Dana Dances on Paper by Darcel Turner is a slick, upbeat and heartfelt first novel. The main character Dana, is a young girl who struggles to deal with the hardship of growing up in the urban streets of the Bronx, New York during the beginning of the hip-hop era. Dana has dreams to become a professional dancer and show the world all the talent inside of her. Throughout the novel, Dana's dream will be delayed as the twists and turns of losing her mother to a fatal disease, leave Dana rethinking her life's path and entering into the prospect of being both a dancer and an introspective journalist. Through love, loss, inner renewal and hardship, Dana ultimately finds more than one way to "dance."