In 1975, when Mason Dudley opened the doors to her first studio on Hampshire Street in Inman Square, Cambridge,, she never imagined she’d dedicate 47 years of her life to the roles of a teacher and mentor to the Greater Boston dance community. In her rich and spirited memoir, she takes us from the beginning of her life journey, starting in rugged East Cambridge, where she came from small means, and worked three jobs to realize her dreams of becoming an entrepreneur.

Mason Dudley recounts the birth of her youth dance company—Deborah Mason Performing Arts Center and Cambridge Youth Dance Program— and how, through perseverance, passion and commitment to the classroom and community, she overcame both financial hurdles and sex discrimination, forging her path forward.a time when few women owned or operated their own businesses or received recognition as forces in their communities. Funny, perceptive, and poignant, LIFE IS BUT A DANCE offers inspiration to the next generation of female performers, entrepreneurs, and community leaders