Ballet Books

Book SynopsisHope in a Ballet Shoe tells the story of Michaela DePrince. Growing up in war-torn Sierra Leone, she witnessed atrocities that no child ever should. Her father was killed by rebels and her mother died of famine. Sent to an orphanage, Michaela was mistreated and saw the brutal murder of her favourite teacher.Then Michaela and her best friend are adopted by an American couple, and Michaela begins to take dance lessons. But life in the States isn''t without difficulties. Unfortunately, tragedy can find its way to Michaela in America, too, and her past can feel like it''s haunting her. The world of ballet is a racist one, and Michaela has to fight for a place amongst the ballet elite, hearing the words ''America''s not ready for a black girl ballerina.''And yet . . . Today, Michaela DePrince is an international ballet star, dancing for The Dutch National Ballet at the age of nineteen. This is a heart-breaking, inspiring autobiography by a teenager who shows us tha

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Book SynopsisMarianela Nuñez is an international ballet superstar. The Argentine-born Principal dancer of the Royal Ballet is lauded for her dazzling classical technique, lustrous artistry and charisma. When Marianela met photographer Maria-Helena Buckley, something clicked: in the snap of a camera and a connection of minds, they embarked on a ballet voyage together. This stunning book is a unique combination of photography and of dance. Buckley’s images capture the unique qualities of ballet that Nuñez so radiantly embodies.

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Book SynopsisTHE BALLET COMPANION is the first complete, illustrated reference book for the dancer. With more than 150 stunning photographs of ballet greats Maria Riccetto and Benjamin Millepied demonstrating perfect execution of positions and steps, THE BALLET COMPANION brims with everything today''s dance student needs including: * Practical advice for getting started, such as finding the right teacher, fitting a pointe shoe, tying a ballet bun * Training safely through a sensible diet, injury prevention, and cross training with yoga and Pilates * Inside information on backstage and studio etiquette and auditioning * Technique secrets from stars of American Ballet Theatre * Glossaries and lavishly illustrated sidebars on ballet history and ''Must See'' ballets Whether a budding ballerina, serious student, or adult returning to ballet, dancers will find a graceful mix of ballet traditions and essential, new information.Trade Review"Everyone involved with or interested in ballet should read this book. Comprehensively researched and packed with valuable information, The Ballet Companion is a treasure-trove for ballet enthusiasts." -- Kirk Peterson, Ballet Master/Choreographer, American Ballet Theatre"This is the very book I would have loved to have discovered when I first started to study ballet." -- Allegra Kent, former Principal Dancer, New York City Ballet and author of Once a Dancer"This is the very book I would have loved to have discovered when I first started to study ballet." -- Allegra Kent, former principal dancer, New York City Ballet and author of Once a Dancer"Unique and comprehensive, this is a wonderful companion and guide for anybody who loves dance." -- Edward Villella, former principal dancer, New York City Ballet and founding artistic director, Miami City Ballet"Eliza Gaynor Minden captures our imagination, taking us into the magical world of ballet." -- David Howard, internationally acclaimed master teacher and coach"A superb reference book -- all the information today's students need but can't get just by taking class. Every dancer's library should have it." -- Angel Corella, principal dancer, American Ballet Theatre"This book is a broad canvas of the history, elements, and components of dance. It is must reading for those who love dance and wish to explore its functions and derivation." -- Melissa Hayden, former principal dancer New York City Ballet, faculty, North Carolina School of the Arts"This comprehensive guide to the world of ballet is a must-have for all dance enthusiasts." -- Gillian Murphy, Principal Dancer, American Ballet Theatre"A smorgasboerd of information about the world of ballet!" -- Alexandra Ansanellli, Principal Dancer, New York City Ballet"This offers a wealth of information as well as being extremely interesting." -- Mignon Furman, director, American Academy of Ballet

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Book SynopsisDiscusses all basic principles of ballet, grouping movement by fundamental types. Diagrams show clearly the exact foot, leg, arm, and body positions for the proper execution of many steps and movements. Offers dancers, teachers, and ballet lovers information often difficult to locate in other books. 118 illustrations.

