Modern Dance for Beginners is a play for two people written by British playwright Sarah Phelps.
The action of the play takes place over the course of a year and is set in the present, the very recent past and variable futures.
They are in a hotel room on a late summer afternoon, having just left the wedding reception for a while.
During the course of the scene a very drunk Frances complains to Owen about his wedding and ends up twisting him round her finger.
The scene ends with Owen beginning to undress and Frances removing his wedding band.
Kieran, a handy man is fixing a leak whilst Julia is finishing an argument with her sister-in-law on the phone.
She tells him to punish her and he declines, saying he is not a machine and doesn't see the sense in "all this urgency".
Kieran interrupts by swiftly walking over to Julia and putting his hand roughly up her skirt, lifting her onto her toes.
Frances (wearing a gold ring on a chain around her neck) is having sex with Russell, a failing media publishing executive, in an uncomfortable position.
This only makes Owen stammer his way through another speech telling Eleri she should call a friend and that it's terrible news.
Silently, Eleri unzips Owen's trousers, puts her hand inside and feels.
As he put it down, he begins to get a guilty conscience and thinks that the other members of the party who rang may have worked out he had left to have sex with Frances.
The original production was performed as part of the Rose Bruford College Director's Showcase at the Finborough Theatre, London and ran from 5–23 June 2001.
[1] The production was directed by Elizabeth Freestone and featured the following cast: The production was designed by Penny Tulla and the Lighting Designer was Suzy Hallam The play was subsequently staged by the Soho Theatre Company at the Soho Theatre, London and ran from 23 September 2002 – 19 October 2002.