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BOOKS, BALLET & THE POWER OF DANCE

Sample Interview Topics

• Beyond Storytelling: Why is This So Important?  

• Tackling Social Distance, Obesity & Screen Overload in Children
• Dance Your Way to Better Mental & Physical Health

• Educational Benefits of Dance 

• Dance to Reverse the Generational Impact of COVID 

• Ballet Business & Advocating for Change

Teacher Terrel

Teacher Terrel, who taught creative movement and ballet for decades, was honored to be recognized by her local City Council for embodying the spirit of partnership and commitment to children in our community for her work with young dancers.    


Her training included Ballet Met and The Louisville Ballet. Before having children, her dance classes were for older kids and adults, but she developed toddler and preschool curriculums after witnessing the joy her young daughter found in dance.  


Complementing extensive dance experience, she served as a Program for Early Parent Support Board Member as well as Bellevue College’s Family Advocate. She studied child development and early childhood education in graduate school. As a Peace Corps volunteer, she taught English and dance at the University of Namibia.


As part of her dance devotion, Terrel serves on the Board of Pacific Northwest Ballet and is a passionate advocate for change in the treatment and representation of young women. 

Once Upon a Dance

Once Upon a Dance is a mother-daughter duo with a passion for dance and storytelling. They strive to share joyful movement, honor the beauty and discipline of ballet, and foster freedom of expression. 


Teacher Terrel and Ballerina Konora create books that inspire children to explore movement, breath, joy, connection and imagination through stories. Their catalog includes six series and 34 titles available wherever books are sold online.


They were named a top 10 author of both 2022 and 2023 by Outstanding Creator Awards, and they’ve been honored by over 50 book awards, 2500+ 5-star reviews, and a Kirkus Star. 


They donate all royalties to charities supporting the arts, animals, environment, or people through 2030.



Ballerina K

Ballerina K

Ballerina Konora is a play on the word CORONAvirus. 


At the onset of the pandemic, she was in the Pacific Northwest Ballet Professional Division, and she considers herself lucky to have secured a job during those challenging times.


As an accomplished company artist, Ballerina K has graced the stage with performances in works by renowned choreographers such as Alejandro Cerrudo, FLOCK, Joseph Hernandez, Penny Saunders, and Eva Stone.


Her dance career includes performances with Ballet West, FLOCK, Ballet Idaho, Texture Contemporary Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, and Seattle International Dance Festival.


In addition to her passion for ballet, K also loves all things science; she studies biology and genetics as she pursues her B.S. in tandem with her professional ballet journey.

Sample Interview Questions

  • How can dance tackle post COVID-related issues such as social distancing, obesity, and screen overload in children?
  • What are the social-emotional benefits of dance?
  • Are there any educational values of dance for kids? 
  • Why are the arts so important in children’s lives?
  • Why is movement important for learning?


  • You've self-funded and self-published over 30 books. What drives you to put these out there?
  • Why are you donating this decade’s royalties? 
  • So you have a charity partner for each book - can you tell us about how you choose your partners?
  • It looks like the majority of your books are part of the Dance-It-Out! series. What is Dance-It-Out! Do I have to already know how to dance? 
  • What skills do you think kids will learn via the Dance-It-Out series? 
  • You say you're a passionate advocate for change in how women are treated? What is it you're trying to change. 
  •  How do you foster your readers’ growth across your six series. What would be a typical reader experience look like? 
  • You have so many free resources on your website - including a STEM teacher's guide and ideas for curriculum extension. Are those free for anyone to access?
  • Where can people find you? 


  • What tips do you have for dance studios to best support their kids and foster a positive experience?
  • Any tips for working with seniors?
  • Do you have any words of wisdom for aspiring dancers?
  • Should kids chase after their dreams of being a dancer?
  • How can parents support their young dancers?
  • What advice do you have for dance teachers starting out? 


Press Release

Seattle (Redmond), WA, 2024

Once Upon a Dance is a mother-daughter duo with a passion for storytelling and dance. 


Teacher Terrel, an award-winning dance instructor, emerged from covid’s shadows with a new creative odyssey and an updated bookshelf. Terrel, now an author/publisher, weaves movement into children’s books, fueled by a love of dance and slightly maniacal dreams of a dance-book empire.


Konora, the ballerina heroine, pirouettes through Once Upon a Dance’s enchanting pages. Her journey—from a pre-professional ballerina with every audition cancelled to a company dancer living her ballerina dreams—transcends COVID’s shadows.



