At forty-five, Jamie Rose was an independent, take-charge woman whose career as an actress was going nicely, with frequent roles on hit television shows and in films. Yet there was one area of her life that wasn't working: her love life. She'd been living with her boyfriend for five years, and although she was ready to get married, he wasn't. His reason? They fought too much-and unfortunately, he was right. But something magical happened when she signed up for tango lessons: She began to appreciate the power of being a partner in a dance for two-and that letting someone else take the lead from time to time wasn't giving up, but rather, letting go. In this funny and wise book, Rose shares with readers the life lessons she's learned from tango and the other great partner dance traditions.

Dance changed Rose's life, and she discovered that she wasn't the only one. Over and over, the women she encountered at dance halls-women from age twenty to ninety-three-told her how falling in love with dance helped them fall in love with life again. The secret? Whereas before they may have worried that if they let go of their grip on things for a moment, everything would fall apart, now they knew that sometimes letting go of the lead was the best way to keep things together-especially in a relationship.

For anyone who has ever marveled at Fred and Ginger up on the silver screen (how could they be so in sync?), Shut Up & Dance shows readers how to dance their way into a happier, sexier life-even if they never step onto a dance floor.