Leap into the world of a ballet dancer! In this engaging nonfiction book, readers learn about the history of this art form as well as what a ballet dancer does to get ready for a performance. With informational text, vibrant photographs, a sample schedule of ballet dancer's day, a look at ballet positions, and simple, clear text, readers learn about the basics of ballet and that this beautiful art form takes a lot of hard work and dedication.
Finalist, the Arts Club of Washington Marfield Prize A look inside a dancer’s world Inspiring, revealing, and deeply relatable, Being a Ballerina is a firsthand look at the realities of life as a professional ballet dancer. Through episodes from her own career, Gavin Larsen describes the forces that drive a person to study dance; the daily balance that dancers navigate between hardship and joy; and the dancer’s continual quest to discover who they are as a person and as an artist. Starting with her arrival as a young beginner at a class too advanced for her, Larsen tells how the embarrassing mistake ended up helping her learn quickly and advance rapidly. In other stories of her early teachers, training, and auditions, she explains how she gradually came to understand and achieve what she and her body were capable of. Larsen then re-creates scenes from her experiences in dance companies, from unglamorous roles to exhilarating performances. Working as a ballerina was shocking and scary at first, she says, recalling unexpected injuries, leaps of faith, and her constant struggle to operate at the level she wanted—but full of enormously rewarding moments. Larsen also reflects candidly on her difficult decision to retire at age 35. An ideal read for aspiring dancers, Larsen’s memoir will also delight experienced dance professionals and fascinate anyone who wonders what it takes to live a life dedicated to the perfection of the art form.
The Everyday Dancer is a new and honest account of the business of dancing from a writer with first hand experience of the profession. Structured around the daily schedule, The Everyday Dancer goes behind the velvet curtain, the gilt and the glamour to uncover the everyday realities of a career in dance. Starting out with the obligatory daily 'class', the book progresses through the repetition of rehearsals, the excitement of creating new work, the nervous tension of the half hour call, the pressures of performance and the anti-climax of curtain down. Through this vivid portrait of a dancer's every day, Deborah Bull reveals the arc of a dancer's life: from the seven-year-old's very first ballet class, through training, to company life, up through the ranks from corps de ballet to principal and then, not thirty years after it all began, to retirement and the inevitable sense of loss that comes with saying goodbye to your childhood dreams.
Introduces ballet and the training of a dancer, and follows a typical professional dancer from a morning class through rehearsals and preparations for going on stage to an evening performance.
Photographs of a ten-year-old student in George Balanchine's School of American Ballet, supplemented by her descriptions of her feelings and experiences, provide insight to the excitement and hard work involved in auditioning and rehearsing for and playin
Each book in 8142--TIME For Kids Nonfiction Readers: Fluent Kit is available in a set of six.For add-on purchases, each 6-pack includes 6 copies of this title and a lesson plan, packaged in a self-sealing vinyl bag.Word Count: 824TCM (Teacher Created Materials) Level: 3.0Guided Reading Level: MEarly Intervention Level: 21DRA (Developmental Reading Assessment) Level: 30
Daniel Lewis's legacy as a hugely influential choreographer and teacher of modern dance is celebrated in this biography. It showcases the many roles he played in the dance world by organizing his story around various aspects of his work, including his years at the Juilliard School, dancing and touring with the Jose Limon Company, staging Limon's masterpieces around the world, directing his own company (Daniel Lewis Dance Repertory Company), writing and choreographing operas and musicals, and his years as dean of dance at New World School of the Arts. His life has spanned a particular period of growth of modern and contemporary dance, and his biography gives insight into how the artistic and journalistic perspectives on modern dance were influenced by what was occurring in the broader dance and arts communities. The book also offers rarely seen photographs and interviews with unique perspectives on many dance luminaries.
"The memoir of Michaela DePrince, who lived the first few years of her live in war-torn Sierra Leone until being adopted by an American Family. Now seventeen, she is one of the premiere ballerinas in the United States"--
Rebecca Stenn and Fran Kirmser have spent decades supporting and encouraging young dancers. They know that in addition to the immense passion and commitment that a dancer needs, a working knowledge of the financial and practical aspects of a life in dance are equally important. With A Life in Dance,Stenn and Kirmser give you resources to help you book a rehearsal space; obtain a legal representative and a tax preparer; find auditions; apply for grants; acquire health insurance; meet photographers, agents, publicists, and consultants; pay off student loan assistance; and begin financial planning. Stenn and Kirmser have also compiled narratives from some of the industry's most critically acclaimed performers to give you a glimpse into the life of a professional dancer. Brittany Schmid shows you what life is like for a dancer one year out of college. Wendy Osserman shows you what life is like fifty years out. Hamilton dancer Kamille Upshaw gives you tips on auditioning while choreographers from So You Think You Can Dance debate the benefits of live stage performance and television shows. Other stories include nuanced discussions about race in dance, mindful dancing, and the role of social media in the performing arts.
