Dances follows Cece as she navigates being one of the only black leads with the New York City Ballet. It tells a story of how her family life and ethnicity have impacted her.

I really liked the base of this book, but think it fell a little short.

If you don’t know ballet, you’ll be confused by the jargon. If you know ballet, you’ll read too into things and be equally confused. It felt like there were too many plot points that aren’t developed/resolved and too little character development. I enjoyed hearing about Cece’s past, but wish we could see how it affected her present more.

Thank you to NetGalley & Random House Publishing for providing this ARC.

I absolutely loved this story! I've been dancing basically my whole life so this story appealed to me from the start. I could relate to the relationship between Cece and her mother. This story brought back so many dance memories for me and emotions surrounding my dance life. I do think that if you do not have a dance background, this may be a difficult read. The dance scenes were very detailed, using lots of ballet terminology and there were A LOT of dance scenes. I personally enjoyed them but I feel that someone that doesn't understand ballet might skip over them. I also feel there was no real plot, more charcter driven which isn't a dealbreaker for me. This was an amazing story that touched me in a way a book never has before.

Thank you to Netgalley and One World for this ARC!!

This book is wonderful. The relationship between Cece, a dancer, and her wayward brother Paul is in some ways the heart of the novel, but I thought that all of the relationships were beautifully drawn: with her sometimes-difficult mother, her best friend Ryn, and her dickish boyfriend. I raced through it and enjoyed every page, particularly the lyrical descriptions of ballet.

What this book lacks in plot, it makes up for in never ending extremely detailed and technical ballet descriptions. I’m talking about move for move, jump for jump. The author doesn’t miss a single plié or arabesque. She describes every turn and every leap. It’s incredibly tedious. By the last chapter, I was skimming. I’m imagining the author envisioned this beautiful ballet in her head and tried her best to describe the choreography, but it just doesn’t work.
The story is about a black ballet dancer named Celine who becomes famous and successful. And that’s about it. There’s a subplot about her older brother’s drug addiction and disappearance that is never really resolved. And of course, Celine is constantly aware of her blackness in the white world of ballet. But it never seems to affect her? There’s a part where she says she’d love to wear her natural hair but she can’t because her skin is already wrong and she can’t afford to have the wrong hair. This is actually such a disgusting, self-loathing point of view and we never really acknowledge it. (And it turns out not to even be true! She gets braids later in the book and everyone loves them!)
Celine’s friends and romantic interest are all white. She has nothing good to say about blackness and is completely out of touch with black culture. But the author never acknowledges that either. It was hard to root for such an unlikeable protagonist. The fact that she was black really didn’t seem to matter. Celine is constantly referred to as a ballet prodigy and success comes easily, no conflict there. So what is this book about? Mild spoilers: an unplanned pregnancy. That’s basically it. I was really let down by this book and didn’t feel like Celine’s character develops or changes at all by the end of the book. It’s so frustrating to get to the end of a book and wonder what the point was.

Overall I really enjoyed Dances! At times I was feeling like there needed to be more pages to better explain parts of the story but that didn't make me lose interest. I am not sure I would've liked it as much if I hadn't danced growing up but definitely a quick and hard to put down book. I was really drawn to Cece and her story in ways that I didn't expect to be and I would recommend this book for anyone who was ever a dancer!

Thanks NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Dances by Nicole Cuffy follows Cece Cordell-- a Black ballerina who just got promoted to principal at the New York City Ballet--in her challenges with family, love, and pressures from her job and society. However, the reader also get to share in Cece's success and see her grow more comfortable in her own skin and more confident in her abilities as a trail-blazing Black ballerina.

Cuffy has a beautifully grounded way of writing Cece's life. As someone who grew up in dance, I was definitely able to see realistic aspects I know too well like eating disorders and the stress regarding how easily you can lose what you have, leading to a cut throat environment. Something I cannot speak for is how much more difficult these experiences would be for a Black ballerina or any dancer of color. Dances gives an amazing insight on this, showing Cece's individual struggles with racism and expectations.

I found while reading that many things happened without being tied up or applied to Cece's life afterwards. However, as Dances is memoir-like, the genre does not need to always teach a lesson and can just be exploring of a life and situation.

Overall, a greatly realistic read about a ground-breaking Black ballerina finding her way in the world of stardom and fighting to deservedly be seen in a community that does not want to acknowledge her. Go read!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for allowing me to read this ARC early!

