Provides photographs of members of the American Ballet Theatre demonstrating positions and includes discussion and photographs of classwork, rehearsal, choreography, and major ballets.
A reckoning with one of our most beloved art forms, whose past and present are shaped by gender, racial, and class inequities—and a look inside the fight for its future Every day, in dance studios all across America, legions of little children line up at the barre to take ballet class. This time in the studio shapes their lives, instilling lessons about gender, power, bodies, and their place in the world both in and outside of dance. In Turning Pointe, journalist Chloe Angyal captures the intense love for ballet that so many dancers feel, while also grappling with its devastating shortcomings: the power imbalance of an art form performed mostly by women, but dominated by men; the impossible standards of beauty and thinness; and the racism that keeps so many people of color out of ballet. As the rigid traditions of ballet grow increasingly out of step with the modern world, a new generation of dancers is confronting these issues head on, in the studio and on stage. For ballet to survive the twenty-first century and forge a path into a more socially just future, this reckoning is essential.
Does the poise, grace, and beauty of a prima ballerina take your breath away? Ever dreamt of landing that perfect pirouette? Covering everything from basic positions to the finesse of a pas de deux, this inspiring book will help your child pursue the elegant dance form of ballet. Perfect your port de bras and learn how to dance adagio and allegro. You will even find out the best way to look after your ballet shoes and ensure your make up is just right for your first night on stage. Using gorgeous photos of ballet dancers and easy-to-follow instructions, one of the world’s finest ballet dancers Darcey Bussell will teach you various poses, jumps, and exercises, as well as advanced moves and pointework. You will also discover folk and character dancing and read about the great choreographers and composers throughout ballet's history. The Ballet Book beautifully illustrates the world of ballet with captivating notes on classical techniques, the evolution of the dance form, the world’s greatest dancers, and a fascinating look on what goes on behind the scene. Budding ballet dancers, this one's for you!
Instant New York Times bestselling series opener inspired by prima ballerina and author Misty Copeland's own early experiences in ballet. From prima ballerina and New York Times bestselling author Misty Copeland comes the story of a young Misty, who discovers her love of dance through the ballet Coppélia--a story about a toymaker who devises a villainous plan to bring a doll to life. Misty is so captivated by the tale and its heroine, Swanilda, she decides to audition for the role. But she's never danced ballet before; in fact, this is the very first day of her very first dance class! Though Misty is excited, she's also nervous. But as she learns from her fellow bunheads, she makes wonderful friends who encourage her to do her very best. Misty's nerves quickly fall away, and with a little teamwork, the bunheads put on a show to remember. Featuring the stunning artwork of newcomer Setor Fiadzigbey, Bunheads is an inspiring tale for anyone looking for the courage to try something new.
Dancers After Dark is an amazing celebration of the human body and the human spirit, as dancers, photographed nude and at night, strike poses of fearless beauty. Without a permit or a plan, Jordan Matter led hundreds of the most exciting dancers in the world out of their comfort zones—not to mention their clothes—to explore the most compelling reaches of beauty and the human form. After all the risk and daring, the result is extraordinary: 300 dancers, 400 locations, more than 150 stunning photographs. And no clothes, no arrests, no regrets. Each image highlights the amazing abilities of these artists—and presents a core message to the reader: Say yes rather than no, and embrace the risks and opportunities that life presents.
A chic and informative guide to the Ballet Beautiful method, featuring dance-inspired exercises, wellness tips, and lifestyle advice that help readers achieve ballerina confidence and self-esteem. After a career with the New York City Ballet, Mary Helen Bowers created Ballet Beautiful, a fitness and lifestyle program inspired by ballet’s artistry and athleticism. Designed to give anyone a ballerina body, Bowers’s targeted exercises tone and lengthen muscles, develop good posture, and teach grace in movement. Since launching in 2008, Bowers and her training have been sought after by celebrities and models (Alexa Chung, Liv Tyler, and Miranda Kerr, to name a few), as well as thousands of women across the globe through their streaming service. This book delves into the Ballet Beautiful universe, showing readers how to attain a ballerina’s lean and powerful physique and graceful poise via exercises, posture lessons, wellness tips, and fashion and beauty advice that can be effortlessly incorporated into everyday routines. The book features original images by the legendary photographers Inez and Vinoodh coupled with technical photographs illustrating the Ballet Beautiful workout and lifestyle. A refreshing antidote to traditional fitness programs and restrictive diets, this book is a stylish and instructional guide to transforming your body and life though ballet.
For centuries before the 1789 revolution, ballet was a source of great cultural pride for France, but by the twentieth century the art form had deteriorated along with France's international standing. It was not until Serge Diaghilev's Ballets Russes found success in Paris during the first decade of the new century that France embraced the opportunity to restore ballet to its former glory and transform it into a hallmark of the nation. In When Ballet Became French, Ilyana Karthas explores the revitalization of ballet and its crucial significance to French culture during a period of momentous transnational cultural exchange and shifting attitudes towards gender and the body. Uniting the disciplines of cultural history, gender and women's studies, aesthetics, and dance history, Karthas examines the ways in which discussions of ballet intersect with French concerns about the nation, modernity, and gender identities, demonstrating how ballet served as an important tool for France's project of national renewal. Relating ballet commentary to themes of transnationalism, nationalism, aesthetics, gender, and body politics, she examines the process by which critics, artists, and intellectuals turned ballet back into a symbol of French culture. The first book to study the correlation between ballet and French nationalism, When Ballet Became French demonstrates how dance can transform a nation's cultural and political history.
This book brings theory from popular music studies to an examination of identity and agency in youth films while building on, and complementing, film studies literature concerned with genre, identity, and representation. McNelis includes case studies of Hollywood and independent US youth films that have had commercial and/or critical success to illustrate how films draw on specific discourses surrounding popular music genres to convey ideas about gender, race, ethnicity, sexuality, and other aspects of identity. He develops the concept of ‘musical agency’, a term he uses to discuss the relationship between film music and character agency, also examining the music characters listen to and discuss, as well as musical performances by the characters themselves
Memoirs of Joy's ballet training, dancing, teaching and choreography career from 1923 to 2005 including her years in Canada and in England as a Royal Academy of Dance Major Examiner.