Fairy stories can be deadly. The defendants at the trial of the feminist punk dissidents Pussy Riot cited as an influence the avant-garde writer Vvedensky, who was persecuted for writing anti-Soviet children’s stories during Stalin’s Great Purge. &quot;Cinderella&quot; is the dominant metaphor used to describe further education, and the intention is to challenge this dead metaphor and replace it with another of the Brothers Grimm’s tales, the &quot;Twelve Dancing Princesses&quot;.<br><br>The twelve princesses escape from the room they are locked in to dance all through every night. As a metaphor for teaching in further education, this tale suggests the possibility of subversion, of autonomy in teaching and learning, and a collective rather than individualist notion of professionalism, even within repressive contexts. Twelve chapters from twelve authors respond to these themes and suggest professional development that will culminate in a collective, celebratory alternative. The professional aspirations of prospective teacher education students reveal a love of learning, a passion for subject and a commitment to social justice, but they are too often failed in the current ideological context of further education. Inspiration from critical pedagogy is needed to maintain transformative professional space. The impact of technology on learning, and the physical spaces in which teaching and learning are situated are explored and the prevailing managerialist use of lessons challenged. Four chapters deal with aspects of professionalism, redefining it to encompass educational values rather than market forces. If the sector is to be Grimm, asserts this inspirational book, it should be so on our own terms: powerful, democratic and professional.