Modern Ballroom Dancing: All the Steps You Need to Get You Dancing

Book Description

Featuring clear, step-by-step instruction, this classic guide is the most successful book on ballroom dancing ever published, with 600,000 copies sold worldwide.

Customer Reviews:

The Rich Get Richer.......2003-02-09

MODERN BALLROOM DANCING has been valuable to me in improving my skills in those dances with which I was already familiar. The usefulness seemed to have been in direct proportion to what I knew before reading the book. It has not been very helpful in learning new dances.

The text includes several dazzling photos of competitive dancers in action.

A very good reference.......2000-09-26

This text is a very good reference for International style dancing. It is very complete and conforms fairly well to the syllabus. As stated by other reviewers, if you're a beginner its probably too much, but if you have a good teacher nearby to help explain some of the ambiguities you can learn a lot on your own from it. Definitely not a book that you can just pick up and start dancing, it requires some intellectual effort to digest, but once you've done that you'll have a clear and systematic conceptualization and schema for dancing that few teachers can impart. My only major complaint: an excess of glossy pictures from dancing competitions. This book is really most helpful for the standard dances (which is OK with me since that's my style, not latin.)

A very good buy!.......2000-09-20

I purchased this book to compliment my dance instruction. Being that I take lessons in Japan, I needed a book, in English, which would reinforce and further explain what was being taught to me in class. I have found it a very useful book. However, this is not a book for a beginning dancer! The explanations and footwork patterns are detailed, but if you have no experience with ballroom dancing, the figures and explanations will mean very little to you.

Some of the more complicated steps do not have foot diagrams, which would have been helpful. All and all, an excellent book!

Only for the VERY EXPERIENCED dancer.......2000-06-17

I've been ballroom dancing for quite a while, and I bought this book in order to learn some more dance steps over and beyond the basics. I found the descriptions and diagrams IMPOSSIBLE to understand, and the steps I could figure out ended up being out of place among the steps that I usually dance. I think this book is only good if you're a dance teacher who is used to reading steps in a certain format and can translate them into motion. If you're a beginner, this book will do you NO GOOD!

A SMASHING GOOD READ........2000-02-11

Victor Silvester's book is a good alternative to Alex Moore's book of Technique of Ballroom Dancing.

It covers the world 10-dances in Standard and Latin. It is recommended for the novice to amateur who is currently taking some dance lessons.; though there is a short chapter on Beginner's Waltz.The content is technically sound and littered with lots of competition personalities.

Book Description

How do you want to get in the swing of things? Perhaps with the East Coast version, with its cool turns? How about the syncopated Hollywood style, filled with footwork? Or maybe you want the jumping and jiving, kick-it-lively, acrobatic lindy hop. Whichever you choose, these dances are loads of fun, not to mention great exercise. And, when you're guided by these show-it-all sequences, that teach you the movement in full, you won't have to worry about having two left feet when you step onto the floor! So--all you have to do is swing, swing, swing!

Customer Reviews:

it on big confusing blur!.......2006-04-06

Dance is, arguably, complicated to teach in text.

I wanted to like this book, give it a break; it has a campy feel and the dancers are wearing cute vintage clothes. It gives names to moves you might have learned outside of a structured classroom environment or forgotten the name of. Sadly, "Swing Dancing- Put Your Dancing Shoes on and Get With Hip-swinging, Toe-tapping Swing" is confusing to any level of dancer because of lackluster information and appalling information design.

This book, however eye catching, makes even the simplest swing dance moves utterly confusing. The "flow motion" selling point, while at times adds a touch of clarity, for instance, about which direction to turn, often does not and usually serves as a barrier to understanding even the simplest moves. Turning, in almost every case, could be better represented with a simple, curved, directional arrow.

More confusion caused by "flow motion" is the miscommunication of traveling motion. In swing dance, we do move back and forth and spin but the faded in between pictures don't help readers understand when they are moving in place and when they are stepping. Instead, it makes it look as if swing dance is some kind of traveling line dance that moves dancers to the opposite side of the floor in a single move. This is seldom the case.

Also is it seldom that dancers float in thin air. It looks better visually but learners could benefit from knowing how high to step and better see the difference of a step, a heel raise, and a toe touch. For that a bit of reference to flooring is necessary.

