61 pages • 2 hours read
Nicola YoonInstructions for Dancing
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2021A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 14-20Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 14 Summary: “Dance Number One”
At her first practice, Evie learns that Maggie and Archibald, the studio owners, who have been married for over 40 years. Fifi greets Evie, while Maggie and Archibald check that she wasn’t bullied into entering the Danceball competition. Since Evie can’t explain wanting to stop her visions with the only lead she has, she assures them that she thinks dancing will be fun.
X walks into the studio, and Fifi announces he’s her partner. Evie and X banter for a while, with Evie stating X stole her bike, and he corrects her that he borrowed it. Maggie and Archibald grin like they’re watching sparks fly; the latter introduces Xavier as his grandson. After the couple leaves the room, Xavier comments that his grandparents have always been “lovey-dovey” and “won the love lottery when they found each other” (66). Evie makes a point to never watch Maggie and Archibald kiss.
Fifi instructs the pair with rigorous drills, starting with the bachata. As the lead, X steps on Evie’s toes a lot, and she can’t relax at his touch—since she finds him too attractive to get close to. Fifi scolds them often; after class, she makes an intensive schedule of daily practices.
X tells Evie that he wanted to help his grandparents, so he volunteered to compete because of his “say yes philosophy” that is “very freeing” (73). He takes risks, saying “yes” to everything he can, while Evie says “no” often. They flirt until Evie bikes home, chastising herself for doing so and repeating that her life is “not a love story” (74).
Chapter 15 Summary: “Dance Number Two, Excerpted”
In only lines of dialogue, Fifi’s instructions and reprimands summarize that Evie and X aren’t talented dancers. They have a long way to go before they’re ready for the competition. Fifi shouts things like “Get closer! Is his breath still stinky?” and “Frame is sloppy. Why?” (75).
Chapter 16 Summary: “Dance Number Three”
In this one-sentence chapter, Evie and X’s third practice is the same as their second with “marginally less toe bruising” (76).
Chapter 17 Summary: “Dance Number Four”
As Fifi calls the bachata count, Evie and X dance until they get all the steps correct multiple times in a row. Fifi pulls out a boom box and states they’re going to “dance for their supper” (78). In a surprise field trip, she takes Evie and X to the Santa Monica pier. During the car ride, Evie tells X that she was pondering his “say yes” policy and believes it’d make people give in to their worst impulses, like forgetting obligations and eating junk food all day. X counters that Evie assumes people would turn to vice, rather than act out of love. Evie used to have faith in such a world, before her father’s infidelity, and grieves her old self who believed in love.
When the group arrives at the pier, Fifi displays a tip jar, turns on some music, and tells Evie and X to dance for their supper. No one on the oceanside pier watches them until Fifi instructs them to dance with their hearts, not their heads. She insists they need charisma, like when X performs on stage. X, the lead singer in a band, says it’s not the same.
As they try again, X tells Evie to let down her ponytail. He loosens his hair too, and they dance with freedom and joy. They also feel a sensual connection, which Evie suppresses. Spectators watch and give them money. Afterward, Fifi tells them that they’re improving and could have something special together, but they need to get to know each other, since dance requires chemistry.
Evie and X exchange phone numbers to complete Fifi’s assignment. The former reflects that this situation is like a romance novel, pushing her and X to fall in love.
Chapter 18 Summary: “A Strict Definition”
Evie and her friends share a series of texts. Sophie sends messages about how Evie has a date with someone from her dance studio, but Evie denies it. Evie tells Sophie, Cassidy, and Martin that X wants to take her on a celebrity tour around LA, and they tease her for it.
In the exchange, Cassidy writes that she likes that Sophie isn’t shallow and interested in tours, and Evie replies, asking if they’re flirting. Sophie texts Evie separately, stating it was weird for her to insinuate they’re flirting. Evie and Martin exchange texts about how Sophie and Cassidy are acting weird, blaming springtime and love in the air.
Chapter 19 Summary: “Not a Date, Part 1 of 3”
Evie and X get on a bus and start a guided tour of Hollywood. On the top of the double-decker bus, X is ecstatic to see all of LA, especially Sunset Strip, where he raves about the famous music bars and musicians who played there. X states he’ll play at these places someday, and Evie makes fun of him for being so confident. He teases Evie that they’re completing Fifi’s assignment of getting to know each other.