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Book SynopsisFrom the bestselling author of WATCH OVER ME, Daniela Sacerdoti''s latest Seal Island novel is a romantic, moving and uplifting story of three different lives, connected by a thread.** Over 1 million copies sold of Daniela Sacerdoti''s novels **Three separate lives. Three broken hearts. Haunted by his wife''s death, Matt arrives on Seal Island determined to be alone and unable to escape his grief. In the island''s hospital, a young woman named Rose lies in a coma, trapped by the memories of events leading up to her accident. Grace, the island''s doctor, is at the heart of the community. Only she knows how much she regrets turning down the chance of love and a family years ago. For these three people hope seems gone. But life is about to offer an unexpected new beginning... Readers adore the captivating novels of Daniela Sacerdoti ''A love story that will satisfy even the most hoTrade ReviewHeartwarming and mysterious with great atmosphere * Katie Fforde on Keep Me Safe *Beautifully written and atmospheric * The Sun on Keep Me Safe *Beautifully written, and the descriptions of Seal were so realistic I could almost hear the sea and the wind. A great book * Lesley Pearse on Keep Me Safe *It made me think and I couldn't put it down * Daily Mail on Keep Me Safe *I fell in love with this book * Prima on Keep Me Safe *

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Book SynopsisStyle meets movement: a new photography book featuring more than eighty of today''s most famous dancers, captured in movement and styled in garments designed by some of fashion''s biggest names.From renowned photographers Ken Browar and Deborah Ory, the husband-and-wife team behind NYC Dance Project and the best-selling photography book The Art of Movement, comes their follow-up book for fans of dance, fashion, and photography. Spotlighting today''s greatest dancers--from ballet to modern--in clothing by today''s and yesterday''s most celebrated designers, this stunning volume takes the relationship between style, fashion, and dance as its subject. The dancers bring the pages to life with their grace and movement, becoming one with what they''re wearing. Whether in couture gowns from Dior, Valentino, Oscar de la Renta, vintage Halston, Moschino, and Bill Blass, or in costumes designed by Martha Graham herself, the world-renowned dancers featured in these pages--inTrade Review"Bringing together fashion and dance, The Style of Movement is the latest book by Ken Browar and Deborah Ory of NYC Dance Project. The husband-and-wife team has photographed some of today’s top modern and ballet dancers in the United States, pairing them with incredible costumes that are brought to life through their movement. The ebb and flow of each piece of clothing is on full display with every flick of the wrist or jeté, and the duo expertly captures it all through their lens."—MY MODERN MET

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Book SynopsisCLASSES IN CLASSICAL BALLET

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Book Synopsis

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Book SynopsisThe essential, easy-to-use classical ballet guide - spanning nearly two centuries of classical dance - with entries for more than eighty works from ballet companies around the world, from Giselle and Swan Lake to Cinderella and Steptext. This new edition has been revised to include new ballets by Wayne McGregor, Alexei Ratmansky and Christopher Wheeldon alongside classics by Tchaikovsky, Diaghilev and Balanchine.Features include:- plot summaries- an analysis of each ballet''s principal themes- useful background and historical information- a unique, behind-the-scenes, performer''s-eye viewDip in at random or trace the development of dance from cover to cover. Written by former Royal Ballet principal Deborah Bull and leading dance critic Luke Jennings, this ever popular Faber Pocket guide is a must for all ballet-goers - regulars and first-timers alike.