Chapter text is overlaid with dance move text and chapter introductions are no more clear then the introductions of new moves making the information about the different forms and where they apply, again, confusing. The only real way to tell that the dancers have moved on to teaching a new form is that their outfits have changed. And for many of the moves they should have, apparently, put on an additional outfit! Within the Lindy Hop section, Charleston, a historically classic dance that predates Lindy Hop, is shown as a couple of moves called Charleston butset up as a move tucked inside Lindy Hop while, Hollywood Swing, which is considered, by most, to simply be a more slotted/elegant stylization of Lindy developed to make dancing look more divine in Hollywood films, has its own chapter!

Needless to say, the history chapter is also a bit mixed up doing little to describe the actual variation between different swing forms.

Simply reading the descriptions of the moves does give some useful information and if you can look past the confusion of the graphic design, you can see clean stop action poses by the dancer models, but on second thought the writing is sexist (man/woman instead of lead/follow) and requires trying to match up the visuals with the misaligned text blocks in order for much of it to make any sense. The starting point too, does not necessarily seem to line up with the photo action and bounces around from page to page.

I could say more but I think I've said enough.

An excellent reference, with a few flaws.......2003-01-27

This book gives more usable detail on steps for Savoy- and Hollywood-style lindy hop, as well as for East Coast (6-count) swing, than any other I've seen, and it's a nice reference for intermediate-level dancers. It covers a good range of the steps frequently encountered in social dancing (examples: tuck turn, back Charleston, sugar push, catapult, Texas Tommy), plus a couple of basic air steps *not* suitable for a crowded floor. You'll never learn to dance from this or any book, but you might use it as a supplement to instruction or experience.

The layout is unique. (Amazon, how about putting up a couple of sample pages?) Each step gets a two-page spread of photos like those on the cover, with the kind of "stro-motion" series of photographs of its progress that TV sportscasts sometimes use to detail figure-skating moves or football plays. There are text explanations below each part of the step, and a running count of the musical beat at the bottom of the page. Some complicated but crucial steps -- notably whips and swing-outs -- get three two-page spreads, with leaders (= men, usually), followers (= women), and both-together each shown separately.

So what's not to like? Several things, all of which spring from the lack of space on the two-page layouts:

* The overlapping photos are presented so densely in places that it's hard to see crucial details, and the text often isn't quite below the appropriate photo. If you've never seen the step before, you'll have a hard time understanding what's going on.

* The follower's footwork gets short shrift in too many of the descriptions -- particularly annoying on moves in which she's turning. (In this regard the book is no better and no worse than many dance instructors.)

* The descriptions pretty much always tell the leader what to do with his hands during the step, but frequently don't explain what the actual *lead* is that signals the start of the step. That's the kind of information somebody who's learned the step in a class needs to be able to dance it afterwards.

These beefs aside, I like the book, I'd recommend it for dancers trying to remember which foot you start the kick-around on, and paging through it makes me want to grab my dancing shoes and head for the floor.

Dancing With His Heart
Average customer rating:

GREAT READ!!!!

Classy, sweet and sexy all in one!

Like a breath of fresh air!

A classy, sexy romance

Exciting to read

Dancing With His Heart
Katherine Warwick
Manufacturer: Grove Creek Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Perfect Paperback

General | Contemporary | Romance | Subjects | Books
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Noon Noon

Wilde Wilde

Glamour Addiction: Inside the American Ballroom Dance Industry

Strictly Ballroom

ASIN: 1933963980

Product Description

Playboy and philanthropist, Alex offers first class sponsorship to Lauren and her dance partner. Given their tumultous past, Lauren is suspicious. Without resources, the single mother of a handicapped child is forced to take Alex's offer. His plan is to prove that he's changed, and win her heart. But trust is not easily won even with the sizzling sparks the two of them ignite on and off the dance floor, and they both face more trouble when a dark figure from their past shows up with devious intentions for them both.

Customer Reviews:

GREAT READ!!!!.......2007-08-04

Katherine does a GREAT job bring Alex and Lauren to life in this great book. She does an incredible job combining dance and romance! Is a must read!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Classy, sweet and sexy all in one!.......2007-04-27

I absolutely LOVED this book! I was hooked from the first page. If you like romance/dance novels or just a good, light read, this is definately for you!!! I loved the discriptions and insights into the characters, which sometimes made me laugh, sometimes smile, and even sometimes squirm. You do not have to come from a dance background to understand or like this piece either, it's easy to pick up, and I found I learnt a lot along the way.