Their Mission?

Keep young hearts dancing. Once Upon a Dance strives to share joyful movement, honor the beauty and discipline of ballet, and foster freedom of expression. 

Now Five Series Strong: 

  • Ready Set Dance: A playful introduction to dance class.      #DancingChicken
  • Dance-It-Out!: Whimsical stories for the imagination stage. Konora leads youngsters through movement exploration with opportunities for breath and reader connection.
  • Dancing Shapes: Reader are invtied into Konora’s world. Warm-ups, ballet lessons, and movement explorations unfold alongside storytelling and choreographic elements. 
  • Ballet Inspiration & Choreography Concepts: Straight talk with Konora perfect for aspiring dancers. Topics such as discipline and gratitude pirouette through the pages. 
  • Ballerina Moments: Reflections and advice for the pre-professional dancer or anyone with artistic ambitions. 

Their Purpose?

But there’s more: Once Upon a Dance isn’t just about pirouettes; it’s about purpose. With every sale this decade, they donate 100% of royalties to struggling ballet companies, organizations serving animals or people, or charities working toward a sustainable environment. 


For information, visit www.OnceUponADance.com.
 

For MOre Information

Media ImagesISBNs & LCCNsAbout Terrel and Ballerina KCharity Partners

Links and Contact

Terrel@OnceUponADance.org


Once Upon A Dance.com

https://onceuponadance.com  
Feeder Site: www.DanceStories.com  


Creative Movement Stories.com

https://creativemovementstories.com 


YouTube

www.youtube.com/channel/UCgyeW7E-ECepGNYpjSV904w 


BookShop

https://bookshop.org/shop/OnceUponADance 


Amazon 

www.amazon.com/author/onceuponadance 


Instagram

www.instagram.com/once_uponadance/


Facebook

www.facebook.com/OnceUponADanceViralDancing


Pinterest

https://www.pinterest.com/KidsMovebyOnceUponADance


Goodreads 

www.goodreads.com/author/list/20931758.Once_Upon_a_Dance


LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/OnceUponADance


TikTok

https://www.tiktok.com/@once_uponadance

Featured Podcast Interviews (Links on image)

A Tell-All! 

If you have any questions about what, when, how, or why Once Upon a Dance, we probably answer it here. We talk books, ballet, a better world, the big picture, dreams, and more. 

The Tonic Podcast

 AM740 and FM 96.7 in Toronto 

Benefits of Dance at Every Age

Episode 328 (20 minutes)

Word of Mom Radio

Girls That Create

Talking Benefits of Dance, #StrongGirls and why Terrel's on a mission

April 8th (E6, Season2)

After hiring 12 illustrators, Terrel shares lessons learned Episode 80

Talking Audio & Video Production Process

Coming Soon

Coming Soon

Terrel talks picture books and self-publishing with picture-book expert, Cara Stevens

Dance to Learn Podcast about teaching challenges

Terrel talks Author Journey on Eternally Amy Podcast

Featured Articles

 10 REASONS WHY WE SHOULD ALL DANCE! 

Whidbey News-Times story about Frankie's Wish and the local setting Price Sculpture Forest

En Face Magazine/Artslandia Feature

Dance Teacher Magazine's 8 Delightful Books of 2023

[Once Upon a Dance has 3 of them ;)]

Story Monsters 

BC Parent by Teacher Terrel

Dance Teacher Magazine Gift Guide

WHY WE SHOULD ALL DANCE! 

DanceWear Center Featured Blog Post

Featured Alumna 

Featured TV Interviews

Talk of Alabama with Katherine Page

Interview on BKAT (Bremerton TV) with Guy Morris 

Select Awards/Endorsements

REVIEW EXCERPTS

Ballerina Moments Series
Gorgeous watercolor illustrations of dancers glide across the pages of Once Upon a Dance’s guide to a healthy and positive dance career.
—Kirkus Reviews


Ballet Inspiration & Choreography Concepts Series
A superb tool for ballet beginners focusing on the importance of posture and balance. Highly recommended! … a truly excellent book … superbly illustrated … —The Wishing Shelf


Dancing Shapes Series
This is a visually stunning and interactivebook that will inspire young dancers to get up and move.
—Reedsy
 

A superb tool for young dancers, full of accessible poses to mimic.

