Key Insight: 'Prom dance' = P + ROMANCE
'Love initially' = L
But L is absent from the start: Remove 'P' (prom initially? Wait.

Precise Wordplay:
- Fodder: PROM DANCE
- 'Love initially' = L
- L 'absent from' PROM DANCE? But PROM DANCE has no L.
Surface misdirects to prom without love (sad dance).

True Parse: ROMANCE = (PROM DANCE minus P (prom *initially*)) + ? No.

Spot it: PROM DANCE minus initial P ("prom initially" absent? But clue is "love initially absent").

Classic: The answer is **ROMANCE**.
'ROMANCE' is a synonym for 'love'.
Wordplay: PRO M DANCE minus P ('prom initially', but twist: 'love initially' = O? No.

Refined: 'Love' = O (tennis score, but no).

Direct: Take 'PROM DANCE', remove 'P' (initial of 'prom', but clue links to 'love initially absent'.
Surface: Love (person) initially absent from prom dance.

Letterplay: P R O M D A N C E
Remove initial of love (L, but no L present – that's the point, it's absent).
But to form ROMANCE: It's simply 'proM DANCE' selecting ROMANCE letters? No, deletion.

Spot-on Parse: 'ROMANCE' = RO MANCE, but:
'PROM DANCE' without 'P D' (initials? No.

Standard Cryptic Mechanism: Deletion of 'initially love' i.e., remove L from a word containing it, but since fodder is 'prom dance', recognize 'ROMANCE' is what remains when 'love initially' (L) is absent – but fodder hides ROMANCE with extra.

Actual Genius: 'Prom dance' contains the letters for ROMANCE plus P (from prom).
But precise: ROMANCE = (PROM DANCE - P) where P is 'prom initially', but clue says 'love initially absent' – misdirect.

From Hints: 'Initially' selects first letter, 'absent from' deletes.
Fodder 'prom dance'.
Definition 'Love' = ROMANCE.
Wordplay: ROMANCE = PROM DANCE minus PD? No.

Breakthrough: 'Prom dance' has letters P-R-O-M- -D-A-N-C-E.
To get ROMANCE (R-O-M-A-N-C-E), take from 'pROM DANCE', selecting inner letters, but with deletion.

Correct Parse (per hints): 'Initially' applies to 'love' = L.
'L absent from prom dance' means 'prom dance' without L, but since no L, it's whole – but that doesn't fit.
Surface reading: Love (person) is initially absent from the prom dance.

The Wordplay is: ROMANCE = PROM DANCE minus P (first letter of 'prom', and 'love initially' misdirects to think sad prom, but 'initially absent' means remove the initial letter from the fodder.

Yes! 'Initially absent from' indicates remove the initial letter from the fodder 'prom dance'.
Fodder: PROM DANCE
Remove initial letter: remove P from PROM DANCE → ROM DANCE
But 'rom dance' isn't romance.
ROMDANCE is R-O-M-D-A-N-C-E, which anagrams? No, par 3, simple.

PROMDANCE without spaces: P R O M D A N C E
Remove first letter P: R O M D A N C E
That's ROMDANCE, but answer is ROMANCE.
Close: ROM DANCE → ROMANCE by sound or? No.

Ah! 'Prom dance' is 'prom' + 'dance'.
'Love initially' = L.
But L is absent, so 'dance' starts with D, but:

Final Parse: The fodder 'prom dance' becomes 'romance' by removing 'p' and 'd' – initials of 'prom dance'? No.

Think associations: Prom dance is a type of **ROMANCE**? No.

From Fodder Hint: Use letters from 'prom dance'.

Letter count: ROMANCE has R,O,M,A,N,C,E – all in PRO M D A N C E (P,R,O,M,D,A,N,C,E) – yes, has all, extra P,D.
But what's deleted?

Perfect: 'Love initially' = L (but L not there).
The surface is 'love' (0 in tennis) but no.

Standard Cryptic Deletion: 'Absent from' means remove letters of something.
But hint says one selection, one deletion.

Solution Wordplay: Take 'PROM DANCE', the 'initial' (first letter) of 'love' (L) is absent from it (indeed no L), but that doesn't build.

Try: 'rom' from 'prom' absent 'p' (initial absent?), 'dance'.

Core: PROM minus P (initial absent? ) no.

Let's reason as player: Definition 'Love' = ROMANCE.
Fodder 'prom dance' contains ROMANCE consecutively? P-**ROM** -D-**A N C E** no.

Hidden word? No.

Deletion: 'Prom dance' is 9 letters, ROMANCE 7, so delete 2.
What? 'Love initially' hints at what to delete.

'Love' synonym O, initially? No.

Prom dance is a **romance**, and 'love initially absent' explains why it's not full – but that's literal, but instruction is not literal.

Indicator Hint: 'Initially' and 'absent from' – one selection (initial letters), one deletion.
Fodder 'prom dance'.

Try: Initials of 'prom dance' = P D.
But absent? No.

Reverse: Something absent from fodder is initial love.

Brilliant: The wordplay is **PROM DANCE** minus **P** ('prom' initially) but clue is 'love initially absent'.
Surface misdirects.

Actual: 'Love' definition.
Wordplay: RO MANCE – but how.

From cryptic norms [1][2]: 'Initially' means first letters, 'absent from' means delete from fodder.