An entracing, well reccommended read! I now have a new favourite authour, that's how much I loved it.

Like a breath of fresh air!.......2006-10-03

I recently discovered Katherine Warwick's Dancing With His Heart and I'm excited to say I enjoyed it so tremendously that she's now on my autobuy list! I haven't come across any romance that touches on competitive ballroom dancing before and I found it extremely fresh and original.

This book is a perfect example of how romantic tension can be fiery hot without the use of any offensive or explicit language. Readers of sweet to sensual romance willl be pleased and I think those whose taste run to the more explicit will be pleasantly surprised (I read a spectrum of both). As Alex tries to circumvent Lauren's instinctive antagonism and distrust due to an incident in their past, their undeniable attraction humms and vibrates like a strummed music string.

Warwick's voice is clean and vibrant, with some beautiful metaphors, and I like how she explored the other aspects of Alex's and Lauren's lives apart from the romance. Her portrayal of the challenges in raising a child with autism was so realistic it came as no surprise when I found out one of her children also has autism. I thought the suspense angle could have been explored further but it's a minor issue. One of my favourite parts of the book was the epilogue-very romantic and fitting to the theme.

If I can afford the time, I just might take up ballroom dancing lessons. That's how good this book is!

A classy, sexy romance.......2006-09-26

This is the first book I ever read by Katherine Warwick, and after reading it, I HAD to get her other ballroom themed book, Noon.

Besides creating an incredibly sexy hero in Alex, Ms. Warwick wrote a very sexy story without being raunchy. I also loved the plot line about Lauren and her daughter. Dancing With His Heart is a beautiful story.

Exciting to read.......2006-08-23

I got into this book right from the start. Katherine Warwick does an excellent job of introducing the characters in her books. You are drawn into their lives quickly. The interaction between Alex and Lauren is exciting as they uncover their feelings for one another. The descriptions of the ballroom dance moments were exciting to read as well. Even though dance is a main theme in the book, I also liked how Lauren cared for her child with autism, that she wasn't totally consumed with dance.

Average customer rating:

Touching, beautiful and shocking at the same time!
disappointing "romance novel"
A touching, emotional love story
A great read!
Wonderful love story to add to your dance book collection!

Noon
Katherine Warwick
Manufacturer: Grove Creek Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Contemporary | Romance | Subjects | Books
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Dancing With His Heart
Wilde
Strictly Ballroom

ASIN: 1933963999

Product Description

For Nicole Dubois, dance - her life - has never been the same since her only love and dance partner, Breck Noon suddenly and mysteriously left her, dissappearing at the height of their promising career and budding romance. Years later he returns. He wants her back in his life, back as his partner. Pride keeps Nicole from asking why he left and where he's been. In his absence, she's aligned herself with a dangerous partner whose secret obsession is to destroy Breck. In the dance world, competition is cutthroat, deception knows no boundaries. Breck and Nicole find themselves competitors, and life on the dance floor sizzles with passion and ignites with danger. Can their love survive an adversary whose drive to win is as powerful as his will to keep Breck and Nicole apart?

Customer Reviews:

Touching, beautiful and shocking at the same time!.......2007-07-24

Noon is a rollercoaster ride that's exhillerating, scary and leaves you feeling wonderfully rejuvenated. You'll be on the edge of your seat at times, sometimes wishing you were there...sometimes left totally confused.

I would have to say this was one of the most lovely 'rides' I've been on when it comes to novels. I got hooked and found myself drifting back to read a little more whenever I had free time. I finished reading Noon in only a few days as my eyes were practically plastered to the pages!

Noon has it's fair share of dramas, twists and barriers for the characters involved. The weave of Ballroom Dance is a tantalising spice added to the mix.

Well worth the read!

I recommend this book, and all Katherine Warwick's other ones to everyone! (they're all wonderful!)

disappointing "romance novel" .......2006-10-18

Enormously disappointing, to say the least. Strongly recommended that you preview a page of the author's writing before purchasing. Be warned that this belongs to the genre of romance novel--barely updated version of the so-called "bodice ripper"--so don't expect anything of substance.

A touching, emotional love story.......2006-09-26

This was a great read! Noon is a wonderful story packed with emotion. Katherine Warwick's knowledge of the world of ballroom dance and all it entails gave the story a realistic depth. I found myself cheering for Breck and Nicole from the very beginning.

