically for dancergirl, it taught me that, in terms of performance issues, dancers and actors are very similar.

2. Music is so important for dancers and choreographers.  Did you have a playlist when you were writing?

I put together a Spotify Dancergirl Playlist that Ali might listen to at home: Adele, Janelle Monae, Florence + the Machine, The Black Keys, Chiddy Bang, Matt & Kim, Robyn, Eleanor Friedberger, Glossary.

3. Did any specific incident inspire this story?

Yes. I know a teenager who lives in Brooklyn who had a very creepy experience with a stalker. That literally became the seed from which the book grew.

4. You're a teacher and theater director. Do you see the same issues you explore here arising in other art forms as well?

In terms of performance – absolutely. The stress of auditioning is the same whether it’s dancing or acting. Performance nerves are … performance nerves no matter what the art form. It’s part of why writing those scenes were not a stretch for me.

5. Without spoiling the ending for readers, did you ever consider a different ending with a different stalker or did you know from the moment you started writing it who it was?

I knew who it was from the beginning! It was probably the only thing I did know for sure. However, part of the point of a psychological thriller isn’t just figuring out who the bad guy. It’s watching how it affects the main character--and feeling the tension––along with her.

6. Were there any "a-ha" moments when you were writing?  Did characters surprise you at all?

So many “a-ha” moments. Characters surprise me all the time. Since my training is in theatre and improvisation, I try to stay open to characters and let them really speak. It sometimes leads me down paths that end up as dead ends (which is why revising – and the delete button–-were invented) but it also leads to many moments that I hadn’t planned for which usually means – the reader is surprised, too.

7. What sort of research did you have to do for the book?

I did two kinds of research. One is what I like to call location scouting. I used to live in Brooklyn (although I’m now an L.A. resident.) During the writing of dancergirl, I visited the city and spent a couple of days taking pictures of places that I thought I might use in the book: e.g. The Brooklyn Promenade, a rooftop, the park. It’s a way to remind myself of sensory details so that when I’m writing in my home office, scenes have an authentic feel. I also do what I call fact-checking. Because of the dance lessons I took as both a child and in college, I have a sense of how modern classes work. For each of those scenes and sequences, I wrote a rough draft, and then asked a professional dancer to go over them so that they’d be totally accurate.

8. You have another thriller coming out next summer. Can you describe the process of writing a thriller? 

I always start from characters. My main character comes first. I decide what she most wants in life – and then, tricky author that I am, choose what will get in her way! After that, I sketch out a plot outline with just enough detail to get me started.

9. Do you ever think about your characters after you finish a book?  Do you think about where they might go next?

I never think about what happens to my characters after it ends. That comes from being a theatre director. When a play is over– and you’re sitting right there in the theatre–-you can sense the audience  thinking about  what happens next. I feel that if I decide, it will somehow take that choice away from the reader. I believe a good book (and play) leave multiple options at the end. It’s the magical part of the creative process. It’s the place where a reader meets the author and the characters. When done right, the reader then gets to participate in a moment of further creation as she thinks about will happen next.

10. Scenario: your book is optioned for film...who plays Ali in the movie version?

Naya Rivera from Glee plays Ali; a punked-out Natalie Portman plays Eva, the choreography teacher!

Thanks so much for coming by, Carol!  Readers and dancers, want to own a copy of this fun book or give to a friend? Go to your local bookstore (of course!) or order online at Amazon or Barnes & Noble.


And for more info about Carol Tanzman, be sure to check her web site, her Facebook, or her Twitter page.

Zombie Ballet/Dancergirl book trailer!

Check this out!  Author Carol Tanzman, whose book DANCERGIRL I loved and reviewed not long ago, put together an amazing book trailer using a portion of my Zombie Ballet and included my dancers too!

Zombie Ballet, performed at ArtNight Pasadena, Oct 14th, 2011

 

This is only half of it.  Once my Ninja Webmaster finishes cutting the other videos, I'll post the whole thing.