This was an interesting story about a girl who dreamed of being a ballerina and I enjoyed all the ballet poses and terminology. However, I found it rather unbelievable that Ditty was able to hide the fact she was doing ballet lessons for over five years from her parents who were strict orthodox Jews. Considering the limitations that were placed on Ditty because of her family's religious beliefs, the fact that no one suspected her, despite having lessons two and three times a week, a bit fanciful. ( )

When her life’s passion is forbidden, how much will Ditty risk to follow her dream?

When Ditty Cohen first sees a ballet on TV, the beautiful, gravity-defying dancing captivates her. She’s instantly connected to the graceful performers, and realizes that her passion is to be a dancer. There’s just one problem: Ditty is from an ultra-orthodox Jewish family and her parents forbid her to take dance lessons.

Refusing to give up on her newfound love, Ditty starts dancing in secret. Her devotion to dance is matched only by her talent, but the longer Ditty pursues her dream, the more she must lie to her family. Caught between her passion and her faith, Ditty starts to question everything she believes in. How long can she keep her two worlds apart? And at what cost?

Dancing in the Dark is the dramatic, inspiring story about a girl who discovers the trials and triumphs of pursuing her greatest dream. ( )

This book was wonderful. The main character is part of a ultra-orthodox Jewish family who has prescribed appropriate activities for women and girls. Dancing is not one of them. However, the main character's only desire is to learn ballet. ( )

I requested this on NetGalley when I was in the mood for a darker contemporary novel. By the time it was approved though, that mood have moved on. So I was sure I wouldn't enjoy it, and set about reading it well ahead of time so I could be sure to be finished by the day it needed to be reviewed. What actually happened: I flew through this book in a day and thoroughly enjoyed it! Dancing in the Dark opened my eyes to two worlds I have no experience with. Obviously, I know no Haredi Jewish people, and if you know me at all, you know I am no dancer.

The opening of Dancing in the Dark is a small prologue wherein our heroine, Ditty, is forced to chose between dance and her father. She's told that if she leaves for her performance, she is not to go back. It's painful to watch the struggle, but before we know what she decides, the prologue is over and the book begins. We are taken through Ditty's five-year-long journey of discovering the ballet and eventually enrolling in secret classes behind her parents' backs.

There are two ways to look at this novel, I think, and in my opinion, that will decide whether or not you like it. The story is about a girl who is raised in a very orthodox Jewish family. Throughout the novel she finds her passion and against her parents' wishes, decides to pursue those dreams. If you are a religious person who very much values the same things Ditty's family values, then you might not like Ditty as a character. That was just the opposite for me.

For me, Ditty, short for Yehudit, was a wonderful heroine. I thought she showed great tenacity and strength. It was a pleasure to read about her discovering herself through ballet. In her culture, she is not allowed even the most mundane things we take for granted: no jeans and t-shirts, no TV, no bacon (no bacon!), no classes with boys, no singing in front of boys. Her family is very, very religious, and holds firmly to the Jewish laws of the Torah. So through my eyes - my atheist eyes - seeing Ditty strike out against those oppressive rules was strong. For some, though, they may not like how she deceived her parents and went against her holy texts.

I'm not really sure if Ditty loses her faith throughout this book. By the end, it's clear she still considers herself Jewish, but not in the ultra-orthodox way she was before. I've never really read any books where the young protagonist struggles with her faith, so this was a new experience for me, and one I particularly enjoyed. Also learning about all the parts of Ditty's Haredi culture were fascinating, too. I'm terribly uneducated when it comes to Judaism - this is something I'll have to remedy soon.

There were a few drawbacks that really kept me from rating this higher, though. For one, Dancing in the Dark felt long at times. There were instances that felt very repetitive to me, and that took away some enjoyment. Also, there wasn't any character I could really connect to on any deep level. But I know that's because of me, and what I'm bringing to the book, not the other way around.

In the beginning, the author, Robyn Bavati, talks about how there will be words and phrases that the readers won't know, and boy was she right. The text was full of italicized words I had either never heard before or didn't know how to pronounce, or both. There was a glossary at the end of the text, but constantly flipping back and forth was a hassle, so I just read on. It wasn't hard to figure out what the words meant though - Bavati expertly wove them in with context so I never felt lost.

I highly recommend Dancing in the Dark. It's not only a fantastic ballet book, filled with wonderful descriptions of Ditty's schooling, but it's also an eye-opener in many other ways. I learned a lot about ultra-orthodox Jewish culture. Ditty was a wonderful heroine, with a believable voice. The story will also speak to those who struggle with their faith, or who struggle with reconciling their own wants with their parent's wishes.
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A dramatic and moving story about a girl who folows her dream and finds herself questioning everything she believes in. ( )