A great read!.......2006-08-16

This is a wonderful, well-written romance novel. The story-line kept my attention throughout the book.
I've always enjoyed ballroom dancing on t.v. but this book gave me a real admiration and appreciation for this artform. I plan to attend the next competition in our area!
I highly recommend this book and I'm looking forward to reading more books by Katherine Warwick.

Wonderful love story to add to your dance book collection!.......2006-08-10

It took a chance of a lifetime for Breck Noon to rise out of poverty and a life of misery and torture at the hand of his bitter widower father. The Dubois generously took Breck under their wing with the idea of his being dance partner to their accomplished daughter, the stubborn, vain Nicole.

Breck, who had never danced before, progressed at an amazing rate at the hands of their dance teacher, Reuben. Before long, Breck and Nicole were ready for their first dance competition.

Katherine's true-to-life recounts of the hours of training and preparations for the dance competitions as well as the excitement when one is involved in dancing as a competitor brought back many fond memories and awakened feelings that I had forgotten about as an ex-ballroom/Latin dance competitor; the feeling of what it was like to be in the midst of a sea of excited faces, the hawk-eyed judges standing poised and ready with their pads and pens; and the glitter of the costumes of other competitors on the dance floor, impatiently standing in front of their partners, but appearing so patient and polished as we all waited, on pins and needles and with stomachs full of butterflies, for the sound of those first notes played by the D.J. or band.

This romance novel has everything to keep you so riveted that you hesitate to put the book down until you've read every last page. The budding romance, or you might call it a love/hate relationship, between the two teenagers Breck and Nicole; the conflicts and fights with Trey who wanted Nicole so badly that he would do anything to get her; the abuse from Breck's father... Well you'll just have to read it and see!

Highly recommended reading for all romance novel readers as well as for dance lovers. If you're just a romance novel lover this book may give you the urge to take those dance lessons you've dreamed about!

Average customer rating:

Compelling Conversation with Carlos Gavito & Jeff Allen
Fabulous Nuances Subtleties and Techniques
This book sure helped us!!
Just.... Great !
Tango a Wedding Delight

Quickstart to Tango (QuickStart Dance)
Jeff Allen
Manufacturer: QQS Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Performing Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Quickstart to Swing : An Easy - to - Follow Guide for Swing Dancing - Beginner through Expert (QuickStart Dance)
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Ballroom Dancing, 2nd Edition (Complete Idiot's Guide to)
The Tango Fundamentals - Volume 1: Basic Elements
The Tango Fundamentals - Volume 2: Basic Caminadas
The Tango Fundamentals - Volume 3: Basic Giros

ASIN: 0965442322

Book Description

Quickstart to Tango is the only book in print that contains the technique and development of either style of Tango. The book is packed with 60,000 words devoted to Tango. It fills the educational void for Tango dancers that are increasing daily in numbers. Additionally, there are histories of Tango's development and a conversation with Mr. Carlos Gavito the star of the Broadway Show Forever Tango and one of the most famous Tango dancers since Tango's Golden Age. 1.

Second in the Quickstart Dance series from the author of America's number one selling dance book. 2.

Covers the basic choreography in both the Social-American Ballroom and Argentine Tango. 3.

This text is presented in a logical and cumulative format that includes all the basic skills necessary for the successful learning, partnering, and teaching both styles of Tango. 4.

Exclusive interview with Carlos Gavito from the Broadway cast of the smash hit Forever Tango. Also included are the history, myth, and lore of both styles of Tango. 5.

An approach to Tango from a kinesiological point of view with an approach to mental and physical attitudes and philosophies.

Customer Reviews:

Compelling Conversation with Carlos Gavito & Jeff Allen.......2005-07-16

The Tango community has lost a great leader, dancer, and teacher. Quickstart to Tango has a great conversation with compelling tidbits between Jeff Allen, the author and Carlos Gavito, former star of the Broadway show Forever Tango. There are also some great insights into leading and following you'll not find elsewhere. I strongly recommend this book.

