Write a story that begins with someone dancing in a bar.

Posted in Character on May 3, 2024

Submissions are closed

Sorry, we are not accepting submissions for this prompt as it is not part of an active contest. Make sure you don't miss our next contest by creating your free Reedsy Prompts account.

Or create a new Reedsy account:

Why not check out our active contest?

✍️ 66 stories

“Cassandra Under Glass” by Joseph Ellis

Submitted to Contest #249

Near a city on the coast, at the outskirts of that city, at a crossroads by a small town, in a tavern without a name, on a shabby, straight-backed stool at the far left end of the bar, sat a tall, slender man in a lavender suit.“How much for a Jack and Coke?” The man asked the portly bartender. His tone had a fake-innocent quality to it, like he’d never ordered such a drink, or perhaps any drink, ever in his life.“Five bucks.”“What if, in lieu of those few, petty, dollars, I showed you something? Something guaranteed to impress and amaze. So...

3 comments 3

Read story

“Lady Flamenco” by Melanie Yorke

Submitted to Contest #249

The whiskey fills her throat with fiery warmth as she tosses it back in a single swallow. The first notes of a melody announces the start of tonight’s performance. With the sweet smokey taste of the whiskey still on her tongue she moves to Marquez’s side ready to follow him into the small area the bar staff have cleared for their use.Manolo picks out the last few notes of his solo and after giving her a swift, darting kiss Marquez makes his entrance, his beautiful voice rising and undulating; filling the room and causing all occupants to pau...

1 comment 1

Read story

“Adventures at a Bar” by Renee Yancey

Submitted to Contest #249

She moves without inhibition, completely unconcerned with what her body is doing. The fact that her dancing was unaccompanied by music, makes it even more bizarre. “She's hearing music that we can't hear.” The man in the barstool beside him says. Jamie nods. She must be. He doesn't see any earbuds in her ears. “She is wasted,” the man on the other side of him says, “I could hit that.” Jamie stiffens. He, unlike his barmate, was taught respect for the opposite sex. He recalls his dad’s words like he was still here, seated beside him. “Jamie...

2 comments 2

Read story

“Bars Can Be Useful” by Beverly Goldberg

Submitted to Contest #249

She hadn’t even looked at the man who’d grabbed her hand, twirling her away from her last partner. The bar on the south side of Staten Island wasn’t a place she wanted to be. But her shy, dear brother had begged her to come home for the weekend and go bar hopping with him, and she’d reluctantly agreed, to arrive Saturday, explaining she had some work to do for her Middle English seminar. She'd assumed they’d just sit around and watch the action.When he picked her up and the ferry terminal, she’d tried to get Tony to tell her why he wan...

16 comments 16

Read story

“Ya, Sure” by John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #249

Valentina stood in the entrance to Palace Pizza. The breeze rippled her flower print dress. She brushed dark hair from her face. Awestruck, Dan’s and Seth’s mouths fell open. Patrick pointed at them, mocking, until he turned and saw her. He consciously suppressed the urge to approach her in adoration.She entered, passed the order counter and walked directly to the juke box. There, she pulled a roll of quarters from her purse, deposited one into the slot and pressed C-14.In a moment, the song, ‘Ya, Sure,’ began to play. A ballad of lost love,...

13 comments 13

Read story

“Dangerous and Beautiful ” by M B

Submitted to Contest #249

She was the very image of grace and beauty: her slender body writhing like a serpent’s to the flutes and drums. The mink’s short, lowcut dress was a bright red that contrasted with the mink’s white fur. The bar of the tavern was full of all manner of creatures, all of whom were inebriated in some way. Some were drunk on Veilwinter wines and ales, others lay in a stupor from smoking much stronger stuff: their minds beyond the mortal realms. For those that weren’t too far gone, their eyes were fixed on the mink as she twirled and gyrated...

7 comments 7

Read story

“The Dancer” by Tanya Humphreys

Submitted to Contest #249

From my table at the back of the tavern, I saw, and was mesmerized, by the woman dancing.When I was able to tear my eyes from her lithe and quite nearly ethereal presence, I noted that every man in the place was just as spellbound; every eye had a twinkle, every lip a twitch and tendency to rise a little on one side. Just as, I’m certain, there were many a rise in their pantaloons.The tavern was a typical West Indies affair with colorful candle glass tossing about their hues like stained glass windows in an old dim church. The air was infuse...

2 comments 2

Read story

“The Pink Zone” by H.e. Ross

Submitted to Contest #249

He must have had a gas leak because of the amount of fumes coming to the back seat. Unfortunately I could not tell my bubbly companion or it would be an excuse for him to talk more. The driver never looked back at us through the rear view mirror that I could see, which made me think we should begin to worry. There were no lights outside and the road was bumpy and dusty. A slight glint of moonlight lightly brushed the tops of plants identifying only the palms in the bouncing of our progress. Nevil was in front with the driver, half turn...

3 comments 3

Read story

“One Last Dance at Le Club De Sablier” by Lucas Marrow

Submitted to Contest #249

I danced alone, gliding about the floor with swift steps. Lost in the life of the music. The birth of its melodies, its rise and crescendo, its lulling decline. With a collective sashay, the mass upon the floor began to spin, each body on the floor moving as one larger organism. I felt at one with them, soaking in the glorious and too-fleeting moments of life I was able to enjoy.I danced alone, scouring the inside of Le Club de Sablier from the vantage of its central dance floor. Heavy was the haze of cigarette smoke, embers alighting at the...