This was absolutely beautiful. From the chapter names, to the fear, frustration, and perfectionism, Cuffy perfectly tackles the struggles of being a Black ballet dancer. This book is packed with emotion and was very clearly written with love and care. The ending made me tear up in that perfect ending kind of way. I can’t wait to pick up my own copy of this book when it is published.

This novel was stunning but, at times, frustrating to read. Cece’s journey to becoming the first Black principal ballerina in the New York City Ballet had me fully immersed and invested in this novel. Yet, I found her self-doubt sometimes troublesome as I see many of the same qualities in myself.
Growing up with a mother who didn’t believe becoming a dancer was a good enough career move and constantly having life’s obstacles reminding her that she had to work twice as hard to get what she wanted, Cece proves that she has what it takes to become the best. When her brother, that had pushed her to become who she is today, suddenly turns up missing, combined with having a huge decision to make that will change her life forever, Cece must find out what she’s made of and start believing in herself in order to figure out how to overcome these newest obstacles and leave her old self in the past.
I felt that this was a fresh take on the ballet world and loved the characters as they worked well within the plot and felt natural. I especially enjoyed Cece and Ryn’s friendship and rivalry. It was true to life and didn’t feel like just dialogue in a book—great job making me feel like I was an onlooker in every scene. I truly felt like I were a part of this beautiful world of dance.

The publisher provided ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

As a former ballet dancer, I was immediately intrigued when I seen this book cover/title. I went in blind on this book and it was a lot more emotional than I was anticipating. It was a beautiful story, none the less. It took a bit long for me to finish but I did really enjoy it! Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this ARC!

Is there anything more difficult than ballet dancing? Nicole Cuffy takes us deep inside the existential challenge that is elite ballet in her compelling debut novel, “Dances”.

Not only does Celine (Cece) Cordell face the physical and mental hurdles of rising to the very top, but she carries the baggage of age-old racism, misogyny, and personal isolation. Her brother is her greatest ally, but he has his own formidable problems. Her mother wants her to have a more durable life. Her father is pretty checked out. Professional “friends” are not always the friends you need them to be.

Do not fret that this is a fictionalization of the Misty Copeland story. Misty gets her props; she is an inspiration for all, including Cece. But Cece needs to find herself. It is a struggle with the inevitable ups and downs. But eventually Cece finds her way and finds her identity in her very unique way.

You don’t need to be a dancer to enjoy “Dances” but, if you are, you will find it wonderfully fulfilling. As for those of us who are simply lovers of ballet, there are moments to sit back and enjoy, and others that just take your breath away. Bravo, Ms. Cuffy. Standing ovation. And finally, there is Gullah. It doesn’t get better than that.

Thanks to One World and NetGalley for the eARC.

I was given an advanced e book by Netgalley & Random house publishing in exchange for an honest review. I was really excited for this book but I really struggled. This was a lot more emotional then I was expecting. Trigger warnings for abortion. Cece went through so much throughout this book!

Dances by Nicole Cuffy is a beautiful piece of Literary Fiction that I devoured and loved every minute of it!

I truly enjoyed the story of Dances!
Our character Cece took a hold of me and pulled me straight into her world of ballet. What it's like being talented Black ballerina in New York City.
The writing was wonderfully done. And I thought for this to be her debut title she did an outstanding job keeping my attention and bringing these characters to life.

An interesting and passionate debut novel follows a talented Black ballerina who must appease the ever-rising stakes of her demanding career with difficult questions of love, loss, and her journey to self-reliance, from a exciting new voice in fiction.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House & One World for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I initially expected this novel to be a fictionalized account of Misty Copeland's story. But I was pleasantly surprised when Nicole Cuffy took it in her own direction and made her own statement.

I love the idea of reading about a character who becomes the first Black ballerina in the New York City Ballet. I didn’t find myself super into the story like I hoped I would be, but I liked Cece’s determination. The parts about her brother took up more of the story than I think was necessary. Overall, an ok story.

Thank you NetGalley and One World for the eARC!

She was an unlikely success story,being both poor and Black, but talent, hard work and dedication have brought her to the top of her profession. The ballet teachers who recognized her rare fire and intuitive grace, and the brother who made sacrifices to sponsor her dance training expect great things from her. Will she measure up to the challenge ahead of her?