The art of dance will always hold a special place in my heart. I can’t dance, in what most people would consider a conventional way, due to my disability. However, I was part of a wheelchair ballet class as a teenager and loved it.  It was that class and the A Midsummer Night’s Dream performance I was a part of that inspired one of the major themes of Just the Way You Are. I chose to make A Midsummer Night’s Dream one of the themes of Just the Way You Are for a couple of reasons. Firstly, A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a beautiful story that I thought should be used to tell another beautiful story. Secondly, I believe that A Midsummer Night’s dream and the dance moves utilized in it exemplify how dance can be used to tell a story and/or connect with others. For example, in Just the Way You Are, Misty hopes that the art of dance will help her connect with Derrick and, in fact, it does. More importantly, that connection is still intact and continues even after her disability is revealed. I made a point of showing this in the story because I want young girls to realize that anyone can indeed utilize the art of dance to tell a story or connect with others regardless of the level of ability they may or may not have because, as Derrick points out in Just the Way You Are, dance is a language that all people can speak if they learn to trust themselves and feel the music. Moreover, more importantly, as the king of Starrycrest says people with disabilities can do anything able-bodied people can do. They just have to do it a little differently.  What it all boils down to is,  you should never let anything, even not being able to dance in a conventional way stop you from telling your story. Until next time, happy reading, and as always, don’t forget to love yourself just the way you are 🙂