2 comments 2

Read story

“Untouched” by Will McAtee

Submitted to Contest #249

Content warning: tobacco use and sensuality.I saw him dancing in the colored lights. Red, then green, then blue, they moved like he did. Knees bending, torso swaying, neck thrown back. His hands caressed his body for no one but himself. All around him other people were oblivious to this personal riot.Every night I would come to this bar and every night I would leave alone. I would stand there watching, waiting, the ice would melt in my drink and the heat from all the bodies shifting together would leave my eyes burning. It’s not like I didn’...

3 comments 3

Read story

“Nice Girls Don’t do That” by Tirzah Young-Miles

Submitted to Contest #249

The crowded bar buzzed with excitement. Voices raised over the booming music, rendering conversation impossible amidst the cacophony, and although I'm not particularly graceful, my friends and I concluded that dancing was the best choice. The rhythm guided our hips as we moved, pausing only for bathroom breaks or to order drinks. Rolling back my shoulders and wildly throwing my arms up, I hollered to my friend Libby. “I’m a wizard!”“Your moves are boss!” She shouted back. The beauty(or curse) of alcohol is that you stop caring whether you lo...

5 comments 5

Read story

“Lonely Cowboy” by Samantha Phoenix

Submitted to Contest #249

He couldn’t take his eyes off her, short brown hair fanning out around her as she twirled. When she faced back toward the bar counter he was leaning against she was all smiles, it took everything he had not to chuckle. That smile is contagious. She wore an old worn out band tee, it was ripped in several places he couldn’t tell if it was on purpose or by accident. He watched the way her hips swayed side to side making the plaid button down shirt wrapped around her waist billow. The loose ends or whatever strings on her daisy dukes flutt...

0 comments 0

Read story

“Five-Star Fish Tacos” by Elisa Thompson

Submitted to Contest #249

The first time Beto saw Helen, she was dancing by herself at one of those touristy beach clubs in Puerto Peñasco. Eyes closed, she swayed to Ricky Martin’s Canción Bonita, wholly oblivious to the fact that people had set down their drinks to watch. Helen was young and uninhibited back then, in a green bikini top and a flowery skirt that kept inching lower with every rotation of her voluptuous hips. The men watched because they wanted her, and their wives and girlfriends watched because they all wished they had the guts to dance like that. He...

2 comments 2

Read story

“University Massacre” by Stardust Rubino

Submitted to Contest #249

Cheryl Corbett had just one drink at Snugg’s Bar & Grille before she hit the dancefloor. A vodka and Red Bull, to be exact. It was all the rage in 2017 before enough people caught on to the fact the latter would mask the effects of the former, causing drinkers to imbibe more than anticipated and suffer the effects of binging more easily. However, Cheryl had much more in store that night than a dangerous alcohol concoction.She swung her hips to “Your Love” by Glass Animals in her denim shorts. She discovered the song in a music video on Y...

1 comment 1

Read story

“Don't You Forget About Me ” by Cheryl Bowes

Submitted to Contest #249

Her voluptuous hips swiveled feverishly, no regard for the tightly-packed bodies gyrating alongside her on the strobe-lit dancefloor. Eyes closed and paired with a devilish smile, she flipped her magnificent blonde mane back and swayed provocatively to the throbbing bass line of New Order’s Blue Monday. I hadn’t even noticed she’d been holding a shot glass the entire time, and in one graceful movement she downed it, parted her ruby lips, and sang, “I still find it so hard, to say what I need to say.”In another lifetime she could have been a ...

0 comments 0

Read story

Load more stories

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story about a character running late for a job interview.

Adventure – 74 stories

Write a story around someone (literally) bumping into someone else.

Funny – 53 stories

Write a story about a tennis match between two rivals.

Character – 15 stories

Write a story about a character driving and getting lost.

Dramatic – 98 stories

Contest #249

Enter our weekly contest!

This week's theme: Action Stations with Tom Bromley

$250

Prize money

306

Contest entries

114

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - May 10, 2024 EST

Won by Dena Linn 🏆

Title: The World’s on Fire

View details

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

We'll send you 5 prompts each week. Respond with your short story and you could win $250!

Menu

CONNECT

BLOG

APPS

TOOLS

ABOUT

Write a story that begins with someone dancing in a bar.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 66 stories

“Cassandra Under Glass” by Joseph Ellis

“Lady Flamenco” by Melanie Yorke

“Adventures at a Bar” by Renee Yancey

“Bars Can Be Useful” by Beverly Goldberg

“Ya, Sure” by John K Adams

“Dangerous and Beautiful ” by M B

“The Dancer” by Tanya Humphreys

“The Pink Zone” by H.e. Ross

“One Last Dance at Le Club De Sablier” by Lucas Marrow

“Untouched” by Will McAtee

“Nice Girls Don’t do That” by Tirzah Young-Miles

“Lonely Cowboy” by Samantha Phoenix

“Five-Star Fish Tacos” by Elisa Thompson

“University Massacre” by Stardust Rubino

“Don't You Forget About Me ” by Cheryl Bowes

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story about a character running late for a job interview.

Write a story around someone (literally) bumping into someone else.

Write a story about a tennis match between two rivals.

Write a story about a character driving and getting lost.

Contest #249

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

306

Contest entries

114

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: