Step Lightly

A Tartt first Fiction award winner, Step Lightly immerses readers in the exciting world of dance, from ballet to belly. Challenging and expanding accepted definitions of dance, each of the fifteen short stories centers on physical movement as a driving force, placing characters in precarious situations and leading to unusual outcomes. Like the divertissements in the second act of The Nutcracker, the collection sports a diverse repertory, including a classic yet tragic tribute to Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, a dance narrative designed as a multiple-choice quiz, and a recipe incantation that brings back the ghost of a famous ballerina. With a combination of intensity and aplomb, Step Lightly grapples with movement that defines who we are and what we do with our lives.

* Available for Pre-Order late April 2019.

Description

A note about tHe cover art

The cover art incorporates a painting of Klym when he was a principal dancer at the State Ballet of Missouri. The painter is Ken Southwick. The photography session that informed the painting occurred at the Westport Allen Center in Kansas City, while Kendall was suffering from a stress fracture to his left cuboid. When asked what he thinks of having a picture of himself on the cover of his book, Klym said the following: “It reminds me of the hell I went though. As a short and diminutive male dancer, I had to exaggerate my turnout, increase my extension, and jump higher, just to be recognized and to secure roles, and even then, I was not always successful. Having a picture of myself on the cover is painful and humbling—the antithesis of narcissistic.”

 

Goal for Readers

My goal in this collection is to use words and stories to redefine dance—to show that we all dance, whether we are performing a ballet or an appendectomy. Perhaps the surgeon who removed your appendix never had the privilege of studying ballet, but the movements she made when slicing into your abdomen require the precision and artistry of a ballet dancer raising his partner in a bluebird lift, making sure she looks beautiful and stays safe. Both sets of hands manipulate bodies. Both the dancer and the doctor set out to improve and preserve humans’ quality of life. When such a comparison is made, the definition of dance expands. My stories redefine dance through characters who run the gamut, from professional ballet dancers and directors in “Pavlova” to honeybees and a piano teacher in “The Dancing Bee.” While the collection focuses more on ballet than other dance forms, common themes predominate, including the loss of love and the devastation of war. My hope is that through these stories readers can make their own connection between language and dance, and that they can add to my definition of dance.

Step Lightly is a brave, winning collection. A solid first book from a promising new writer.

Andy Plattner

Dr. Kendall Klym is one choreographer whose ideas admit no limitations. His short stories spring from firsthand experience as an internationally performing dancer, combined with an imagination that uses the page as his stage, romping with the willing reader into situations that can astonish, engage, and even edify. Klym’s short stories not only open an inside view of dance and dancers’ lives but also lead us into unpredictable fantasy in a way that no other writer in my experience has done. Bravo, Kendall, and may there be many more stories to come!

Joan Kunsch