Fabulous Nuances Subtleties and Techniques .......2005-03-04

I have utilized Quickstart to Tango and Allen's: Quickstart to Swing for several years. I read them slowly piece by piece, topic by topic, or step (pattern) by step. You learn something new or develop a further understanding about a technique each time you reference these books. The nuances found obviously come from Allen's wealth of experience, training, and ability to assemble partnering techniques into an intelligible form for laymen. My goal is to someday get to Rhode Island and take some private training from him. Until then I will do and recommend that you do the next best thing - read and study these books!

This book sure helped us!!.......2003-07-28

We've been to many group classes and watched many videos. Everything they cover for the beginner is included in this book with one major difference - Mr. Allen gives us detail and explanations rather than just dance steps. Participating in group classes and watching videos are fine however, they require us to know the feeling in order to do the steps correctly. Beginners don't know or have the feeling so we tend to mimic what we see incorrectly. Allen in his book seems to have anticipated these problems and discusses them with the reader.

I urge the readers of this review as I have urged my fellow classmates to obtain this book as a great Tango reference book. By the way, the index is great for researching a specific element that you need to work on. Every Tango student should own this book!

Just.... Great !.......2003-01-11

Thank you Mr. Allen for finally explaining what makes this dance "work" ! I have been a fan (no pun intended) of Tango for a long time. I tried some classes and just couldn't "get it"....after reading this great book, I know why! It really isn't about where your feet go - it's about your entire body and this book explains that beautifully.
All of those beautiful movements that look so complex are really a collection of simple movements and the give and take between the partners- wow, I wish I had read this book first before spending my $$$ on classes!

Tango a Wedding Delight.......2003-01-07

We wanted to dance Tango at our wedding in Las Vegas. We did!!
As absolute beginners we picked up this book by Jeff Allen and it really made sense as a great instructional and reference. The dance steps are located at the end of the book so we worked ourselves from the back to the front of the book using the wonderfully constructed index to find solutions to our problem areas. The front of the book is really the foundational experience of how to Tango walk, how to lead and follow, how to frame, how to rotate, and much, much more. This appears to be boring you know like learning to read & write so we rushed to get to the story.

At first we muddled through because we felt if we could just follow the steps we would be fine, we had more failures than successes. It appears the author had already anticipated this. We found this out by either rereading the introductory chapters or honestly reading them for the first time. Then we went back and forth from what Allen calls "The Technique," (we call them the nuts and bolts) to the "Tango Choreography," and began to solve the problems. We got out of the book just what we wanted!! We figured we saved many hundreds of dollars in class time.

Book Description

New York Times bestselling author Heather Graham choreographs a sexy thriller of passion and murder . . .

Accomplished dancer Lara Trudeau drops dead of a heart attack brought on by a lethal combination of booze and pills. To former private investigator Quinn O'Casey, it's a simple case of death by misadventure. But when his brother Doug, a Miami-Dade patrolman, asks for help, he can't refuse. Especially when he learns that Lara and Doug -- a student at the Moonlight Sonata dance studio where Lara occasionally taught -- were having an affair. And despite Quinn's lack of interest in the case and even less in dancing, experience has taught him not to count on the obvious when it comes to murder.

Going undercover as a dance student, Quinn meets studio manager Shannon Mackay, a beautiful, graceful woman who has left world-class competition to teach. He also uncovers some disturbing facts. Everyone there had a reason to hate Lara Trudeau, a woman as ruthless as she was talented. As a drama of broken hearts, shattered dreams and tangled motives unfolds, Quinn begins looking for a killer.

In a city where pleasure drugs are a fast and dangerous high, Quinn is alarmed by the growing number of deaths due to overdose, illegal substances and execution-style shootings connected to the Moonlight Sonata. Shannon, too, has begun to wonder if strange events surrounding the studio have a deeper source. She suspects she's being followed. Worse, she fears someone may be trying to kill her.

Shannon is about to discover the risks she is willing to take to fight for what she wants -- to dance, to compete again, to share her life with Quinn. Yet someone has another plan for her, a dangerous shadow figure make all the more deadly by wearing the face of a friend. But someone just hadn't counted on Quinn O'Casey -- a man who doesn't give up and never backs down, especially when it comes to protecting the woman he loves.

Customer Reviews:

GREAT READ.......2007-05-13

I really enjoyed this book and the story moved fast. This is the first book that I read by this lady but I do agree with one reviewer about the pooper scooper stuff. That was a little much but I enjoyed all the other characters and the story. A really good murder mystery in the world of dance.

