Once Upon A Dance

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Once Upon A Dance Movement! Joy! Connection. Breath. Imagination! Once Upon a Dance
Children's Movement & Dance Books They are eager to share their dance stories with the world.
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Once Upon a Dance offers movement, breath, joy, connection and imagination through stories. The collection (25 books across four series) features male, female, ungendered and nonbinary diverse characters. Major themes—beyond movement and dance—include empathy, friendship, helping each other, the value of practice, making new friends, self-acceptance, sibling relationships, anger management, and wo

rking toward a goal. Ballerina Konora (named for the CORONAvirus) climbed the pre-professional ballet ladder up to Pacific Northwest Ballet’s Professional Division and is now a full-fledged ballerina. Terrel arrived in Seattle after a Peace Corps stint teaching English and dance. Complementing decades of dance instruction, Terrel worked in early childhood education and for non-profits supporting kids. She was recognized by her City Council for embodying the spirit of partnership and commitment to children in our community for her work with young dancers. Terrel’s breathed ballet from every angle and recently joined the board of Pacific Northwest Ballet. The creations are passion projects, and all royalties are donated.

My books are gifts for me too - they make me happy.
11/02/2025

My books are gifts for me too - they make me happy.

It’s hard to keep up with all these ‘holidays,’ but you know I love any reason to post my beautiful daughter. PC ....
08/02/2025

It’s hard to keep up with all these ‘holidays,’ but you know I love any reason to post my beautiful daughter.

PC .lao.photo

For ballet kids aged 6-9. Andi (no pronouns) deals with unkindness at school until a special tree friend shows everyone ...
07/02/2025

For ballet kids aged 6-9. Andi (no pronouns) deals with unkindness at school until a special tree friend shows everyone a better way. 💜Gorgeous. Illustrated

This one is ballet heavy, so for kids with ballet experience or who have enjoyed our other books.

Ah, technology. My kitten is air tagged.
04/02/2025

Ah, technology. My kitten is air tagged.

Happy 2/2 (tutu). PC .lao.photo
03/02/2025

Happy 2/2 (tutu).

PC .lao.photo

Once Upon a Dance was my covid pivot, but has become my passion & purpose. ✨Dance > healthier communities. ✨Movement is ...
26/01/2025

Once Upon a Dance was my covid pivot, but has become my passion & purpose.
✨Dance > healthier communities.
✨Movement is essential.
✨Stories should empower girls.
✨Dance should be a positive force for good.
These are why I put my energy here, even when the weight of sadness takes hold.
Photo

DanceStories.com | YouTube

Ready Set Dance - it’s even cuter than my kitten Author: Once Upon a Dance Designed/illustrated ...
23/01/2025

Ready Set Dance - it’s even cuter than my kitten

Author: Once Upon a Dance
Designed/illustrated

Woot! Our books will be on sale at the King County Library Foundation Gala. Thank you & the librarians who will host t...
19/01/2025

Woot! Our books will be on sale at the King County Library Foundation Gala. Thank you & the librarians who will host the Once Upon a Dance table

Does this face say trouble? Little one is settling in nicely and happy to have her cone off.
07/01/2025

Does this face say trouble?

Little one is settling in nicely and happy to have her cone off.

Check out these great dance books of 2024. Thank you & .h.randall for including Ready Set Dance and Falling into Dance....
06/01/2025

Check out these great dance books of 2024. Thank you & .h.randall for including Ready Set Dance and Falling into Dance.

Note all the great authors, especially another teacher concerned about the impact of status-quo competitions.

DanceStories.com

Love this sweet story in collaboration with Christine Herbert. Congrats on the honor. Thank you Outstanding Creator Awar...
06/01/2025

Love this sweet story in collaboration with Christine Herbert. Congrats on the honor. Thank you Outstanding Creator Awards

Awww! You guys, one of my book babies won a thing! I love watching my bonkers little ideas get illustrated, published, and land (miraculously!) into the minds of young readers. What a strange and wonderful thing.

Thanks Once Upon A Dance and Scott Partridge for being such fun collaborative partners! You are the best!

