Phantom's Dance character interview!

Today I have a treat, I interviewed Christine from Phantom's Dance by Lesa Howard. We went over a bit about dancing, music and how her and Raoul are doing. 

Without further ado, here we go! 

Enjoy! 

*Me/Me

*Christine

Hello Christine and welcome to Booksane! So happy to have you here.

1. So first let's start by introducing you to everyone, can you tell us all a little about yourself?  

Thanks, Christina. Love your name by the way. Me? Well, I’m 17 and have one wacked out life. I know every teen thinks this, but in my case it’s true.As a ballet student at the Rousseau Academy of Dance, my life resembles nothing like a normal teen’s. Every day starts with me at the studio by eight o’clock and for the next eight hours everything I do centers around dance. Whether it’s Pilates, repertory, pointe, or even weight training, everything is about being the best ballerina I can be.

And I love your name, too! haha. 

2. What was it about dancing that made you want to pursue it?

It started with my first dance class and instructor. I thought Ms. Embry was the most beautiful woman, besides my mother, that I’d ever seen. Dainty and refined, the woman was a fairy princess among us lowly mortals. I wanted to be just like her. What I didn’t know at the time was behind that I-command-the-room walk of hers, was hour upon hour of hard work and dedication that included countless blisters, sprained ankles, overexerted muscles, and gallons of sweat and tears. Some fairy princess, huh!

3. What do you love about dancing?

I suppose in a way it’s a kind of acting. As a dancer I can be someone else. But it’s more than that. When I’m in the zone—whether at home alone in my small studio or on a stage in front of spectators—dancing isotherworldly. I’m soaring through time and space where every dream can come true and no pain can touch me.

 It's beautiful that's for sure! 

4. Do you have a favorite song to dance to?

I’ve always been drawn to Swan Lake. I find the contrast of black and white, dark and light, compelling. So I think I’d have to say my favorite is the swan’s death scene from Swan Lake. All the heartbreak and tragedy reaches right through the music, grips your throat, and squeezes.

But if we’re talking music other than ballet, well, give me a pink men’s dress shirt, a candlestick microphone, plus a nice pair of bikini undies, and I can totally Tom Cruise the hell out of Bob Siger’s Old Time Rock n Roll.

5. What's your favorite dance or dance move?

The fouetté,pronounced fweh-TAY and means whipped. It’s a move I suck at. But when it’s done well it’s amazing. The dancer stands on one flat foot then extends the other to whip about, drawing the working foot in toward the supporting knee. Picture those jewelry boxes with the ballerina on the stand, only speed it up and add the flying arm and leg action. To get a better idea of how amaizing it is, do an interneet search for the talented Natalia Osipova and watch her work her superhuman magic.

While I don't know the name, but think I actually know that move. I get dizzy just looking at it, haha! 

6. So, how is Raoul?

Recently, I discovered a side of Raoul I haven’t known. Jealousy. When he gets out of school, he comes to the studio to wait for me. Ms. Zaborov has taken a liking to him, so she lets him hang around and watch us practice. One afternoon after watching Peter and I practice some lifts, Raoul commented that he didn’t like other guys having their hands on me like that. To which I replied, “The only thing concerning me at that moment is that his hands not be so sweaty that he drops me!”

That is adorable though ^^  

7. Are you and Raoul still going strong? *wink wink*

Oh, yes, he’s pretty much become a member of our family. And there may or may not have been a little *wink wink* going on!

Ohhhh! Interesting! 

8. Do you still teach him dance moves or does he settle for just watching you? 

I do still teach him some things. After his caveman reaction to Peter’s lifts, I taught him how to do it. When he’d caught me a few times and had to hold me in the air, he realized the concentration and muscle control it takes, no room for hanky-panky. I think he learned to appreciate my craft better, and he backed off his attitude over it. What I didn’t tell him was how hot I thought it was when he boosted me up over his head, his upper body strength holding me aloft. Ho-o-o-ot!LOL!

Haha and all I hear right now is: "I've had the time of my life" from Dirty Dancing and imagining you two in a lake practicing the lift. 

Thank you so much for stopping by!

 You can meet Christine and the rest in Phantom's Dance by Lesa Howard

Christine Dadey’s family uprooted their lives and moved to Houston for her to attend the prestigious Rousseau Academy of Dance. Now, two years later, Christine struggles to compete among the Academy’s finest dancers, her parents are on the brink of divorce, and she’s told no one about her debilitating performance anxiety and what she’s willing to do to cope with it.

Erik was a ballet prodigy, a savant, destined to be a star on the world’s stage, but a suspicious fire left Erik’s face horribly disfigured. Now, a lonely phantom forced to keep his scars hidden, he spends his nights haunting the theater halls, mourning all he’s lost. Then, from behind the curtain he sees the lovely Christine. The moldable, malleable Christine.

Drawn in by Erik’s unwavering confidence, Christine allows herself to believe Erik’s declarations that he can transform her into the dancer she longs to be. But Christine’s hope of achieving her dreams may be her undoing when she learns Erik is not everything he claims. And before long, Erik’s shadowy past jeopardizes Christine’s unstable present as his obsession with her becomes hopelessly entangled with his plans for revenge.

Buy it here:

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iTunes

 About the author: 

Lesa Howard lives in the greater Houston area where she works as a writer-in-residence for the nonprofit organization Writers in the Schools, but her students know her as Lesa Boutin. Lesa was passionate about writing for teens before it was ever labeled Young Adult, and her latest YA novel is PHANTOM'S DANCE, which is a modern retelling of Gaston Leroux's PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. She has two books written under the name Lesa Boutin: AMANDA NOBLE, ZOOKEEPER EXTRAORDINAIRE, and AMANDA NOBLE, SPECIAL AGENT. Visit Lesa at www.lesahowardboutin.com or contact her at lesaboutin@gmail.com

Website/blog

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