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Book SynopsisA 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 Trade Review"The book includes exercises, posture lessons, and wellness tips, accompanied by 150 photographs."—Publishers Weekly "This week, the artist and teacher releases Ballet for Life (Rizzoli), a gorgeous monograph shot by Inez & Vinoodh displaying each component of Ballet Beautiful, from workout techniques to fashion, beauty and wellness"—CR Fashion Book

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Book SynopsisBrilliantly curated and beautifully illustrated, the Welcome to the Arts series offers all-hours admission to some of the world's most wondrous performances.From Swan Lake to Riverdance, flamenco to tap, Dance features some of the most iconic performances and popular dances from around the world. Learn about the history, culture, evolution and technique of each dance, while also discovering the stars of past and present, including Fred Astaire, Carlos Acosta, Martha Graham and much more. Exclusive backstage access also allows you to see what goes on behind the theatre doors, including prop and costume design.Expertly written by Sir Alistair Spalding and published in conjunction with Sadler's Wells, this beautifully illustrated book is also a large format, so the whole family can be immersed in the wonderful world of dance.The perfect gift for any Strictly fan, musical lover or budding dancer.Trade ReviewPut on your dancing shoes and waltz, shimmy and tap your way through a spectacular reading journey in the pages of one of this year's most dazzling books....A book for all the family to treasure! * Lancashire Evening Post *A beautiful read. * Woman's Weekly *A showstopper that practically demands applause. -- Lucy Bannerman * The Times *An oversized thrilling introduction to all forms of dance [...] it's a superb gift for dance lovers aged eight-plus. -- Imogen Russell-Williams * Metro *

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Book SynopsisWritten with the full backing and expertise of the renowned Royal Academy of Dancing and following the international ballet examination syllabus, this is an updated edition of the bestselling Ballet Class.

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Book SynopsisThe essential, easy-to-use classical ballet guide - spanning nearly two centuries of classical dance - with entries for more than eighty works from ballet companies around the world, from Giselle and Swan Lake to Cinderella and Steptext. This new edition has been revised to include new ballets by Wayne McGregor, Alexei Ratmansky and Christopher Wheeldon alongside classics by Tchaikovsky, Diaghilev and Balanchine.Features include:- plot summaries- an analysis of each ballet's principal themes- useful background and historical information- a unique, behind-the-scenes, performer's-eye viewDip in at random or trace the development of dance from cover to cover. Written by former Royal Ballet principal Deborah Bull and leading dance critic Luke Jennings, this ever popular Faber Pocket guide is a must for all ballet-goers - regulars and first-timers alike.

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Book SynopsisIn his intimate memoir, legendary ballet dancer and entertainer Wayne Sleep looks back on the extraordinary times he''s lived through. Wayne Sleep has danced with ballet legends Rudolf Nureyev and Margot Fonteyn, partied with Freddie Mercury and performed with Princess Diana, becoming her close friend. Behind the glitz and glamour, Wayne has always felt like an outsider. Sleep reveals the difficulties for a working-class, gay man in handling the prejudices of his generation and living through the Aids epidemic. Wayne was also the shortest principal dancer in the Royal Ballet - he had to spin twice as fast and jump twice as high to succeed. In this moving - but also laugh-out-loud and gossip filled - memoir, Wayne Sleep shows how he danced his way to success, fulfilment and love, and how he overcame obstacles and prejudice along the way.

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Book SynopsisFollowing an unorthodox first meeting in London in 1964, Patricia Boccadoro got to know Rudolf Nureyev on a personal basis after she moved to live in Paris in the 1970s. In this amusing, informative book, she recounts how exciting it was to see him dance in those heady London years, during his legendary partnership with Margot Fonteyn, before giving a lucid account of his directorship of the Paris Opera Ballet, making it into one of the finest companies in the world. The book culminates with his legacy, demonstrating how, with his extreme intelligence, glamour and passion, he changed the image of the male dancer, making them the equal of the ballerina. Above all, the lively reminiscences of those closest to him, along with a selection of photographs, many rarely seen or unpublished, bring Rudolf to life, casting off the image of a temperamental superstar, and painting a true picture of the immensely kind, fun-loving man behind one of the greatest artists of the twentieth century.