Hiding from the vet. We have to do ear meds - she doesn’t love that. The vet said she’s much younger than advertised (at...
04/01/2025

Hiding from the vet. We have to do ear meds - she doesn’t love that. The vet said she’s much younger than advertised (at Humane Society). Her & Zeti tolerate each other well, but the cat I got her for (Lucy) doesn’t like her. 😢

Once again, honored & grateful. “Top 10 Author of 2024” If you haven’t checked us out in a while. 2024 releases:* Ready...
03/01/2025

Once again, honored & grateful. “Top 10 Author of 2024”

If you haven’t checked us out in a while. 2024 releases:
* Ready Set Dance ( #8 ranked books of 2024 ),
* Falling into Dance
* River’s Dreary to Dreamy Day
* Fenix and the Firework Fliers
some of our best books, in my opinion.

Hope your day is filled with love and light. My favorite image from upcoming book. Illustrated
25/12/2024

Hope your day is filled with love and light. My favorite image from upcoming book. Illustrated

Picked her out, then learned we had to leave her for a couple days for surgery. As we were taking her home, we learned w...
23/12/2024

Picked her out, then learned we had to leave her for a couple days for surgery. As we were taking her home, we learned we had to put a cone on her (she wasn’t wearing one at the shelter) and also some other things not disclosed earlier. I would have taken a different one if I’d known, but she’s the sweetest so far.

Taking name suggestions. Lucy and Zeti are current cats, so preferably things that sound different. I got this young one hoping my cats will like her.

Seattle Humane has a sweet, pathetic 3 year old male aptly named Armchair and a blind sweetheart if anyone could make room for a solo pet.

Dance-It-Out! Series www.DanceStories.com Author:Once Upon a Dance Danika’s Dancing Day is one of our advanced dance-alo...
20/12/2024

Dance-It-Out! Series www.DanceStories.com Author:Once Upon a Dance

Danika’s Dancing Day is one of our advanced dance-along stories for ballet kids.

PC

🌟✨ Give Imagination! ✨🌟Dive into the whimsical world of Once Upon a Dance with our enchanting story, “Princess Naomi Hel...
18/12/2024

🌟✨ Give Imagination! ✨🌟

Dive into the whimsical world of Once Upon a Dance with our enchanting story, “Princess Naomi Helps a Unicorn”! 🦄📚💃

Join Naomi on an incredible journey where she discovers courage and appreciation for family while helping a unicorn in need. This tale is perfect for sparking creativity and inspiring movement in readers ages 4-7.

👑 Princess + Dance +🦄 Unicorns = 🎉 A Joyful Adventure!

✨ Why You’ll Love This Book: ✨ Captivating storytelling that ignites imagination ✨ Engaging dance activities woven into the narrative ✨ Vibrant illustrations that bring the story to life ✨ Ballerina Konora as a dance role model ✨ Perfect for sisters who love dance, magic, and adventure

💫 Ready to embark on this whimsical journey? Get your copy of Princess Naomi Helps a Unicorn today and let the magic of dance and storytelling unfold! 📖✨

🔗 Amazon.com, Bookshop.org or your local bookstore.

Author Once Upon a Dance DanceStories.com

Ready Set Dance: Getting Ready for Your First Dance Class Author: Once Upon a DanceAvailable on Amazon, Bookshop.org, or...
17/12/2024

Ready Set Dance: Getting Ready for Your First Dance Class

Author: Once Upon a Dance

Available on Amazon, Bookshop.org, or on order from your local book store

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Ballerina K doing that ballet thing (when she stopped by before Christmas) #dramaticballet Ballerina #BalletDancer #balletmodel #Ballet #balletawesome #balletclass #BallerinaK #dancer #ballerinasofinstagram

TutuTuesday It hasn’t been the most productive couple weeks (new kitten), but I’ve loved looking through Konora & K dance photos by @dan.lao.photo Goodbye 2024. (Thank you @emeraldballetacademy for the gorgeous tutu loan) #BallerinaKonora #BallerinaK #BalletDancer #Ballet #tutu #tututuesday #OnceUponADance

K struggled with the fouettés this Nutcracker. I have a feeling she’ll nail them next year. #BallerinaK #fouettes #ballerina #balletpractice

She’s come a long way in a short time. #MamaPride We’ll be shooting the next book this weekend. #BallerinaKonora for our upcoming series debut #UpcomingBooks #DanceBooks #DanceStories

