Join in the Twirly Wiggly Dance
Farrah Riaz introduces her debut picture book, the joyful The Twirly Wiggly Dance.
I’ve always loved reading, and as a child, wonderful family members bought me entire series: Famous Five, Malory Towers, Secret Seven, St Clare’s, Naughtiest Girl, Chalet School, Roald Dahl stories; and comic book collections: Asterix, Tintin, Snoopy, Garfield. In addition, every Friday evening, we did our weekly shopping at Asda, and I would wander over to the bookshelves or magazines – clutching one or the other as I left.
As a preteen and way beyond, I read a lot. I had most of the Sweet Valley High series, and everything written by Virgina Andrews/VC Andrews up to that point and Greek Mythology and Agatha Christie. I always popped into the bookstore whenever we went out. It must have been hard for my family when they spotted a bookshop and knew I could smell the books no matter where we were! I am known for spending four and a half hours in The Strand bookshop in New York.
It’s possible that wanting to write was always at the back of my mind, but I didn’t make it a reality until 2019 – my ‘it’s now or never’ moment.
I created the character of Intisar on a picture book writing course, and the idea came from discussing our most vivid childhood memories. One of them for me was family celebrations and dancing. I remembered the excitement of being involved in big events. All the buzz and activity. A high point. I wanted to show how Intisar came up with the move and how proud she was. She even named it. I love seeing children excited and expressing themselves. Their individual personalities really shine through.
I also remember being unable to follow seemingly simple moves and how that made me feel. A down point. I wrote the first draft just after the course ended.
As a child, I bounced back quickly enough from down points by getting distracted, but as an adult and a writer, I felt it was important to show these moments and have Intisar, the child in my story, express her unhappiness to a trusted adult. I also wanted to show her lose confidence and that it was okay not to want to do something if it was making her feel unhappy. It’s a family celebration; it should be joyful. When she tells Mum, Mum is supportive and doesn’t pressure Intisar to continue.
I chose the wedding setting because it was a natural backdrop to the dancing and performance themes. This way, I could show Intisar’s inward and outward journey as we follow her on the different days of the events.
For children who aren’t familiar with South-Asian Muslim weddings, The Twirly Wiggly Dance is an opportunity to learn about the culture, how fun South-Asian weddings can be, and what is involved.
For children familiar with these types of celebrations, it’s a way for them to feel that much more included and have their experiences recognised on the page.
The pivotal moment in the story is when Intisar’s older brother reaches out to her on the dance floor, and she bravely acts on instinct, brushes off her worries, and joins in! There is a really nice moment between Intisar and Isla (Intisar’s older cousin who hits the moves perfectly in the dance routine) when the girls acknowledge their differences and accept one another. Everyone embraces that being yourself is far more fun than being ‘perfect’!
The Walima ends in a huge celebration, and everyone is having fun as it should be. Fun events are perfect when you’ve had so much fun that you are smiling as you go to sleep. The notion of perfection is what perfect is to you and what makes it so.
After many edits and revisions, with the help of some fantastic people, The Twirly Wiggly Dance has finally arrived. The whole journey from start to finish has taken five years.
As to whether there’ll be more outings for Intisar and her family, let’s see…
The Twirly Wiggly Dance by Farrah Riaz, illustrated by Navya Raju, is published by Oxford Children’s Books, 978-0192789679, £7.99 pbk.
