Well maybe not with Cliff Richard, although my mum had a huge crush on him… But I’m a fan of getting jiggy on the dance floor so yeah baby, I wanna dance. And I don’t mind at all if my hero wants to dance with me. But in the romance world, unless you’re Magic Mike, dancing doesn’t seem to be the done thing.
One of my critique partners told me I shouldn’t let my hero dance at all. “It’s too girly. Or too gay. It’s too… something anyways.” I beg to differ. When you’ve got a good thing, a good, hot, sweaty muscled thing, there’s no too much about it. Is there?
Sure, in the category romance world a gay dancing hero isn’t going to get too far, but there’s plenty to dancing that’s above and beyond the sexuality of its participants. There’s plenty to putting a body in motion that’s hot. Damn hot. There’s the thrill of your brain releasing itself to music, dropping your head back and letting yourself roar out the words to your favorite song as you spin round the room. There’s the shiver of someone’s hand on the small of your back, guiding you closer, tucking you tight into their groin as you sway into the beat. There’s the sheen of sweat on hot skin after the dancing reaches its peak. And if you’re lucky, or just feisty, dancing standing upright leads directly to leg spreading, gut wrenching climax.
I like my heroes to dance. I like them to dance with me. Channing Tatum sure gets my poetry in motion vote and that was before Magic Mike.
In The Boss and Her Billionaire, my recent release, Investment billionaire Dylan Johns is also a dancer. But one who always gets what he wants. He is used to giving orders—not taking them—until he’s forced to go on hiatus from his investment company. To bide his time and carry out an old dream, he takes a job on a cruise ship—and ends up taking orders from his gorgeous, but uptight, new boss. He is determined to loosen her up with a fun onboard romance, but their no-strings fling turns serious and Dylan is forced to confess his lies.
Cruise director Michaela Western has everything she wants—everything except a sex life. But there are no secrets on cruise ships. She risked her job once for a dalliance with the Captain, and won’t do it again for a few minutes of toe-curling pleasure. Until devilishly handsome Dylan with a body made for sin tempts her to walk on the wild side…
They’re Dylan’s dancing biceps on the cover. Don’t look very girly to me. In fact I don’t think you’d hear me complaining at all if he tried to dance with me. What do you think? Can you ever really get too much of a good thing? And what about dancing or dancers? When do they work in contemporary romance and when should they hang up their shoes?
xMichele
The Boss and Her Billionaire is available as an e-book now
http://www.amazon.com/The-Boss-Her-Billionaire-ebook/dp/B008LQ78UK
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-boss-and-her-billionaire-michele-de-winton/1112120207
Image care of http://www.freedigitalphotos.net
About Michele de Winton
Huh. I never really thought about it, but yeah – I guess there is a stigma against men who dance in contemporary romance. In historical, not so. There are usually balls in those, and the guys were expected to acquit themselves well on the dancefloor. They can be very sexy scenes too, since too much touching was frowned upon elsewhere, and dancing was a way to actually get your hands on somebody. Maybe it’s because the characters in contemporary novels don’t need an excuse to touch that dancing has fallen out of favor?
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I hadn’t thought of historical. You’re so right. Maybe I should write one of those one of these days, but there already seem so many contemporary romances to write. Yet I love formal dancing, and you’re spot on about it being full of titillation. It’s making me go all Jane Austin just thinking about it. I thought I could maybe bring in some clearly sexy dancing, Tango perhaps, but everyone I’ve asked has warned me off. Ah well, thanks for your insight and thanks for commenting.
X Michele
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Jenna Reply:
August 31st, 2012 at 2:59 pm
Christine has a ballroom dancing scene in WIFE FOR HIRE. It’s a good one, too. I could totally see it working in the right circumstances. In fact, that gives me an idea…
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Oh wow, I hadn’t actually thought of this as kind of forbidden in contemporary romance. I actually have a scene in a recent book where the hero and heroine have to take a Salsa lesson together. So, here’s hoping it’s not a total turn-off! haha
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Michele de Winton Reply:
September 1st, 2012 at 2:11 am
Hi Tiffany,
x
I don’t know that it’s actually ‘forbidden’ to have a dance scene, I think it’s more about having a hero that’s a dancer. I think it’s totally yum to have a dance with your one and only so I’m sure your readers will love your scene. And I seem to have managed to get away with my dancing hero (for most readers anyways) but he is an investment banker too….
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I dont know whether its just me being a lazy reader but Im always totally open to anything a writer wants to give me within the pages of his/her book and the way she/he wants to deliver it – it might not end up working for me but I’m not going to NOT read it because of some preconception or other (with *some* exceptions of the gross variety of course). It goes down to the supposed ‘rules’ which drive me nutty!
When I think of a sexy dancing scene with a man I think of when Kathleen Turner and Micael Douglas danced in that little town square during that festival in Romacing the Stone – the scene was sexy and Michael looked so damn hot!
So let him dance I say
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Michele de Winton Reply:
September 1st, 2012 at 2:14 am
Oh yeah, baby so you definitely wanna dance then
I agree, I’m a fan of ignoring rules within reason. And I like to write what I like to read. Having been a dancer I guess it’s a topic that comes natural to write about. Good to hear so many would be into reading more dance moves as well. x
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I’m open to a hero who loves to dance! My heroes regularly pull their heroines onto a dancefloor. In one of my more recent releases, he performs the Tango. Don’t worry it suits the story =)
And who was it that said, “No one puts Baby in a corner.” One of the *best* romance tales of all time!
Can’t wait to read your story, Michele! Totally yummy cover =)
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No one puts baby in a corner! Cant believe i didnt reference that. I think I may have to go out dancing very soon..
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No offense to that person for their ridiculous comment, but…well, it’s a ridiculous comment. LOL
My first thought was to reference David Silver from the original 90210, but that dates me and was too long ago to be relevant. So I’ll just point out the popularity of Dancing with the Stars (whose winners are usually men, not even counting the pros), So You Think You Can Dance, and, as you referenced, Magic Mike and the Step Up movies. Then there are the dozens (hundreds?) of hunky backup dancers that travel with pop stars.
I think a ballet dancer might be a slightly harder sell than another type of dancer, but even then, ANYTHING can work, if done well.
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Bahaha. 90210. I think that dates me too. I think I may have to keep pondering about my heroes getting out their dancing shoes…after all. X
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