DANCING IN THE DARK

About the Book

Temple Drake moves from the Bayou to New York City to become a dancer. She rooms at a House for Girls where she is paired with the beautiful and rich dancer, Allison Fain.

Despite the heat of daily competition for an opening in a major dance company they become friends. But Allison is threatened by Temple’s beauty and talent, and schemes to take a position with the National Ballet while shutting out her friend Temple.

Allison’s plot backfires and she is exiled from the New York dance world. In exile she becomes even more consumed with ambition and is resolute in fighting her way back to stardom.

Excerpt from the novel:

It was not much of a trick to spot a dancer on the street, even in winter wraps there was the elegant carriage of the upper torso and head, muscular calves, and, of course, the peculiar duck-waddle walk.  Victoria Bennett turned more than a few heads as she crossed Lincoln Center Plaza for Amy's Health Food restaurant -- not her favorite, but close.

         Hat and scarf on the seat beside her, collar open, she rubbed aching cold hands, then massaged her left calf, sore since a rehearsal of the day before.  Hers was definitely a theatrical presence, a face haughty, expressive, the hands and arms quick, continually moving.  Her long black hair had gray streaks that were no longer disguised.  Her age was a secret guarded by the company, ignored by the press, and a matter of frequent speculation among her fellow dancers.  But no one dared openly to compare the number of birthdays with her younger husband, Juri Agarte.  Those who were kind put her in her late thirties; those who were unkind were unkind.

"Where is she?"  A close look could catch the jaw setting into place like a trap door as she closed a sentence, but neither did that, nor the quick, hard frown detract from the startling beauty of her face with its Eskimo-wide cheekbones and luminous black eyes.

Victoria had once danced with the famed Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo; by her account she was thirteen at the time, and only fifteen when she joined the National Ballet.  She harbored many memories from those days, often with a pang when things got tough in America.  The hopes and dreams of her youth would then flood back to her on shimmering waves.  She remembered exciting opening night performances in the Baroque theatres of Europe's great cities, the glamorous parties, girlish romances in languages she could not speak, the lovely, then unspoiled French Riviera, and the special magic of Monte Carlo, a gingerbread kingdom and play-world of the rich and titled.  In those days Victoria had not learned the price of success, nor had she been required to pay for it.

The windows at Amy's were opaque with condensation and frost. Victoria wiped a hole on the window surface to see outside. She saw Nanette Gorham tearing across the street.  The waitress placed a sunflower seed and wheat germ yogurt in front of Victoria.

Nanette slid into the seat opposite Victoria, out of breath from wind and hurry.

"Sorry I’m late." She flashed Victoria a quick, cursory look.

Nanette's skin was the color of watery milk stretched tightly over delicate bones that looked as if they would snap and crunch if touched ever so lightly.  But these delicate features of a woodland nymph disappeared when she opened her mouth, and two protruding teeth turned an enchanting forest creature into a beaver.

Victoria spooned yogurt into her mouth. "Yes?"

"Well, I'm not sure how to start."

After twenty years in ballet Victoria had developed a radar system for impending danger. "Is it about Juri?"

Nanette was genuinely surprised, but she nodded affirmatively.

"Is he having an affair?"

"Yes."

"Let's see . . . would it be . . . Allison Fain?"

"How did you know?"

"Because he never looks at her."

Nanette squinted,

About the Author

Mr. Dando is the Producer of the original Broadway production of The Who's rock-opera TOMMY, featuring Les Grands Ballets Canadiens the production toured throughout the world, and broke house records at New York’s City Center. He was also Producer of the Beatles' Broadway production, SGT. PEPPER'S LONELY HEART'S CLUB BAND, Directed by Tom O’Horgan. He was Executive Director of several dance companies including Stars of American Ballet, New World Ballet, Fusion Dance Company, and General Manager of the Pennsylvania Ballet Company. He was also Artistic Director of Miami’s New World Festival of the Arts, Philadelphia’s Playhouse-in-the-Park, and Founder of Philadelphia’s American Dance Festival, and Artistic Director of New York City’s Beacon Theatre. Mr. Dando was a Producer, Director, and Writer with PBS and ABC’s Arts and Entertainment Network. Mr. Dando has an extensive background in Education as a teacher of Speech and as a Director of Theatre. Mr. Dando was a Fellowship student in the Theatre Doctoral program at Southern Illinois University, and received a Master's Degree in Theatre from Temple University and his Bachelor’s Degree from LaSalle University.