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Dawn C. Crouch

Goodreads Author

Born

New Orleans, The United States

Website

https://dawncrouch.com

Twitter

https://twitter.com/dccrouch714

Genre

Nonfiction, Suspense, Science Fiction

Member Since

July 2017

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/dawncrouch

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I’m from New Orleans, where ghosts and devils are part of everyday life, so it is only natural to write fiction and nonfiction based on true stories. Most little girls dream of growing up to be a ballet dancer. However, I have always wanted to be a writer, and I am the author of five nonfiction and three fiction books so far…

But I received my early ballet training from Lelia Haller, one of the first Americans to dance in the Paris Opera, before continuing with Houston Ballet under James Clouser and Nicholas Polejenko. I am grateful to have studied with Danilova, Balanchine, Martha Graham, Eric Hawkins, David Howard, and other legendary teachers. I’ve taught at ballet schools throughout the southeast for over forty years.

The Garage Ballet Se I’m from New Orleans, where ghosts and devils are part of everyday life, so it is only natural to write fiction and nonfiction based on true stories. Most little girls dream of growing up to be a ballet dancer. However, I have always wanted to be a writer, and I am the author of five nonfiction and three fiction books so far…

But I received my early ballet training from Lelia Haller, one of the first Americans to dance in the Paris Opera, before continuing with Houston Ballet under James Clouser and Nicholas Polejenko. I am grateful to have studied with Danilova, Balanchine, Martha Graham, Eric Hawkins, David Howard, and other legendary teachers. I’ve taught at ballet schools throughout the southeast for over forty years.

The Garage Ballet Series is a collaborative mother-daughter effort. My two daughters, Dominique Crisler and Caroline Ruder, assisted with classes and danced through college level at Northern Illinois University and the University of South Carolina. They now advise and edit my nonfiction ballet books.

Garage Ballet aims to mentor students, teachers, and parents through easy-to-understand explanations of ballet techniques and training. I passionately believe the study of ballet yields life skills of proven value for every student, from PreBallet to Preprofessional to Adult. Ballet does Help Everything! Writing included!

I am the mother of two sons as well and have been married to the same Emergency physician through it all. So conversation at my dinner table may range from culinary comparisons to debates on different interpretations of the same role in a ballet performance to pure medical macabre.

But I remember... Life can change in an instant. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina obliterated our home and belongings in the space of a single Monday morning.

I was blown with my two youngest, still at home from Gulfport, MS, to Huntsville, AL. At the same time, my husband, one of nine ER docs in the only Emergency Department operating within a ninety-mile radius, stayed behind. We survived the storm, but the separation and arduous task of rebuilding almost did us in. Lesson learned. Things can always be worse!

My first novel, Against The Wind, a YA coming-of-age catastrophe thriller, is based on our encounter with the storm.

I began work on The Last Plague long before Covid, but the eerie undertone of the prescient tale resonates with the pandemic. The novel is a sci-fi dystopian glance into a near future where medicine runs amok with bioengineered clones, weaponized viruses, and a forbidden love story.

Dead Children’s Playground takes its title from a hidden playground in Huntsville and a Rocket City urban legend. Huntsville is a beautiful and strange place where in the early 60s, rural Appalachia collided with Nazi Germany.

My writing will always be peppered with stories from my convoluted, crazy, and unique life as a daughter, wife, mother, dancer, teacher... person.

Please visit dawncrouch.com for fiction updates and Garageballet.com for new releases, titles, and helpful videos. ...more

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Dawn C. Crouch’s books

Average rating: 4.34 · 98 ratings · 32 reviews · 6 distinct works • Similar authors

	Ballet Helps Everything!: Ten Reasons Why 4.18 avg rating — 38 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Last Plague 4.53 avg rating — 19 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Against The Wind: Jane-Claire's Personal Salvation 4.47 avg rating — 17 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Pointe Work: Ten Reasons Why and When 4.24 avg rating — 17 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The ABC's of PreBallet (Garage Ballet #3) 4.50 avg rating — 6 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Auditions, Competitions, and Intensives - Why, When, What to Expect (Garage Ballet #5) it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Six months into my self-publishing experiment, I can honestly say, I'm hooked! Response to "Ballet Helps Everything!," the first in the Garage Ballet series, has been incredible. I truly appreciate your reviews and all the support for the series. "Pointe Work," the second installment, will be published in late August and pre-orders are going very well! Thank you!

"Against The Wind - Jane-Claire's P Read more of this blog post »

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Dawn is Currently Reading

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The Book of Man: Readings on the Path to Manhood

by William J. Bennett

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Sep 20, 2020 08:51PM

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A Death in Vienna (Liebermann Papers #1)

by Frank Tallis

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Sep 08, 2020 08:58PM

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Wynter's Discontent: A Wynter Thriller (Wynter Series Book 1)

by Nigel Draper

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Aug 22, 2020 11:20PM

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Dawn’s Recent Updates

Dawn Crouch liked Marji Karlgaard's review of The ABC's of PreBallet: The Essential Ballet Building Block (Garage Ballet Book 3): "Miss Dawn's Pre-Ballet class is the stuff of my 4 year-old self's dreams! Anyone who loves ballet, or appreciates seeing children taught at an age and developmentally appropriate methodology will benefit from reading her excellent words. A short read" Read more of this review »
Feb 12, 2023 01:55PM · see review
Dawn Crouch liked Jessica Kemery's review of The Last Plague: A Medical Thriller - Book One in The Last Series: "Full of twists This was definitely a page turner. This was a interesting dive. A medical forensic thriller with apocalyptic plot line, this story will keep you up all night. Well developed characters, both good and evil. If you like The Atlantis Gene," Read more of this review »
Sep 19, 2022 07:17PM · see review
Dawn Crouch is now following Suzanne Swift and Jessica Kemery
Aug 13, 2022 06:36PM
Dawn Crouch and 1 other person liked Janice's review of Ballet Helps Everything!: Ten Reasons Why (Garage Ballet): "Thank you Dawn Crouch for a "why " book on ballet rather than a "how to" book. Although ballet was not an option when and where I grew-up, I had an emotional connection with this book through my daughter's and granddaughter's ballet years."
Aug 13, 2022 06:36PM · see review
Dawn Crouch liked Russell Sanders's review of The Woman Warrior: "I’m ashamed. I read Maxine Hong Kingston’s celebrated book The Woman Warrior and felt nothing. Maybe it’s because I’m not a woman; maybe it’s because I couldn’t decipher the Chinese parables that make up much of the book; maybe it’s because it simply" Read more of this review »
Nov 08, 2021 02:54PM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
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Jun 25, 2021 10:29AM · like · see giveaway · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Book of Magic by Alice Hoffman. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Book of Magic by Alice Hoffman <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">