When Evie questions X, he tells his story of moving to LA to become a rock star, recently dropping out of high school to follow his dream, and also wanting to do so because his bandmate and friend Clay died. Clay was hit by a car while crossing the street and passed away. Evie comforts X and understands why he says “yes” to every opportunity, since he learned from Clay that life is short (92).
Evie still encourages X to finish high school, since he only has a semester left. X is surprised at her reaction, and she asks about his parents’ feelings. Like Evie, X was once close to his father, but his parents don’t approve of him dropping out—still, X thinks “some things can’t wait” and that he made the right decision (93).
Chapter 20 Summary: “By Act Two”
Evie and her friend group exchange texts about Evie’s rockstar boyfriend and how they’re going on a second date. Cassidy teases her about how they’re getting closer and that their chemistry will help their “dirty dancing,” and Evie texts in all caps that ballroom dancing isn’t the same as dirty dancing (95). The group continues to pester her and suggest she’s become a heroine from one of her romance novels, and that she’ll “be in love by the end of act 2”—though Evie denies this claim (96).
Chapters 14-20 Analysis
Evie and X remain foils, and their opposite viewpoints and traits shape the way they see the world and act. During the car ride to the pier, Evie remembers X’s “say yes” philosophy. She tells him that she contemplated it, and if people did live every day like it was their last, they would “indulge all their worst impulses” and “blow off obligations” to do “inappropriate and immoral things” (79). X counters that Evie is simply assuming people would give in to vice. Evie feels dismayed because she used to share X’s faith in the world, but this faith has been challenged by her parents’ divorce. The pair’s conversation showcases their differences, with Evie being cynical and reluctant to take risks and X being optimistic and ready for any opportunity. However, this conversation also shows they’re similar, as they’re both critical thinkers with strong beliefs.
Further highlighting their differences, Evie can’t control her cynicism when X reveals that he moved to LA to become a rock star. X is vulnerable enough to share his dream, but Evie replies that the “odds are so against you” (91). If X were more sensitive, he would have internalized her criticism and practicality, but he refuses to give up. Evie admires his determination, her character changing enough to state she believes he can accomplish his goal. Slowly, through getting to know X, Evie becomes less skeptical and thinks even the most impossible things could happen.
When X reveals his friend Clay died, he’s emotional in his sharing, and Evie understands why he’s determined to live every day to the fullest. X’s backstory gives his character more depth. However, Evie only comforts him a bit: She feels for him, but hasn’t developed enough empathy to refrain from judging him for not graduating before following his dream. When X insists that dreams can’t wait, this dialogue is the first inkling that Evie’s dreams may include X himself, and that she’ll learn to appreciate time spent with loved ones. In fact, she admits internally that, like X and Clay, she misses spending time with her father. Evie and X both have strained relationships with their fathers, which brings them closer.
To fit the modern era, Yoon incorporates other forms of communication in the novel, particularly texts. Texts fit the teenage characters and setting, and thus create believability, as Evie frequently texts her friend group and later, X. This format allows them to banter and tease each other in short, fast-paced chapters, such as when Cassidy inquires about X. These messages showcase the close-knit nature of Evie’s friend group and her blossoming relationship with X.
The frequent references to romance novels add to this novel’s themes and meta humor. Since the characters are, in fact, in a romance novel, Evie’s friends joking that she’ll “be in love by act 2” fits the context (96). Moments like X smiling at a tour guide and Evie interpreting it through the lens of romance novels also add to this novel’s humor: “Pretty clipboard woman hands [X] his FAQ/disclaimer. He flashes his absurdly beautiful smile at her. She takes off all her clothes. I’m kidding. She doesn’t do that. But she wants to” (89). Cassidy and Sophie even text that Evie is “basically the heroine in one of her romance novels” (96). Though Evie denies it, this is her role in the story. This denial only highlights Evie’s growing feelings for X and creates tension, as chemistry is needed for passionate dancing.
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By Nicola Yoon