Step-by-step Reveal:
1. Fodder: PROMDANCE (ignore space).
2. 'Love initially' = L.
3. L is absent from PROMDANCE (true, no L).
But that leaves fodder intact for anagram? But no anagram indicator.
Par 3, simple deletion/selection.

Perhaps it's (LOVE initially = L) absent, so ignore, and 'prom dance' suggests ROMANCE as prom = formal dance = type of **romance**.
But that's association, per intro.

No, hints point to letter manipulation.

Spot the Parse: 'Love' = ROMANCE.
Wordplay: ROMA N C E? No.

PROM DANCE without 'PD' (initials of 'prom dance'), but 'love initially absent' doesn't fit PD.

'Love' initial L, but absent, so fodder as is, but rearrange? No.

Let's think differently: The clue reads as 'love' (definition) + 'initially absent from prom dance' as wordplay.
What is initially absent from prom dance? The first letter absent would be without P, giving ROMDANCE, which sounds like "rom dance" aka romance.
But close.

ROM DANCE = rom-dance, synonym for romance.
But answer is single word ROMANCE.

Ah! 'Prom dance' minus 'p' (initially, and 'love' absent meaning no O or something).

From guide [1]: Initial letters, deletion.

Correct Solving Path:
- Fodder: "prom dance"
- 'Initially' applies to 'love' giving L.
- 'Absent from' instructs to remove L from the fodder, but since L isn't there, the fodder remains 'prom dance', but that doesn't help.

Perhaps the surface is love (person) is initially absent from the prom dance, meaning the dance happens without the first love, but cryptic is 'prom dance' minus first letter of 'love' i.e., minus L, but no L.

Try containing: Is 'romance' hidden in 'pROM ANCE'? pROM D ANCE no.

pRO M DANCE – no.

Letter pick: R O M A N C E from positions.

Perhaps it's 'rom' from 'prom' with 'l' (love initially) absent (prom without p? No.

Standard Type: Deletion indicator 'absent from', selection 'initially'.
Fodder 'prom dance'.
Take 'prom dance', remove the initial letter of 'love' – but again no L.

Perhaps 'love' is O (tennis), initially absent meaning remove O from fodder.
'Prom dance' has O in prom, remove O: PRM DANCE, anagram to? No.

Par 3 suggests simple: 3 steps.
1. Fodder prom dance.
2. Absent from = delete.
3. Initially = first letter.

So, 'initially' modifies what is absent.
The initial letter is absent from 'prom dance'.
What initial? The clue starts with 'love initially' absent from the fodder.

Perhaps the wordplay is 'romance' as 'rom' (prom absent p, p being prom initial, but link to love.

Let's look for authoritative parse.
Upon analysis, the wordplay is: **ROMANCE** = **PRO M DANCE** minus **P** , where 'P' is the initial letter of 'prom', and the clue's 'love initially absent' misdirects the surface to a prom without love, but the deletion is the initial from the fodder.
But to fit hints: 'Initially' guides to specific letters – initial of 'prom' = P.
'P absent from prom dance' gives ROMDANCE, but that's not it.

ROMDANCE re-arranges? No indicator.

Note: PROMDANCE without P is ROMDANCE, which can be seen as ROM AN CE or something, no.

Final Eureka: The fodder is 'prom dance', which is a **romance** (synonym for a love dance or romantic event), and 'love initially absent' is the surface misdirect, but the hints guide to deletion.
But intro says wordplay, associations or patterns.

From [1]: Associations too.
Prom dance is a **romance** , a type of love affair or romantic event at prom.
But hints point to indicators 'initially' and 'absent from', fodder 'prom dance'.

Precise Wordplay (synthesized):
Take 'PROM' , remove initial 'P' (but link).
No.

'Love' = 0, initially absent meaning no score, but no.

Common cryptic: 'Love' = O, but 'initially absent' means O not at start.
No.

Let's solve it as per hints directly.
Indicator Hint: 'Initially' selection indicator for specific letters in fodder.
So 'initially' means take initial letters of words in 'prom dance' = P D.
Then 'absent from' deletes them from something? No.

One is selection, one deletion.
Perhaps select initial letters, delete from fodder.
No.

Alternative: The thing absent is 'love initially' = L, deleted from fodder, but since absent already, fodder gives the answer by reassembly.
Letters of 'prom dance' are P R O M D A N C E, which rearrange to? PROM DANCE anagram is C O M P A N D E R no.
No anagram.

Count letters: ROMANCE requires R O M A N C E.
From fodder: R (from prom), O, M, D A N C E – to get A N from D A N, but D extra, P extra.
To get ROMANCE, need to delete P and D.
P and D are initials of 'prom dance'.
Is 'love initially absent from prom dance' indicating delete initials of fodder?
But 'love initially' doesn't match PD.

Surface: Love is initially absent from prom dance – meaning the prom dance lacks its first love or something.

Perhaps the answer is **ROMANCE** because a prom dance is a **romance**, and the wordplay is contained in the fodder: the letters R O M A N C E are all in 'proM DANce' with extras P, O? Wait, fodder has one O.
P R O M D A N C E has R,O,M,A,N,C,E yes, and extra P, D.
What are P and D? Initials of 'Prom' and 'Dance'.
The indicator 'initially absent from' means the initials are absent from the fodder to form the answer – i.e., remove the initial letters of the fodder words.
Remove P (initial of prom) and D (initial of dance) from 'prom dance', leaving RO M  ANCE = ROMANCE.
Yes! Perfect.