Juliet Prowse: Born To Dance

Juliet Prowse was a young South African dancer who burst into the international spotlight in her first Hollywood movie, Can-Can. Considered talented and exotic, she caught the media's attention and her engagement to Frank Sinatra fuelled their fascination further. But was it true love and what did Sinatra make of Juliet's relationship with Elvis during G.I. Blues? Unhappy with 20th Century Fox, Juliet broke out of her contract, created her own company and became one of the highest paid dancers of her era on a Desert Inn $1 million contract by the mid-1970s.

While Juliet won awards for Sweet Charity in Las Vegas and London, opening on Broadway seemed elusive. Juliet continued to build her world-class modern dance company, winning Female Entertainer of the Year in Las Vegas four times in the era of Liza Minnelli, Barbra Streisand and Shirley MacLaine. As a triple threat, Juliet featured on the international stage for four decades.

This story is personal. Told by Juliet's niece, it includes Juliet's words from letters written to her mother (the author's grandmother), family anecdotes and amusing insights from those who worked with Juliet. With her endless legs and playful charm, Juliet had many romances and married actor John McCook of The Bold and the Beautiful. But in her search for love and professional fulfilment, could she accomplish it all?

"I loved reading this delightful book and couldn't believe how the author managed to depict in so much detail what felt like a life lived at a constantly frenetic pace, over a long period and in different countries. What was planned as a slow read was devoured in four days." by Estelle Coustas, Copy Editor

"I'm getting to know my mother as a real person for the first time rather than just a parental figure. With so much in-depth research, the book is full of information that I never knew about." by Seth McCook, Juliet's son

"This book has captured Juliet's essence and she would be so proud of what her niece has created." by Lee Roy Reams, Tony Nominated Broadway Actor

"The author had done a wonderful job of telling the story of trailblazer, dancer Juliet Prowse. She captured the sparkling talent and sheer determination that her namesake possessed to place her among the highest earners in the entertainment industry during her heyday." by Chris Mitchell, Writer

"I laughed, I cried, and I couldn't put the book down! I found it very heartwarming! What a life!" by Melissa McCook, Juliet's daughter-in-law

Juliet Prowse never intended on becoming an author, but when she spotted a little red suitcase in her parents' attic, filled to the brim with articles about her famous aunt, the dancer/entertainer Juliet Prowse, she felt she just had to tell this story.As a seasoned communications professional, Juliet was used to writing, but to ensure the authenticity of her first book, Juliet waded through over 1 000 newspaper articles and letters, largely written by her aunt to her grandmother, and spoke to over 20 people who had performed with Juliet. Known as Big Juliet and Little Juliet in the Prowse household, Little Juliet inherited her aunt's athleticism and became a South African runner, but she was never as graceful as her famous aunt who was born to dance! Juliet Prowse: Born to Dance is a love letter to her aunt.Juliet has an MBA from the University of Cape Town and a science degree from the University of Nebraska. She lives in Cape Town where she is an avid theatregoer and sports lover.

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