Local attorney pens book to help young girls to embrace their individuality

21st December 2015   ·   0 Comments

By Kelly Parker
Contributing Writer

“My name is Addison … Madam Queen Busy Body! From a very young age, dance has been my favorite hobby. I sing songs really loudly and bounce in my seat, while snapping my fingers and tapping my feet.”

Those are the words of Addison, the energetic, cocoa hued mini ballerina in Kourtni Mason’s children’s book, Little Miss Dancey Pants.

Addison knows she is a star, but it’s not until her mother recognizes her natural ability that she’s encouraged to explore her true potential as a dancer.

“She loves to move around, a little busy body,” Mason says of the book’s protagonist.

The idea for the book came to Mason while babysitting a friend’s five-year-old daughter.

“I danced with her mom while in college and she just had this natural ability to dance,” she told The Louisiana Weekly.

“I remember she just wanted to dance and perform for me and I said to her—you’re such a little dancey pants. And a light went off in my head, because I was the same way when I was younger; I wanted to perform for whoever would watch.”

The Monroe, La. native, who practices law in New Orleans, began to think there may be many other little girls who possess this talent and whose parents may not be convinced to put them in dance classes. With that thought, and what she feels is a lack of diverse children’s books, specifically those related to African-American dancers, put pen to paper that resulted in a book that not only promotes dance, but encourages young girls to embrace their individuality as well.

“There weren’t many books with characters of color (black and brown main) characters, that were related to dance,” Mason told The Louisiana Weekly.

“So, I said this is an important issue-an important topic to have for little girls; that they can see a character that looks like them, and also have a story or theme that is of interest to them. There are so many little girls that are interested and have that talent. I didn’t have that growing up and I wanted to provide that for little girls. I didn’t have that presence. Now young girls can look at Misty Copeland and say, ‘Look at that beautiful ballerina, I want to be just like her.’ I didn’t have that, but there was something in me, and I just loved to dance. It was just naturally in me. But if you don’t see it, you won’t necessarily think it can be done; just like having an African-American president. They know it’s possible because they can see it. This book helps spread that message to younger girls early on.”

Mason was a member of the Grambling State University Orchesis Dance Company, the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks dance squad, and a member of the half time show for Super Bowl XVII starring Beyoncé.

Little Miss Dancey Pants is geared for little girls between the ages of four to eight, ‘But three to six-year-old girls really enjoy it as well,’ Mason says. “I’ve had people buy the book for little ones as young as two and they are flipping through the pages and are pointing at the pictures.”

What’s next for Little Miss Dancey Pants? Dance Camp!

“I just released a second book; Little Miss Dancey Pants Goes to Dance Camp; just released last Friday; so now we’re in the process of sending out orders in time for Christmas,” Mason says.

Both books can be purchased through Amazon.com or Mason’s website: www.littlemissdanceypants.com.

This article originally published in the December 21, 2015 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.