Memoir Dance

The Last Dance: A Love Affair with Destiny is a captivating and inspiring memoir that follows the love story of Emma and Alex, two individuals, whose lives were forever changed when they met each other. From the first steps of their fateful encounter to their last dance together, this book takes the listener on a journey of love, passion, and destiny.

One of Haiti’s most renowned daughters returns to her homeland, taking listeners on a stunning, exquisitely rendered journey beyond the hedonistic surface of Carnival and into its deep heart. Edwidge Danticat had long been scared off from Carnival by a loved one, who spun tales of people dislocating hips from gyrating with too much abandon, losing their voices from singing too loudly, going deaf from the clamor of immense speakers, and being punched, stabbed, pummeled, or fondled by other lustful revelers. Now an adult, she resolves to return and exorcise her Carnival demons.

In a wise, warmhearted memoir that celebrates her extraordinary life and stellar career, Swoosie Kurtz shares just the right combination of personal misadventure and showbiz lore, candidly reflecting on the right choices that empowered her, the wrong choices that enlightened her, and the intimate journey of caring for an aging parent.

In this transparent, compelling memoir, a young, highly-successful black man reflects on the life he built for himself over the years, only to reach the middle of his life and realize it wasn’t a life he wanted. All his life, he’d followed the rules, excelled at all he touched, made historical strides in school and career, and gave every bit of himself to please others and be seen as “perfect”. It was a pressure-filled life that left little room for error or enjoyment. He succeeded in manufacturing a you-niverse, of which him being perfect was the center.

Mark tells the story of his life through his strong memories of the ups and downs, from poverty to the glittering stages where he performed, surviving sexual abuse and overcoming a stutter, an aunt who made his life unbearable, and a woman who believed in his talent as a dancer. Against all adversity, he had to believe in himself and conquer the world and his fears, finding the ultimate goal in life: happiness, love, and fulfillment with his partner in London.

As the head writer for Shadowbox Live, a theater company in Columbus, Ohio, Jimmy Mak often mines his life for comedic material. Now, for the first time, he's compiled his thoughts on those silly, serious, and sappy moments in one place. Daddies Shouldn't Breakdance takes us on a highly entertaining tour of the high points in Mak's life: his first day on the planet, his exploits as a secret young superhero, his experiences as a father raising charming but rambunctious daughters, and more.

Fred Astaire, 1899 to 1987, born Frederick Austerlitz, was an icon and extremely influential American dancer, singer, actor, and choreographer. Although Astaire refused dance lessons at first, he quickly picked up choreography and showed himself to be a natural talent; he also began learning various instruments. Overall, Astaire’s stage and film and television career spanned 76 years. Astaire starred in more than 10 Broadway musicals, over 30 musical films, and numerous television specials, radio specials, and recordings.

Bailarina norteamericana del siglo XX, hija de un matrimonio desunido y finalmente divorciado, de vida polémica hasta casi la inmoralidad, inquieta y autodidacta neta, su instinto la inclinó hacia el baile desde muy pequeña. Hoy se le recuerda como uno de los mayores talentos que ha dado la danza moderna.