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewThe Art of Ballet Accompaniment is a no-nonsense, well-written must-read for dance teachers and musicians alike. Dance teachers, accompanists, and dancers will benefit from adopting Gerald Lishka's easy-to-follow suggestions to hone their craft. -- Patrick Corbin, MFA, Associate Professor of Practice, USC–Glorya Kaufman School of Dance; Artistic Director, CorbinDances; Former Dancer, Joffrey Ballet, The Paul Taylor Dance CompanyTable of ContentsForeword by Kyra NicholsPrefaceIntroduction: How I View the Art of Ballet Accompaniment1. The Ballet Class2. Advice and Guidance3. Barre and Center Combinations4. Suggested Piano Repertory for Barre and Center Work5. Preparing and Arranging Piano Repertory for Ballet Class6. Adapting Piano Repertory with Complex Phrasing Challenges: Four Advanced Lessons7. Improvisation8. Ballet-Related Accompanying Outside the Ballet ClassIndex of Steps

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Book Synopsis'Swan Dive is to ballet what Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential was to restaurants, a chance to go behind the serene front of house to the sweaty, foul-mouthed, psychofrenzy backstage.' – Daisy Goodwin, Sunday TimesIn this love letter to the art of dance, Georgina Pazcoguin, New York City Ballet’s first Asian American female soloist, lays bare the backstage world of elite ballet.With an unapologetic sense of humour about the cut-throat mentality required, Pazcoguin takes us from her small home town in Pennsylvania to training for one of the most revered ballet companies in the world – a company that was rocked by scandal in the wake of the #MeToo movement. Pazcoguin continues to be one of the few dancers openly speaking up against harassment, abuse and racism – all of which she has painfully experienced firsthand.Tying together Pazcoguin’s fight for equality with an infectious passion for her craft, Swan Dive is a page-turning, one-of-a-kind memoir that guarantees you’ll never view a ballerina or a ballet the same way again.'Always arresting onstage, Georgina Pazcoguin gives us a take on the ballet world that is witty and from the heart. An eye-opening read.' – Mikhail Baryshnikov'A funny, poignant and shocking read . . . [Pazcoguin] punctures, with enormous glee, the stereotype of the ballet dancer as an elegant, ethereal being.' – Fiona Sturges, GuardianTrade ReviewSwan Dive is to ballet what Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential was to restaurants, a chance to go behind the serene front of house to the sweaty, foul-mouthed, psychofrenzy backstage. -- Daisy Goodwin * Sunday Times *Swan Dive is a sharp plunge into the reality of ballet in all its perfectionist genius and rigour, and all its abuses and sadism. What makes Pazcoguin’s message so haunting is that exploitation and violation are seen as the price that female dancers have to pay to perform some of the greatest dances known to humanity. -- Bidisha * Observer *Her resilience is written on every page, often in capitals, with wit and rage displayed in equal measure. -- Sarah Crompton * Sunday Times Books of the Year *A funny, poignant and shocking read . . . [Pazcoguin] punctures, with enormous glee, the stereotype of the ballet dancer as an elegant, ethereal being. -- Fiona Sturges * Guardian *Explosive . . . This is far from misery memoir. There’s a passionate joy in the dancing itself, and the lively pages are filled with colloquialisms -- Marianka Swain * Daily Telegraph *A blisteringly honest tale of overcoming hurdles — racism, misogyny, sexual harassment and psychological abuse — to reach the top of a fiendishly cut-throat industry. -- Laura Pullman * Sunday Times *A gritty, shocking yet also humorous account of the demands of life as an elite dancer from the first Asian American female soloist at the New York City Ballet. * i News *Ballet fans should definitely get their hands on Swan Dive by Georgina Pazcoguin which is a truthful, funny, shocking and scandalous exploration of elite ballet. * Stylist *Pazcoguin's highly readable account of a life in the most painful profession . . . a power pack of inspiration. * Strong Words *A page-turner * New York Times *Witty, sobering, hell-raising . . . Pazcoguin exposes more turmoil at New York City Ballet than any fictional melodrama could hope to match. * Washington Post *While the juicy details of beautiful people behaving badly are beguiling, it’s Pazcoguin’s unsparing criticism of the industry that begs an encore. This is potent stuff * Publishers Weekly *Always arresting onstage, Georgina Pazcoguin gives us a take on the ballet world that is witty and from the heart. An eye-opening read. -- Mikhail BaryshnikovRevelatory . . . Sure to ruffle some tutus * New York Post *Come for the unfiltered peek behind the curtain, stay for the accessible, often hilarious writing * Dance Magazine *Pazcoguin writes with astounding passion about her achievements, and her prose is enchanting as she describes finally being comfortable in her own skin. Vulnerable, raw, and full of grit, this is the story of a woman who has been broken yet clawed her way to victory . . . A personal tale of darkness, passion, and euphoric triumph * Library Journal *In her brisk, spirited debut memoir, [Pazcoguin] recounts her experiences in the competitive, hierarchal ballet world . . . A lively chronicle of dedication and joy. * Kirkus Reviews *Aggressively entertaining. . . [Swan Dive] is equal parts autobiography, insider intel, and righteous indignation * Shelf Awareness *A thoroughly captivating read. Determination and passion are the cornerstones of Georgina’s magic onstage and off, and her humor and wit make this peek behind the curtain like no other dance memoir. Her courage in the face of adversity is to be admired -- Chita RiveraGeorgina has led quite the journey to become the woman she is today. She exemplifies a natural, nostalgic showgirl attitude combined with the sensitivity and precision of a life in ballet. -- Zac PosenThis is a fearless book written with a courageous, blazing spirit. Georgina’s story compels you to look at yours as fiercely as she examines hers. -- Jose Antonio Vargas, founder of Define American and author of Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented CitizenYou will find Swan Dive to be a wild ride dancing between risk and balance, legacy and possibility. -- Andy Blankenbuehler, award-winning choreographer of In the Heights and Hamilton

