A Simon & Schuster eBook. Simon & Schuster has a great book for every reader.
**
Amazon.com Review
Two by Two is a whirlwind tour of the Los Angeles dancing scene by Eve Babitz, who has made a career of delineating the social comedies of L.A. Here, in a series of loosely connected chapters, she talks with instructors of various forms of social dance--including tango, salsa, country two-step, and both East and West Coast swing--about why dancing has become so popular again, even with all the difficulties of learning the steps. The story does not so much progress in a linear direction as it orbits around a shifting core, propelled by the occasionally sparkling dialogue. Apart from a sharply unexpected dose of reality in the book's epilogue, Two by Two occupies a pleasantly hazy daydream that, while it may or may not inspire you to hit the dance floor, reveals the charms that Babitz and her friends have found there.
From Publishers Weekly
In each chapter of this erratic look at the Los Angeles dance scene, Babitz (Black Swans) focuses on a different style of dance, with most of the text consisting of interviews with dance teachers. Predictably, the atmosphere of each dance space varies greatly. Paul McClure teaches two-step and insists that his studio, In Cahoots, is "just like the Cheers bar, everybody knows your name"; the salsa scene is, as Babitz describes it, "grisly" and far less friendly. The Stevens sisters, who run Pasadena Ballroom Dance, brag that their lessons have been the source of more than 450 marriages. Throughout, Babitz insists that dancing is flirty fun (as well as a good way to stay trim). Many of her observations are annoyingly flippant, such as her bizarre take on gender politics (male-female relations today are "ridiculous," she statesArather than sending for mail-order brides, American men just need to learn to dance). In a straightforward epilogue, Babitz tells of an accident she had while lighting a cigar that led to six weeks in the intensive care unit being treated for third-degree burns, then casually admits that, since her accident put her out of commission for a year, the information here may be out-of-date. While the book may waver past the radar of the uninitiated, those immersed in the ballroom world will identify with Babitz's obsession with dance.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.