Proceed with an awkward balancing act (9)

I believe the answer is:

ropedance

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'balancing act' is the definition.
The definition suggests a singular noun which matches the answer.

'proceed with an awkward' is the wordplay.
'with' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'awkward' is an anagram indicator.
'proceed'+'an'='proceedan'
'proceedan' anagrammed gives 'ROPEDANCE'.

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I've seen this clue in The Times.

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