Be Daring Through Dance
Martee Dares to Dance teaches children courage and choreography. (Gloo Books, 2024)
Martee Dares to Dance was written by husband-and-wife team Harry Shum Jr. and Shelby Rabara, who are both actors. Harry has appeared on television shows like Grey’s Anatomy, Shadowhunters, and Glee, and in movies such as Do No Harm, Everything Everywhere All at Once, All My Life, and Crazy Rich Asians. Shelby’s television credits include Goliath, Two Broke Girls, and Glee, and she also lends her voice to the animated series Steven Universe and Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles.
Harry Shum Jr. and Shelby Rabara are the authors of Martee Dares to Dance. Shelby is Filipino-American who proudly says, “I love that my friends are now reading the book with their kids and reading words in Tagalog with them.” (Photo by Claire Mercado-Obias)
But before they got into acting, they were dancers.
“I started dancing at four and a half years old, when my older sister suggested to my mom that I take dance classes,” says Shelby. “I was a really shy child, and I had a hard time talking to people. Dance really helped me come out of my shell, and I made a lot of wonderful relationships with friends and teachers who were so supportive of me.”
Shelby studied ballet, tap, and jazz growing up, moved to Los Angeles at 17 after receiving a scholarship, and then pursued her degree in World Arts and Cultures at UCLA, all while auditioning for and booking professional jobs in film and television and serving as a Los Angeles Laker Girl.
“I have choreographed pieces for Steven Universe: The Movie, as well as numerous pieces for TV and film. Most recently, I have written, directed, choreographed, and produced my first short concept film based on a full-length script I wrote,” she adds.
Harry, on the other hand, says, “I was a late bloomer with dance. I was a physical kid and would often mimic what I saw on TV and in movies. I didn’t discover dance until I had to do a school play and we had to learn the Lindy Hop. Competent is what I would call my level of dancing, and I thought it would be a one-off thing. But it wasn’t until I stumbled into the high school dance team.”
Martee Dares to Dance authors, Shelby Rabara and Harry Shum Jr., wearing Filipiniana attire at an Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month celebration. (Photo courtesy of Shelby Rabara)
What started off as a dare from one of his buddies turned into a passion that led him to drop out of college and pursue a career in dance that he never knew was possible. He moved to Los Angeles with three friends and took classes every day from top choreographers at Millennium Dance Complex, Edge, and Debbie Reynolds, treating those classes like school and taking four to five classes a day.
“I also jumped right into getting an agent and auditioning, even though I had no clue what I was doing. I was hungry to learn and was making up for the time I didn’t have with dance in my younger years. The place I learned the most was by just being around some of the best dancers in L.A. and vibing with them in their garages and living rooms, analyzing tapes of our classes and performances like a football player would study game film.”
Through various dance jobs, he got to be around dancers from all walks of life and absorbed their stories through the way they moved. “It was such a cool way to experience dance since I was learning as I went. I have taught at those very same studios where I was taking classes at the start of my dance career. I co-choreographed The LXD (The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers), a web series that led to performances on So You Think You Can Dance and TED Talks.”
After dating for many years, Harry and Shelby married in 2015 and now have a six-year-old daughter named Xia, who also loves to dance.
They have always wanted to write a children’s book together. As parents, they wanted a book that showcased dance as a vehicle for building confidence. “We believe that self-confidence is fundamentally important to a child’s emotional development, and dance is something that is so dear to both me and Harry because it is what gave us the confidence as young adolescents to pursue our career paths,” Shelby says.
The team behind Martee Dares to Dance: authors Shelby Rabara and Harry Shum, Jr., illustrator Bianca Austria, and Gloo Books founder/owner Karen Chan.(Photo courtesy of Bianca Austria)
“Dance helps children become more confident because it allows them to discover their true selves,” she explains. “There is a world of discovery in learning a new dance move, and in that journey, kids find confidence in learning not to give up and eventually finding a way to make that move work for them. There is resilience in not giving up and trying again with a different approach.”
If you ask a child to “skip,” there are so many different ways and interpretations of what a “skip” is, Shelby adds. “There certainly is a correct way to skip—the traditional step-hop—but I think there is something so fascinating when kids are given permission to skip how they want, without the fear of judgment from others. The fun and joy that exude from that one request are really awesome to witness.”