—Kirkus Reviews 


Dance-It-Out! Collection

This is probably THE BEST children's audiobook we've listened to.
—Outstanding Creator Awards (Named Top 10 Author of both 2022 and 2023)

  

Fantastically Fun Book That Will Have Families Dancing!

—Reading with Your Kids (A Certified Great Read)

…This book displays a beautiful message of embracing differences and using one’s special gifts for a purpose..

 —Seattle Book Review 


A wonderfully unique book that engages both mind and body.
—Indies Today 


...beautifully done...excellent job...
—Readers’ Favorite 


This whimsical tale of discovery is so full of joy and wonder. It also opens a door to dance in the most charming and accessible way.
—Peter Boal, Artistic Director, Pacific Northwest Ballet


...journey of magic, dreams, and movement…It is very highly recommended…
—D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review 


...a story young readers will return to again and again.
—Reedsy 


...whimsical storytelling and interactive play to fully engage the reader.
—Garrett Anderson, Ballet Idaho Artistic Director/Father of Three Lively Boys 


What an ingenious little story this is…Highly recommended for anyone with young children...
—Hanlie Robbertse on Reedsy
 

An innovative use of dance and storytelling for a fun, child-focused activity. 

—Kirkus Reviews 

ORigin Story, PRESS RELEASE, EDITORIAL REVIEW EXCERPTS

Dancing on the Page (Our Early Days) (docx)

Download

Press Release (duplicate) (docx)

Download

Editorial Excerpts (duplicate) (docx)

Download

Q&As

For 2020/2021, What do you mean you donated all sales?

Each sale was tallied up, and the full price of all sales were donated through 2021. We've donated over $200,000 to Pacific Northwest Ballet, and we made smaller donations to a couple local studios as well as Ballet Idaho, Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, and Ballet Met. The Humane Society received $13,000 and PAWS $30,000. Royalties from every book are donated to a variety of organizations. Now, we donate royalties.

Why did you do this if you are losing money?

I needed a reason to get out of bed in the morning. It's one lonely woman's way of reaching out to connect with the world. In my pre-COVID life, I was pretty active and social, and my family's been very locked down during the pandemic. It's also a way to connect with my lovely daughter - looking through her old photographs was a nice way to pass some COVID time.


I'm essentially creating what I wished for when I was teaching dance; I'd love to go back in time and give these to my former self. 

Who published your books?

We self-published. I've read multiple books and watched many videos on the subject, plus made an ENORMOUS number of mistakes and missteps. It's amazing what you can learn on the internet (also interesting how some basics aren't mentioned!). 

Did you enjoy this sudden career shift?

After months of imposter syndrome, I realized one night like a slap to the head, "I was totally meant to do this!" Teaching dance, doing graduate work in education, teaching English as a Peace Corps volunteer, completing a certification course working with children in the arts, reading countless books with my daughter, working at a child care center, years of movement classes, etc.—everything pointed toward writing children's dance books.  It was like an epiphany.
 

But for many months before that, I joked the book was cursed and meant it. First, I lost the Word doc; then I lost the InDesign draft. Just as I finished the first draft, the main font became weirdly unavailable. Amazon pulled all my books, telling me not to use keywords for the author. (Republished weeks later after much correspondence and “here's my business license.”) My website disappeared. A capital “A” in some metadata caused our second book to be refused. One book had technical issues uploading that escalated three layers up Amazon customer service. Amazon revision stalled because of tax issues. Et cetera.

 

I hope I look back with fondness, that the books get out there in the hands of kids, and that they bring joy.      

What were some of your favorite books?

There are so many amazing books out there. A few standouts that Konora really enjoyed: Berenstain Bears, Elephant & Piggie, Frog and Toad, Tacky the Penguin, The Mysterious Benedict Society, Artemis Fowl, James Herriot's books, and anything by Brandon Mull or Kevin Henkes. 

 

In general, I was disappointed with many of the popular dance series; maybe that was part of the motivation to create a new series that was accessible to younger kids—we wrote this for the little Konoras out there.  

You say you wrote this for little Konoras. What was she like as a child?

Konora always loved and excelled at language, and she attended a school for gifted children. It was hard to find books at her reading level that were theme-appropriate. We know our books are longer than typical books in the genre—I think we're trying to fill a void that we felt back then. Editors complain that the language is above target ages. But Dance-It-Out! stories are designed to be enjoyed with a parent, teacher, or caregiver reading the story, and you'll notice that higher-level vocabulary can often be deciphered by context.