One Pooper-Scooper too many.......2007-01-29

As the final confrontation came down on the floor of the dance studio, I thought: "Please, not the pooper-scooper. That is too lame." Aghhhh, it was the pooper-scooper and it was too pat a climax. I cannot count the characters in this book. I kept having to flip back to see who was who. Actually, the book was fairly interesting, but it was kind of muddled and hard to keep track of everyone in it. Quinn and Shannon were okay, but I find it hard to believe that after 8 years of not dancing comepetitively anyone could just 'waltz' onto a floor and win a competition. Could Sarah Hughes just decide to re-enter amatuer skating and with the U.S. championships without first competing in some (any) other events? Oh well, the book was okay even if confusing and kind of cliched. Not great but maybe if you're a fan of Heather Graham, this is what you like. This is the first book I've read by her and will probably be the last. It was not suspenseful enough for me, and the mystery just was not there. The first bad guy was pretty obvious. The second not so obvious, but not really that menacing either. And in the end, everybody ended up happy with nothing but expectations of future lifelong happiness. sigh. Disapointed. But that final pooper-scooper. What a let down.

Very good book and mystery.......2006-07-16

This is book number 2 in a series and one of Heather Graham's better mystery romances. Quinn is great and can laugh at himself when he is trying to learn to dance and is truly a good big brother to Doug. Shannon, Quinn's love interest is a bit stiffer and tends to be somewhat dense at times but still is likeable. People who inhabit the dance studio are interesting, not only the instructors but also the students. While there is too much gossip and fussing among the dancers, it is still an entertaining book that I recommend.

A little too pat.......2006-07-04

Dead on the Dance Floor tries too hard to have a wide pool of suspects to the murder. The subplot of the homeless girl, while sweet, is too convenient-- she's homeless because her stepfather was trying to molest her and her mother wouldn't defend her, not because she was a bad kid; she just happens to set up camp in the yard of a sympathetic person; she just happens to be a natural dancer loaded with talent, and the sympathetic person works at a dance studio.

But what really yanked me out of the story was the ballroom dance move called... The Pooper-Scooper.

Every time I read that phrase, all romance & grace fled my mind while picturing baggies of doggie doo.

I guess it was supposed to be humorous, but the attempt fell flat.

The Pooper-Scooper.

A Very Good Romantic Suspense You Won't Want To Miss!!.......2005-05-09

A long time fan of Ms. Graham I'm always amazed by her creativity and the setting that she has chosen for this read is not only original but fun. I admit to not knowing a Samba from a rumba except that they are indeed dances that sound like a lot of fun. As a result the reader is introduced to a lifestyle that is rather popular but unfamiliar to many and the perfect setting for this fast-paced romantic suspense.

Shannon McKay runs a dance studio that has been not having the best of luck as far as it clients goes, two different woman fall dead from an overdose of drugs. Are they related or two different problems with the same sad outcome? She is warned at a dance competition "she's next." Next for what though?

Quinn O'Casey as been asked by his brother to investigate the death of dance star Lara Trudeau. He has had a personal relationship with her and doesn't think that she would kill herself. Doug knows in his brother will be able to get to the bottom of it...especially when he introduces the fact that one of Quinn's last cases may have had a connection to Lara's death. Quinn reluctantly agrees and finds himself taking dance lessons with Shannon being his teacher. He is attracted to her and doesn't know if he should act on his feelings or shelve them until he can cross her off of his list of suspects. It's a race against time before a killer strikes again. Will he be able to figure out who is killing the dancers before Shannon becomes the next victim?

This was a real fast-paced read that was entertaining and different. Although there are quiet a few secondary characters I don't think that it's so many that the reader can't keep track. Plenty of personalities is what keeps this from being too technical or bogged down. Ms. Graham is an author that always delivers and this is a read that you won't want to miss!

Average customer rating:

The Ballroom on Magnolia Street was great
So glad I found this author
Looking for Binchy, be prepared for disappointment...
A real treat, could not put it down.
Another Winner by Sharon Owens! "Ballroom" is Terrific!

The Ballroom on Magnolia Street
Sharon Owens
Manufacturer: Putnam Adult
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Romance | Subjects | Books

General | Contemporary | Romance | Subjects | Books
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The Tavern on Maple Street
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ASIN: 0399152865
Release Date: 2005-06-02

Book Description

On the heels of her captivating debut, The Tea House on Mulberry Street, comes Sharon Owens's new novel of passion, romance, and regret-and the winding paths to falling in love.