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Book SynopsisBallet is a breathtaking photographic collection, celebrating the precision, athleticism and artistry of classical and contemporary ballet. Live performances allow us to admire ballet's visual splendour from afar, but rarely are we given the opportunity to study dynamic poses, leaps and lifts in intimate, close-up detail. An inspirational companion for dance aficionados, performing arts enthusiasts and keen photographers, Ballet captures awe-inspiring moments performed by the art form's most remarkable talents. Leo Mason's arresting images provide a unique glimpse into the world of ballet and its superstars, featuring a cast of former and current principal dancers including Carlos Acosta, Tamara Rojo, Vadim Muntagirov, Daria Klimentova and Ivan Vasiliev. With over 40 years' experience as a sports and dance photographer, Leo recreates the beauty and seemingly effortless nature of the discipline - made even more remarkable by the gruelling training required to achieve perfection - and often uses exposure creatively to capture movement and compose striking images. Each photograph is accompanied by a detailed caption, providing information on the performers, work, location and date, along with technical specifications regarding camera equipment, exposure and aperture. Includes images of: Carlos Acosta, Tamara Rojo, Vadim Muntagirov, Daria Klimentova and Ivan Vasiliev at the Royal Opera House, Sadler's Wells and the London Coliseum.

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Book SynopsisThis autobiography by Leanne Benjamin with Sarah Crompton reveals the extraordinary life and career of one of the worlds most important ballet dancers of the past fifty years. The book takes you behind the scenes to find a real understanding of the pleasure and the pain, the demands and the intense commitment it requires to become a ballet dancer. It is a book for ballet-lovers which will explain from Benjamins personal point of view, how ballet has changed and is changing. It is a book of history: she was first taught by the people who created ballet in its modern form and now she works with the dancers of today, handing on all she has known and learnt. But it is also a book for people who are just interested in the psychology of achievement, how you go from being a child in small-town Rockhampton in the centre of Australia to being a power on the worlds biggest stages -- and how an individual copes with the ups and downs of that kind of career. It is a story full of big names and big personalities -- Margot Fonteyn, Kenneth MacMillan, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Darcey Bussell, Carlos Acosta to name a few. President Clinton, Michelle Obama, Diana Princess of Wales and David Beckham all make an appearance. But it is also a book of small moments of insight: what makes a performance special, how you recover from injury, illness and childbirth; how you combine athletic and artistic prowess with motherhood, how a different partner can alter everything, what it is like to fall over in front of thousands of people and what it is like to triumph. Above all, it seeks to explain, in warm and human terms, why women get the reputation for being difficult in a world where being a good girl is too much prized. And what they can do about it.Trade Review"Leannes extraordinary journey really comes to life in this refreshingly honest account of her career in dance. She was not only a brilliant Principal with The Royal Ballet but has made a significant impact on the artform through her coaching of the next generation of performers. With her consummate artistry, tenacity, warmth and wit, she truly is built for ballet!" Kevin OHare, Director, The Royal Ballet

