Dances Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

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For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, A Short Glossary of Ballet Terms and our BookBrowse Review of Dances.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. "I stood out because of my blackness," Cece says. "And I was determined then to obliterate it, to render my blackness irrelevant with perfection." Why does Cece feel she has to "obliterate" her blackness in order to succeed in the world of ballet? How does this shift throughout the book?
2. Throughout the narrative, Cece's perception of herself seems at odds with the way the media, the public, and younger dancers see her. Why is it so hard for her to see herself as influential and successful, even after Kaz promotes her and she becomes the first black female principal in the New York City Ballet? What—if anything—helps her to finally believe it?
3. Cece says, "I am not conditioned to see myself as a damsel in distress. I am not conditioned to see myself as fragile, precious. I am not conditioned to see myself as worth saving." How does she work against this conditioning? What would you identify as the turning point in her journey?

Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of One World. Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.