Quick, Before the Music Stops: How Ballroom Dancing Saved My Life (Hardcover)

by Janet Carlson (Author)
Key Phrases: reverse turn, bitch nag, music stops, Quick Before the Music Stops, New York, Cap Juluca (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
A couple of decades ago, the author was a competitive ballroom dancer who chose to leave dancing to raise a family; at the time, there was the feeling that competitive dancing might not be what most people would consider an appropriate career for a young woman. Later, after she had become a successful magazine editor, with a husband and children, she nevertheless felt unfulfilled, as though her life was missing some vital part of herself. Then, on Valentine’s Day, her husband gave her a gift of ballroom-dancing classes, and Carlson took the first step on the road to finding herself again. This is one of those rediscovering-myself memoirs, capably written and occasionally moving, if ultimately familiar to readers familiar with the increasingly popular genre. Thanks to the recent high profile of competitive ballroom dancing—both on television and in films—it’s likely that the milieu of the story may attract more interest than the voyage to self-discovery. --David Pitt

Review
With insight and humor, Janet Carlson shares the joy, exhilarations, and self-revelations that ballroom dancing has brought her. She draws the reader into her lessons, her partnerships, and her life, and in doing so reveals just how accurately ballroom dancing both reflects and transforms life.
-- Bruno Collins, Vice President, American Ballroom Company; previously National Dance Director, Fred Astaire Dance Studios

"How gratifying to read a book that uses dancing as a metaphor for life and shows how it inspires the steps forward that every woman needs to take. This riveting personal story is guaranteed to help anyone find their center and balance. Brava Janet!"
-Evelyn Lauder, Senior Corporate Vice President of the Esteé Lauder Companies, Inc.

"Janet Carlson beautifully describes ballroom dancing as intricate, joyful, athletic, and most importantly, a way to learn how to live life. If you can't hit the dance floor, read this book. Better yet, do both."
-Barbara Lazear Ascher, author of Landscape without Gravity and Playing After Dark --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Broadway; 1 edition (July 8, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 076792682X
• ISBN-13: 978-0767926829
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #147,944 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best personal memoir on ballroom dancing by far, March 14, 2009

By	Karin Norgard "www.joy-in-motion.com" (Anchorage, Alaska, USA) - See all my reviews

There are too many books out there about how ballroom dancing changed an author's perspective on life. While I can appreciate each writer's experience and their desire to share with others, each of these books seems to read the same, with nothing of true depth and substance to really engage me. I typically finish these books out of obligation rather than interest. Despite this, I continue to read every new book on social or ballroom dance that I can find because I hold out hope that someone will offer something unique and remarkable.

Janet Carlson's book has validated that hope. Her story begins with the realization of an inner death, the result of a lifeless marriage and an endless cycle of quiet and obligation. What captured me immediately was her beautifully descriptive writing and unique voice. At first I felt Carlson was sharing a little too much detail about the inadequacy of her husband. I felt sorry that his dirty laundry was - both literally and figuratively - being left out for all to see.

However, I quickly found myself engrossed in Carlson's journey back into the world of ballroom dancing and how it changed her physical, mental, and emotional landscape. Most books that attempt self help or metaphorical parallels between dancing and life are too saccharine and simplistic. Carlson, however, touches on complex and rich life lessons without preaching or giving simplistic answers. Her strength in this book lies in her ability to put the truth out there in all its complexity, to admit undesired emotions or those we don't like to admit or talk about. This honesty and depth kept me hooked throughout the book.

Carlson explores common themes in ballroom dance: connection, musicality, leading and following, technique, control, quality of movement, artistry, and flow. However, she manages to breathe new life into these topics without the common clichés and analogies. She does this by delving into her painful struggle to find meaning in her relationships and in her life. Although in the beginning I found such honesty difficult to read, I quickly discovered it to be the very reason she is able to offer such a unique and engrossing perspective on dance and life.

This is one of only two books on dance that I was able to read in less than two days. I very much appreciate the thought and consideration that Carlson put into this book, and it is one of only a few in the dance memoir category that I wholeheartedly recommend.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Marriage Saver, August 16, 2008

By	Happy in Baltimore - See all my reviews

It's as if Ms. Carlson is throwing a lifeline to those of us whose marriages are in need of rescue, even though she acknowledges she learned her lessons too late to save her own. Having followed her columns in Town & Country over the years, I've found this author has always been really forthright about her own issues in order to help other women. The same compassion and surprising insights are in this book. I've already applied some of her wisdom...with good results. Not only that, for the first time, I'm beginning to understand America's fascination with Dancing With The Stars. Something that's always puzzled me! Now I'm on the lookout for dancing classes near my home...but will make sure my husband comes along! Thanks Janet!

5.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't put this book down!!, March 23, 2009

By	Marcy Aufrichtig (Mt. Kisco, NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Janet Carlson's "Quick, Before The Music Stops" spoke to my soul more than any book has in a long time. I cannot begin to convey how much I enjoyed Carlson's story, as it unfolded through the various stages of her life as a wife, mother and dancer. As someone who entered the world of ballroom dancing just a year ago, I understood profoundly Carlson's passion for dancing. Like Carlson, ballroom dance has become my therapy, my escape from daily life in suburbia.

I appreciated the honesty and introspection by which Carlson revealed all the facets of her persona in experiencing the ups and downs of her life at that time. Carlson's account of her experiences with her instructors, their interesting personalities and how they played roles in informing her dancing as well as her self-image was extremely realistic. And I truly loved the descriptive dance passages!

Carlson's story - one that remained with me long after reading it - left me the same way each and every ballroom dance lesson leaves me: refreshed, energized and joyful. The words flowed off the page as an extremely well-written account that proved so relevant to my own life. I recommend Janet Carlson's book to anyone who wants and/or needs a spark of inspiration or passion in any facet of life.