The Dance Dragon

by Dan Logan

After a lifetime of avoiding dance at weddings and social gatherings, Dan Logan finds himself trapped. His daughter, a ballet aficionado, was getting married. A father-daughter dance was inevitable. He confronts his fear of dance and finds the courage to walk in a ballroom dance studio, meets Melissa the instructor, and his life changes. At the wedding, Dan discovers there are moments when he enjoys dancing and he decides he must face the dance dragon and make a serious effort to learn. His journey takes him into a world of dance studios and clubs, where he dances with hundreds of women, travels to rural Cuba and eventually Washington D.C for a competitive performance for his final confrontation with the dragon. Author The Dance Dragon is Dan Logan’s first novel. He grew up in Boston, graduated with a major in American history from the University of Notre Dame, spent three years in the U.S Military and received an M.B.A. in marketing research from New York University After 12 years working at a large global advertising firm in New York at the end of the Mad Men era, Dan moved back to Boston and started his own advertising and communication firm. Dan and his wife Eileen live on the Boston waterfront. Key Dance, Ballroom, Wedding, Tango, Dragon, Cuba, Learning, Hemingway, Rhythm, Havana

182 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 29, 2017

About the author

Dan Logan, a life- long dance avoider, was asked why he took up dancing late in life so often, he decided to write a book. He lives in Boston, with his wife, Eileen, who was often referred to as
“Dancing” in the New

Reviews

[Joannes Rhino]

Dance is the most beautiful form of expressing yourself. It brings out the best in you and sets you free. It is an art well practiced and appreciated around the globe. To some individuals it comes naturally and for others who have the zeal and motivation, learning to dance is actually not difficult at all. This is what the author is trying to say in "The Dance Dragon". It is all about letting go the fear and indulging in expressing yourself as beautifully and charmingly as possible. I am not such of a dancer, but I can refer this book to other aspects of my life. In terms of the writing style, very simple and easy to understand.

[J.B. Trepagnier]

As someone who grew up in the dance world and continued all through college, then professionally for a little while, I have always been very impressed when I would go take an "adult ballet", "adult tap", etc for extra technique classes and see adults ranging from all ages and technique levels totally letting go and getting out of their comfort zones to learn something new. The dance world is not always that forgiving and there are mirrors and teachers everywhere correcting you.

I've dove head first into master classes from professional in modern dance techniques I either had 0 or hardly any training in, sometimes ended up with my feet bleeding all over the floor, but had a blast. That said, ballroom dance scares the crap out of me. I had to do a paper and teach a group of other students the Waltz in my dance history class as part of my major. Despite doing solos, costume malfunctions, and sometimes face planting in class or on stage, that was all way less mortifying that getting up and trying to waltz with my classmates.

This author has so much respect from me, both for stepping out there and deciding dance isn't all that bad, but entering both the dance world AND the writing world with this book. Reading about the author learning ballroom and his journey with it makes me a little less afraid of that form of dance. I've always wanted to learn the tango, but have always been afraid of being super awkward and stepping all over someone's feet. After reading this, maybe it's time to get out there and learn

[K.W. Benton]

This book belongs on the shelf at every dance studio in the country. Scratch that every place people are trying new things. We all have them, some call them dragons, some demons, but the fear of striving to do the unknown is innate. This is a wonderful journey of one man challenging himself to face his fear of not being perfect the first go. As a coach of young girls I see this same fear, their "dragons" manifest themselves in self-deprecation and/or giggling with their shoulders around their ears. The repeated "I'm not good at that," to which I make them add, "yet." Dan's story takes the reader through what it takes to move beyond the embarrassment of not being good enough to practicing until you are. It allows for failures to be building blocks instead of stumbling blocks, as so often considered in our own minds.
The writing was engaging and light hearted. There is a bit of the public speaking technique; tell them what you are going to tell them, tell them, and then tell them that you told them. But over all this is a lovely story worth the telling. I would recommend it to anyone who is attempting a new skill whether they are young or old.

[Byron]

Anyone who has ever felt intimidated to tackle something way outside of their comfort zones will find a lot to identify with from reading The Dance Dragon. Dan Logan lays out the genesis for his earliest trepidations about ballroom dancing and these self-doubts and his self-consciousness hover in the background for much of this story. But then his daughter's wedding looms and a father of the bride predicament: here is that one dance he can't/won't allow himself to get sidelined from experiencing. This is a beautiful ode to dancing and dancers, to be sure. However, it is also an insightful, compelling exploration into male vs. female communications styles; overcoming the fears and obstacles we sometimes put in front of ourselves to avoid making important decisions; the upsides of taking risks and tweaking each of our comfort zones, at any age; and the special bonds forged among human beings with shared passions. In slaying his Dance Dragon and sharing how he did it, Logan delivers a case study for the joys of life-long learning.

[Kevin Mcguinness]

This book left me feeling good. It was a personal and humorous account of overcoming one's fears and doing something you had avoided your whole life for fear of looking bad (and don't we all have those fears at one time or another). The author's quest to learn how to do basic dance as a gift to his daughter at her wedding expands. Once he whets his appetite on the joy it provides he delves deep into following it as a new passion . It was full of thankfulness for discovering a new passion rather regret of spending so long without enjoying the freedom and good feeling from dancing. It follows the adventures of experiencing dance with the joyous people of Cuba, receiving support of other dancers, obtaining cathartic relief for the pain from the Boston Marathon terrorist attack, and solo dancing at a national Dance-O-Rama. The author's honesty about his own feelings and sharp sense of humor made for enjoyable and insightful reading.

[Sergio Tinoco]

I must say that I truly enjoyed reading this book. Being able to be a part of the author's journey through the world of dancing was a pleasant experience. I never had a Dance Dragon because I have always loved to dance and come from a family of dancers; not ballroom dancers but people who enjoy the beat and rhythm of a great song. Probably the best thing about this book is that its basic premise of facing your fears is something that we can all relate to. So if you're interested in dance, need inspiration to face your fears, or just in search of an interesting journey, I truly recommend The Dance Dragon.

[Becca Mcgilloway]

This book is perfect if you're looking for a great summer read. Dan's journey into learning dance has something for everyone whether they've never spent a minute on the dance floor or have dedicated their life to it.