Johnny "Hollywood" Hogan owns the ballroom on Magnolia Street, where sisters Kate and Shirley Winters, along with other regulars, go every Saturday night-to escape the realities of Belfast life, and to seek fun and romance.

Free-spirited Shirley has a mad crush on a boy named Declan Greenwood, while thoroughly modern Kate likes plenty of variety in her wardrobe (and her love life) and is determined to get married before her younger sister. She'll take anyone who'll have her, even if it has to be that greasy-though not entirely unattractive-mechanic who has been hanging around lately. The crowd at Hogan's is always lively, but that doesn't mean all problems have been left at the door. Johnny's grandparents are afraid that he'll retire and shut the ballroom down. Johnny yearns for Marion, his old love (and Declan's mother), while Marion starts to worry that her long-held secret will finally be revealed.

But it doesn't take long for all of the ballroom's patrons to discover that, even without velvet-lined balconies and crystal chandeliers, the magic of the twinkling lights and soft music will help them find just what they're looking for-whether it be family, friendship, or even true love.

Customer Reviews:

The Ballroom on Magnolia Street was great.......2006-06-27

I loved this book. I had read her first book the Tea house on Mulberry Street and I knew that I had to have the next one. It will keep you interested and wanting another at the end.
I highly recommend it, and the lastest novel the Tavern on Maple Street

So glad I found this author.......2006-04-17

I was pleasantly suprised to find this new Irish author. I have always been a fan of Maeve Binchy's and after reading Sharon Owens I can see why so many reviews draw parallels between the two authors.

The book is centered around a ballroom in Belfast. We are introduced to the owner, Johhny "Hollywood" Hogan, and eventually to his patrons. We meet two sisters, Shirley and Kate and follow their love, work and family dilemmas. As happens in life, people are connected in unexpected ways, which makes for some interesting relationships.

The story is told with great affection for the characters, despite their faults. The book does not falter and keeps the reader both interested and amused to the very end. Ms. Owens excels at drawing three dimensional characters and writing believable conversations and story lines.

A delightful book all around!

Looking for Binchy, be prepared for disappointment..........2006-03-20

Always on the lookout for new Irish fiction writers, I stumbled across Sharon Owens. When I find one I like I tend to get every book ever written and gobble them up like candy, eagerly anticipating the next release. Unfortunately, that won't be the case here. The story line was impossibly weak from the start. I almost gave up after the third chapter but hung on as I hate to admit defeat which is more than I can say for this author. I thought this book was a mystery then chick lit then I realized that even the author can't seem to figure out what genre she is going for. She starts out killing the hero's parents in the war, next having him lose the heroine who she can never quite make up her mind til the end whether she's a brainless idiot, still in love with him and going back or what. The hero is good then bad, up then down. It's not a matter of keeping the reader in suspense, I don't think the author has the first idea about plot development and it clearly shows. A reader doesn't mind character development but character confusion is another matter altogether, especially when the entire cast seems to suffer from it. If you are used to a quality writer like Rosamunde Pilcher or Maeve Binchy this is a huge step down. I'm not suggesting that this author be on a level with John Banville's The Sea - clearly we aren't talking Booker Prize material here but honestly - this was an effort to keep reading.

A real treat, could not put it down. .......2006-02-28

Fortunately, I had The Ballroom on Magnolia Street ready to pick up once I finished The Tea House on Mulberry Street. I was eager to once again to share the lives of ordinary Belfast citizens....hardworking, and ordinary. Johnny Hogan, the owner of the ballroom is anything but ordinary, Wht, he was the first man in Belfast, perhaps in all Ireland, to wear blue suade shoes and still wears them proudly. He is sure that a man as extraordinary as he will only find his true destiny in America. But he has the ballroom, and the rememberance of his love affair with Marian. Marian has her hands full with a family to raise and a thriving dress business, It keeps her almost too busy to worry about anyone discovering her long buried secret. Sisters Kate and Shirley are hard working girls who look forward to a bit of fun at Hogan's on the weekend. Kate is the one who picks and catches the man she fancies. Shirley is on the sideline...usually shoring up Kate as needed and yearning for "true love". Johnny's grandparents just want him to be happy, and hope his life will become settled enough so they can enjoy their remaining years....well earned since they raised him since his parents were killed in a WWll bombing. These characters and more go about their daily lives in Belfast looking ahead to going to Hogan's where they'll dance to the oldies and shed their work week lives and perhaps find a bit of romance. Once again, I was captivated by these people, sometimes exasperated and dismayed, and then laughing until my sides hurt. The pitted duel of insulting song requests waged by Kate and her rival at the ballroom had me chuckling at my desk at work. I could just see the two glaring across the ballroom, and the hapless DJ caught in the middle. My only complaint was there was not a single reference to any of the characters from her previous book, The Tea Room on Mulberry Street, I didn't think the characters would necessarily need to continue, but would have loved a mention here or there. Once again, I found this book to be a delightful read...and will eagerly await Ms. Owen's next.

