THE PHOENIX DANCE by Dia Calhoun

Posted by Mechele R. Dillard Apr 20, 2007

Mystery abounds in this intriguing fantasy from Mythopoeic Fantasy Award winner Dia Calhoun!

Phoenix Dance loves nothing more than creating shoes. And, when she secures an apprenticeship with the Shoemaker to the Royal Household, she is sure her dreams are coming true. But, suddenly, the princesses begin destroying their shoes overnight, night after night and, eventually, a mystery begins to reveal itself: The shoes are not inferior; the princesses are simply dancing them to shreds each night. But, how?

The question of the princesses’ shoes is not the only mystery Phoenix Dance is trying to unravel, however. Phoenix suffers from the Illness of the Two Kingdoms: the Kingdom of Brilliance and the Kingdom of Darkness. She has peace for short periods of time, but much of her life is spent bouncing between the overwhelming rush of energy found in the Kingdom of Brilliance and the crushing despair of the Kingdom of Darkness. Why this happens—and how she can possibly find a balance between the two extremes—is a mystery Phoenix realizes she must solve in order to have any chance for happiness.

Phoenix Dance suffers from Bipolar II Disorder, as author Dia Calhoun explains in her Author’s Note. Calhoun herself deals with the same disorder, and had long been seeking a suitable vehicle to explain the highs and lows of the affliction when she reread “Twelve Dancing Princesses,” by the Brothers Grimm. “Surely princesses who danced so hard each night that they wore out their shoes were in a manic state, just like the people who have bipolar disorder?” (p. 272) Calhoun asked herself. And, The Phoenix Dance (Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2005) was conceived.

It is difficult to bring such a somber lesson to a novel, YAL or otherwise, much less do it in a compelling and entertaining fashion, but Calhoun does it well. As Phoenix struggles with her illness, slipping from one “kingdom” to the next, the reader cannot help but feel compassion, not only for Phoenix, but for those around the young apprentice.

So, does Phoenix find that balance she so desperately needs? Does she live her dream of making shoes? And, of course, does she finally discover how the princesses are dancing their shoes to destruction each night?

Read the book!

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To learn more about Dia Calhoun, read my interview with her right here on Teen Fiction at Suite101.com!