Suggested Order for Young Kids Already in Dance. Great Dancer Gifts for Kids. We have 6 series spanning ages 3-16. Author:Once Upon a Dance DanceStories.com #LittleDancers #MiniDancers #DanceMoms #DanceBooks #DanceGifts #BabyBallerina #BabyBallerinas #PreschoolBallerina #DancerHolidayGift #DancerHolidayGifts #DancerBooks #bestdancebooks #DanceBooksForKids #dance #balletbooks #BallerinaBook #BallerinaBookClub

I don’t think she’s bouncing back this time. 21 months ago, I decided to let her go - & no more vets/meds. She got up 2 days later and has lived like a princess ever since. Waiting 48 hours to make sure she’s used up her 9 lives, but she’s so frail and weak. Please send Pandora your good thoughts. #SweetestCatEver

Catching up post mom visit. We ate. We exercised. We saw some dance and a Fleetwood Mac cover band (@wildrumoursband). My mom’s a good sport. A few favorites @cantinamonarcabellevue & @carminesbellevue in Bellevue, @hoffmanscakes in Redmond & @queenmarytea in Seattle. Also not pictured but yum @hanoonrestaurant in Kirkland. Seattle - what are your favorite restaurants - especially to take out-of-town guest? #SeattleRestaurants #SeattleTourist #SeattleVacation #Staycation #EastSideRestaurants #SeattleEats #BellevueRestaurants #RedmondRestaurants

I fear my passion and desire for change was a bit intense, and I hope I didn’t come off as cray-cray. Thank you so much for having me @readingwithyourkids I feel strongly that we should be doing better for our kids and young women, and I encourage folks to always take a step back, especially in the context of costumes & messaging. While I am forever grateful for competitions that gave my girl her start, I don’t think it’s healthy for very young dancers. Stay tuned or follow @readingwithyourkids for air date. #DanceTeacher #DanceStudio #DanceStudios #DanceTeacherLife #DanceBooks #DanceAuthor #SeattleDancer #SeattleDances #SeattleDanceScene #DoBetter #KidsDeserveBetter #WomenDeserveBetter #DanceForChange #BalletTeacher #BalletSchool #DanceSchool #DanceSchools #AuthorPodcast

Mom was here for a week and got dragged to all things dance and exercise with a smile - ballet to hip hop, gyrotonics to gardens, and she could totally lift more weight than me at the gym. Mom is part of the team. She wrote Brielle’s Birthday Ball (a story she wrote for my daughter when she turned 6) and proofreads every book. #PowerWoman #FitAndFabulous

30 seconds of London sights and sounds. K’s dad took point helping our son get settled in London so K and I could have a little fun. So many people! I came back to 3 days’ migraine and have been very unproductive this week. My son says he’s never coming back, and that’s a sad pill to swallow. #MothersAndDaughters #LondonLife

⭐️Ready Set Dance! for first-time dancers (3-6) 💫Dance-It-Out! for movement, breath, and imagination (3-9) ✨Ballet Inspiration and Choreography Concepts for technique and career advice (8-12) 🩰 Ballerina Moments for beautiful inspiration (10-16) Once Upon a Dance Visit Dancestories.com, Amazon, or Bookshop.org #BalletBook #Ballet #BalletBooks #Ballerina #DanceBooks #DanceBook #KidsDanceBooks #KidsBookAboutDance #KidsDanceBook #KidsBalletBook #BalletKid #BalletDancer #BalletDancers #Dancers #danceshop #BalletLife #BalletKids #DanceMom #dancestuff #dancerbooks

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Why we made this

Once Upon A Dance was created in March of 2020. It’s a tough world for a whole generation of young dancers unable to dance in their studios, and we wanted to make something positive from all the sudden free time. With kids stuck at home, Once Upon a Dance was our attempt to encourage exercise, expression, and meditation. Konora the Ballerina is ready to share her movement, creativity, gratitude, persistence, and wisdom. Visit Once Upon A Dance (Children's Dance Books) or Once Upon a Dance on Amazon for information about the Dancing Shapes series (ages 6-8) or the Dance-It-Out series (ages 4-6, debuting February 2021).