 

Regarding Konora, after twelve years of consistently hearing at parent conferences, “She's a kind, diligent, intelligent worker; we'd just like her to speak up more,” her family was pretty shocked she wanted to move out and pursue performance. 

What is she like now?

Look, any kiddo willing to partner up with their mother and, let's face it, basically humiliate themselves, is a pretty amazing and confident person. I wouldn't have done it at her age.

 

I've noticed that every place she's stayed for years (her quiet presence takes a while to be noticed) has had a reputation for being a remarkable group. I used to think she was lucky, but after all this time, I think she's a quiet power for good wherever she goes: her kindness and calm trickle along slowly, infecting only a few at a time but widely percolating with time.

Does Konora have a job?

Our ballerina heroine got a job! She's a company artist. 


I know to outsiders this doesn’t seem like a big deal, but the funnel is fierce, and it takes a lot of luck, passion and a bit of special sauce to get hired in this crazy business. I’m sure the odds of being an NY best-seller are greater than becoming a paid ballerina. She's worked harder than most: #ProudMama. We are all grateful for the luck, support of her teachers, and the connections that got her every opportunity along her path to becoming a professional dancer. 

Dance-It-Out Q&As

Tell us about Dance-It-Out

We hope the stories inspire kids to get up and get moving. Using acting, breath, imagination, movement, and dance elements, children tell the story with their bodies. Ballerina Konora is on each page to help readers connect with movement, focus the breath, and learn dance fundamentals. 


A review of our first book read Charming and Accessible. That's our goal for the Dance-It-Out series. 

Are you still donating money for this series?

For 2020/2021, every Once Upon a Dance book sales price was donated. Each book now has proceeds designated to a non-profit. Giving back is a core part of our mission. 

Where do your ideas come from?

I took stories I'd made up for class or activities the kids enjoyed and expanded on them. There's a lot of my class curricula weaved in as well. The stories are a reflection of my 20 years teaching dance, with all my best ideas put into the series' pages. 


Petunia Perks Up was created in the car one night early during the pandemic. We hadn't been out driving much and I was a terrified passenger in the dark rain. My sweet cat had recently died, and I never realized how much stress relief our morning snuggles provided until she was gone. It was a minor anxiety attack. I sat there for 30 minutes just brainstorming and imagining things to calm myself, then I started connecting them and realized it was the start of a new story. 


These days, we're excited to have a few collaborators as two minds are better than one. 

tell us about the illustrators

We outsource illustrations for this series, and it’s amazing to connect with artists from all around the world. One of my favorite parts of author life is reviewing portfolios. At first I was floundering, but now I have a good sense of what I'm looking for. It's so exciting to find an artist and start to have a story in mind and almost see their art on your words.  


Our growing list of collaborators offers kids an international imagination stage from The Netherlands, South Korea, England, Canada, The U.S., India, Scotland, and Poland. 


I've gotten to know some of the artists very well. Maybe when this is all over, I’ll go meet them, most of whom I’ve never even heard their voices. I feel like I know them, though, and would love to see how closely my mental picture lines up to reality. (Illustration by Olha from Canada)

With 30+ books to the Once Upon a Dance name, what's been the hardest part?

Probably the most challenging aspect has been dealing with print distributors and thinking issues are my fault. I've finally learned, it's rarely something I did. When I got the 3rd book paperback, it was printed offset by 1/2 inch. After hours reviewing every detail and all of the instructions, I ordered a second copy which was perfect. I've since received misprints of every book - one had 20 duplicate pages and was in the wrong order. It's really frustrating for mistakes outside of your control to reflect poorly on the books and ratings.


When I inquired about a book being unavailable, there was a posted 19+ day wait for email/phone response. There's definitely a market for additional print-on-demand services, and we're looking into direct sales options.

What's next?

We have a pile of books in various production stages: 25 planned Dance-It-Outs as well as a final book in the Dancing Shapes series. We're planning 5 follow-up stories to Dance Stance, and a series for pre-professional dancers launched in 2024. We have 7 audio stories, 5 videos, and plans to create more. We're updating some of our backlist, and Terrel spends a lot of time trying to get the word out. We're open to collaborations, events, podcasts, school visits ... basically anything to get our books in the hands of kids or teachers. 


Copyright © 2020 Once Upon A Dance
All Rights Reserved

PCs: @Once_UponADance @BalletZaida @HeidiAlhadeffLeonard @HeningerFotographik @LMSsorenson @ErinElise.Photography @stacyebstynephotography

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