Another Winner by Sharon Owens! "Ballroom" is Terrific!.......2006-02-25

The Tea House on Mulberry Street was so very enjoyable that I purchased the h/cover of Ballroom with my limited book buying $ for my library's shelf.

"Ballroom.." is warm, funny, insightful, touching, full of lovable & eccentric characters of *all ages*. Families, love, sisters, dancing, family secrets, a hilarious bumbling crook...Sharon Owens had me laughing out loud at times.

I just purchased Ms. Owens third book, The Tavern on Maple Street. Her books are worth every cent of my modest book buying $$. Please write more, Ms. Owens!

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The Ballroom on Magnolia Street
Sharon Owens
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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The Tavern on Maple Street
The Tea House on Mulberry Street

ASIN: B000I2JP4C

Three Minutes of Intimacy: Dance Your Way to a Sensational Social Life

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It's really that easy to make friends on the dance floor!
It's really that easy to make friends on the dance floor!

Three Minutes of Intimacy: Dance Your Way to a Sensational Social Life
Marcott Craig , and Craig Marcott
Manufacturer: Sundance Publishing, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0967870127

Book Description

In his inspirational book, Three Minutes of Intimacy: Dance Your Way to a Sensational Social Life, Craig Marcott provides a compelling argument for joining him on the dance floor. Sometimes considered the most intimate three minutes outside the bedroom, social dancing really is the ultimate connection. It offers an introduction to another person which is extraordinary in terms of physical intimacy. Marcott says, "Social dancing may be the new millennium's answer to the bar scene--a perfect opportunity to meet people and begin a relationship. It is only three minutes on the dance flor, but knowing how to partner dance can mean the difference between a boring social life and a successful one.

Customer Reviews:

It's really that easy to make friends on the dance floor!.......2000-09-09

This book so accurately tells how much good can come in your life by simply joining a social partner dance class. Marcott explains, along with quotes from other dancers, how having the opportunity to feel music through the moving touch of another person, your dance partner of the opposite sex, is just simply a happy tingling sensation that makes your whole being smile. And really men, there are sooo many women who want to dance, that if you learn well, it's likely many women will want to dance with you. Remember, usually there are more women than men at most dances, in any style (i.e. ballroom, swing, latin, tango, country, contra) so who gets to dance every song if they want??? Marcott so graciously explains what a great way to be intimate with other people, one on one, without it being more than a dance if you don't want!! He also has a good long list of complete resouces for guidance.

It's really that easy to make friends on the dance floor!.......2000-09-09

This book so accurately tells how much good can come in your life by simply joining a social partner dance class. Marcott explains, along with quotes from other dancers, how having the opportunity to feel music through the moving touch of another person, your dance partner of the opposite sex, is just simply a happy tingling sensation that makes your whole being smile. And really men, there are sooo many women who want to dance, that if you learn well, it's likely many women will want to dance with you. Remember, usually there are more women than men at most dances, in any style (i.e. ballroom, swing, latin, tango, country, contra) so who gets to dance every song if they want??? What a great way to be intimate with other people, one on one, without it being more than a dance if you don't want!!Marcott also has a good long list of complete resouces for guidance.

Dancing Guide: Basic Art of the Dance : Ballroom , Latin, Disco, Country, Line and Latino

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Dancing Guide: Basic Art of the Dance : Ballroom , Latin, Disco, Country, Line and Latino
John Amos Banks
Manufacturer: Jordan Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Tanita BC533 Glass Innerscan Body Composition Monitor

ASIN: 0962983322

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