Dance and music therapy are incredible; they can do wonders for increasing feelings of happiness and joy for both kids and adults. “I think it is so needed in our world right now, and a two-and-a-half-minute dance party with your kids, grandkids, nieces and nephews, or students is all kids need to see that it is okay to share a moment of joy with their friends and family,” Shelby elaborates.
She also believes children are products of their environment, and if they are provided with an environment of joy and nonjudgment when it comes to dancing, they will always remember that dance is fun and something they can do to express themselves.
In the book, there are many references to the authors’ multicultural backgrounds, specifically food and language.
Both Harry and Shelby love their cultures and heritage very much. Shelby is a proud first-generation Filipina American, born and raised in Southern California, and Harry is Chinese-Costa Rican. They love to cook and eat together as a family, especially different types of tamales—Filipino, Mexican, Costa Rican, and Chinese, just to name a few.
“We thought it would be fun to incorporate two different types of tamales, one wrapped in a banana leaf and the other in a corn husk and have Martee and his best friend Yasmine do a ‘Tamale Tradesies,’” Shelby explains. “Trading tamales is Yasmine’s way of comforting Martee during a time when he was too embarrassed to attend an upcoming school dance. Food has always been a way to comfort and nourish in both our cultures, and we are proud to represent them in this book.”
The inclusion of Tagalog words like “lola” (grandma) and “apo ko” (my grandchild) showcases the respect and love that Shelby has experienced with her grandmother and mom. “Our daughter has a very special relationship with my mom, and I wanted to showcase the grandchild-and-grandmother relationship and how truly special and fun it is,” Shelby adds.
One of the unforgettable characters in Martee Dares to Dance is Lola, who is hip and full of energy.
“Lola is based on so many grandmas that I know, including my mom, who have that swag—swag meaning hardworking women who also know how to have fun. Lola is the grandma that I want to be. I want to be a lola in a lavender velour jumpsuit, DJ-ing, giving the kids apple slices before bed, and dancing, of course,” confides Shelby.
The illustrator who brought the book to life is also Filipino American: Bianca Austria.
Bianca Austria is the illustrator of Martee Dares to Dance, saying, “The sketches took about a month while the coloring took around three months!” (Photo courtesy of Bianca Austria)
“All the art was done digitally,” says Bianca. “The first image I drew was Martee, which ultimately led us toward this very bold and poppy art style for the entire story.”
Her early sketches of Lola were very far from the final design. Initially, she was a soft, homey, cozy character who wore a duster (house dress) and an apron, with her hair up. When Bianca first submitted those sketches, they loved them but wanted to make her a bit different from the “average” grandma. They wanted her to look cool. In the story, Martee’s Lola is spunky and confident.
“I think a lot of Martee’s style and love of dance and hip-hop are inherited from her. Their shared love for these things is the tether in their relationship. She’s the epitome of ‘age is just a number,’ and I think we see that very early on in the kitchen scene when she has her boombox on a shelf and is showing us these dance moves while cooking,” Bianca explains.
“When I went back to the drawing board, I took these thoughts to mind and brought in all these elements of streetwear into her character—hence the velvet tracksuit and big hoops, which are clearly inspired by the music and fashion of the ’90s and early 2000s,” Bianca adds.
The characters of Martee Dares to Dance: Martee, Lola, the Martian, Yasmine. (Illustration courtesy of Bianca Austria)
“One thing I love about this book is that it reminds us that we all need a little burst of confidence or creativity every once in a while. I was a shy kid growing up, and it took me many years to feel comfortable in my own skin and find my self-confidence.”
As parents, they wanted a book that showcased dance as a vehicle for building confidence.
Harry and Shelby wrote this book to inspire kids, along with their families and friends, to dance. Dance has been a source of joy for their family, and they want to remind readers that it takes courage to dance in front of others. When they find the courage to dare to dance, it can unlock many creative outlets individually, as well as connect people with one another.
Martee Dares to Dance is available on gloobooks.com
Claire Mercado-Obias is a writer, food stylist and pastry chef based in New Jersey.
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