Publication Date: March 25, 2025
An award-winning playwright’s story of her madcap race to find fame or enlightenment, whichever comes first— perfect for fans of Lori Gottlieb’s Maybe You Should Talk to Someone.
In Dancing on Coals, Cynthia Moore describes a multi-decade, harebrained search for love in all the wrong places, starting when her narcissistic mother abandons her to a Swiss finishing school. Desperately seeking belonging, she leapfrogs from a polyamorous commune into a high-octane all-male performance group, dancing as if her life depends on it. When she finally quits the theater, earns a masters degree in psychology and develops her own therapeutic approach, she is able to heal herself and find the true belonging and peace she longs for.
At times humorous and self-deprecating, at times poignant and heartbreaking, this is the story of one woman’s path from abandonment to wholeness and authenticity.
Finding inner peace in Cynthia Moore’s early years meant gathering experiences at the speed of light.
She details her zany adventures as an overachiever in Dancing on Coals. As the title indicates, this is a fast-paced memoir told with humor.
Each word counts with no fluff added. The author describes her introduction to the stage (plenty of giggles) and her determination to work twice as hard as everybody else.
As a young woman who ended up in the United States during the 1970s, the opportunities are endless. She details her time with a free-sex commune and a number of artistic projects, among some of her many escapades.
Ultimately, her experiences lead her on a rollercoaster ride, where she finds true happiness. It’s an engrossing story with interesting characters.
Dancing on Coals delivers an intense memoir inviting readers to buckle up for a trip into the life of an overachiever.
Cynthia Moore is an award-winning playwright and performer who wrote and directed theater for over twenty years. A founding member of Otrabanda Company, she also worked in the Honolulu Theatre for Youth and the women’s collective Lilith before joining the Blake Street Hawkeyes. In 1990, she left the theater to earn a master’s degree in clinical psychology. She has now worked as a mental health counselor for twenty-three years, with a particular focus on the healing connection between spirituality and trauma. She has also taught numerous workshops in creativity, writing from the heart, and more. Cynthia lives in Berkeley, California, with her husband, David.
