Customer Reviews

Becoming Ginger Rogers: How Ballroom Dancing Made Me a Happier Woman, Better Partner, and Smarter CEO

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I loved Patrice's book. She made this wonderful experience with ballroom dancing into a must read for any business person. The lessons learned are truly universal and it was great to see this deftly put to pen by a captivating story teller. I can't wait to see what she writes next!

I've know Patrice Tanaka for almost 30 years and have shared in many of her triumphs as well as difficult times. But reading her book took me to places in her experience that I did not know existed. Her "no holds barred" approach combined with her practical insights and wisdom is a true inspiration. Regardless of your interests or station in life, there is something for everyone in this book! I loved reading it.

Saturated in a genuine voice Patrice Tanaka courageously shares her personal journey from a place of wisdom, integrity and service.

Many valuable and progressive messages and lessons make this work a must read and a great book club choice.

What I loved most about "Becoming Ginger Rogers" is that Patrice shares her story with complete vulnerability and honesty. I can say this because I know her and I am actually included in the book. This is a wonderful story for anyone who is on journey to a happier self, and who among us aren't? You do not need to aspire to compete in ballroom dancing as Patrice has. The dancing, business and life lessons are all universal. The story of Patrice's struggles is very real and very human. As a New Yorker who has just gotten past the 10th Anniversary of 9/11, I remind myself every day that I need to fill each day with joy and wonderful people. Patrice's book helps me to do just that. It's a great read and I highly recommend it.

Start with a love of Ginger. Add 3 cups' vulnerability. A pound or two of tenacity. And whip together with a whole lot of savvy instinct. You've got the makings of a hilarious and awe-inspiring memoir on how a perfectionist can find self-awareness, health, wellness and joy at any time in life's journey, even in one's 50s. In Becoming Ginger Rogers, we go on a heartfelt and entertaining waltz through one woman's most challenging life moments. We learn the basic steps for dancing through these moments with more ease and grace and brilliance -- not to mention joy!!

Patrice Tanaka combines self-deprecation and huge insight in a way only highly intelligent writers and thinkers can. Her honesty both with herself and thus the reader packs a powerful punch and her smart internal temperature reads teach us all how to be better, smarter and happier at whatever we do while on this journey of life.

And along the way, she's become one heck of dancer as evidenced by her online videos!!!!

Inspiring, entertaining, informative - on so many levels. This is a beautiful story about how a very successful businesswoman transformed and reinvigorated both her personal life and her professional life at age 50 by pursuing a lifelong dream to learn ballroom dancing.

For Tanaka, ballroom dancing became a "life raft" during a particularly challenging time. She does a great job of taking the reader along for the ride through her experiences, realizations, and transformations. Immediately, I was swept into the book's current by the hilarious story about a fantastic and memorable PR campaign for Dyson vacuum cleaners, and I read straight through!

I found myself really rooting for Tanaka, and that extended to a feeling that I was also rooting for myself and for others I know who have experienced similar trials and challenges.

One of the biggest joys of this book, for me, is the author doesn't hold anything back -- she's completely honest about her personal and professional trials as well as her personal and professional triumphs. She wrote the book in the same manner in which she has learned to dance - no-holds-barred.

The book is very valuable as a straight business memoir (but it's also so much more than that), as Tanaka gives a totally candid and informative account of the inner workings of a PR agency and of some high-profile campaigns, like the Dyson one. You don't need to be a PR insider to benefit from the view - the information will be valuable to anyone involved in service-oriented, creative, or entrepreneurial business.

I found the book to be very well paced and nicely balanced between the business stories, the personal stories, and the dance stories. Even though I'm not a dance fan per se, I thoroughly enjoyed the fascinating looking inside the world of competitive ballroom dancing. I also thoroughly enjoyed Tanaka's commentary on specific dances (in the Intermezzo sections) and her descriptions of individual moves and steps. She's very generous in sharing insights dance has given her and how they apply to other areas of her life.

Tanaka rediscovers feminine aspects of herself through dance. I think this is a very powerful part of the story, as women often abandon feminine qualities because they feel it's necessary to successfully compete in the male-dominated business world. Tanaka beautifully illustrates the power and strength that embracing feminine energy gives her in both her personal and professional experiences. This book has so much to offer on many levels. I loved it!

Patrice Tanaka has shared her unique story of dreams coming true . In the process of learning Ballroom, she finds herself learning a better way to operate in the board room , and in her personal relationships. By learning about partnership in dance, she found the importance of trust and the freedom and joy in just letting go and allowing true love of oneself... Body and soul. Her story of late life dreams and the real energy involved in acting on those dreams stands as a model for us all to follow.

In the book we learn the behind the scene world of learning competitive dancing while at the same time learning new ways to work more successfully in a demanding career in unprecedented times of change , I can see clearly in her memoir that no matter what steps are taken, and how good the choreography... a nimble spirit filled with joy can make all the difference ! The book was fun to read and it stands as one woman's samba toward self realization that we all can learn from. The book is uniquely structured and it was for me a fun afternoon read. Very easy to follow and very easy to provide one's own personal empathy and true life analogies. Great book for boomers who have for whatever reason, put dreams in moth balls!