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Book SynopsisA guide to ballroom dancing. It includes all the main ballroom dances, along with versions of most dances approved for championships. There are diagrams showing every step from both the male and female perspective. This tenth edition is revised and updated.

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Book SynopsisProminent components of Louis XIV's propaganda, the arts of spectacle also became sources of a potent resistance to the monarchy in late seventeenth-century France. The author tells the story of how the festive arts deployed an intricate network of subversive satire to undermine the rhetoric of sovereign authority.Trade Review"One of the great strengths of Cowart's book is precisely its chronological scope.... Cowart's reach, combined with her considerable erudition and meticulous scholarship, allows her to make some very suggestive parallels between works that might otherwise have passed unnoticed." (Times Literary Supplement)"

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Book Synopsis***THE TIMES TOP TEN BESTSELLER***'A dazzling psychological thriller' - Sunday Times'Deliciously sinister and obsessive ... with one hell of a twist' - Observer'Twist follows twist, like The Red Shoes rewritten by Patricia Highsmith' - Mail onSunday'It seems so effortless .. it's brilliant and you really do not guess what's coming' - VirginRadio, Graham Norton'Expect deceit, duplicity and one hell of a twist!' - RED'Kelly's best yet ... Genius twists and turns' - Good Housekeeping'Erin Kelly is at the top of her game. A seriously clever, and humane, novel' - SARAH VAUGHANI WATCHED HER RISEAva has devoted her life to being the best at what she does. Now sheTrade ReviewWatch Her Fall is a triumph of storytelling, full of swooping passion and explosive twists that will take your breath away. I was entranced from the first page, losing my heart to the characters and swept up in their stories which were seamlessly intertwined in the way only a writer at the height of her powers can achieve. An absolute joy of a book * Sarah Hilary *In what I believe is her best book to date, Erin Kelly leaps into the dark and enchanting world of Russian ballet with a dancer's precision. The mesmeric tale of Ava Kirilova unfolds like the darkest and most delicious fairytale. I read it in two sittings and found myself enraptured, transported, spun around and left dizzy by the final page * Charlotte Philby, bestselling author of Part of the Family and A Double Life *An immersive, addictive thriller set in the high-stakes world of ballet, with a jolting twist you absolutely won't see coming * Claire McGowan, author of The Other Wife *Just finished Watch Her Fall - an elegant thriller set around the secretive world of elite Russian ballet. Powerful, ingenious and EXCITING. Loved peeking behind the curtain and learning about Swan Lake. Memorable characters and gasp-out-loud twists. SUPERB! * Will Dean *Kelly's characters could walk into a room and take a seat next to you and you'd know who they were, and her plots are the smartest in the industry, but with this one she somehow captured the intense, constrained, sinister world of ballet. I absolutely loved it * Gillian McAllister, author of Sunday Times bestseller How to Disappear *A captivating hall of mirrors of a novel, where nothing and no one is as they seem * Paula Hawkins, bestselling author of The Girl on the Train *I would read a shopping list from Erin Kelly, if it were set in the same rarified, cut-throat world in which she has set her latest novel. Watch Her Fall is not only a cleverly plotted, beautifully written thriller; it is also a mesmerising glimpse behind the curtain into a world few of us will ever see * Clare Mackintosh *Think Black Swan meets Killing Eve, with the most brilliant twist * Grazia Online *Superbly dark, gloriously twisted and utterly seductive - this is Erin Kelly at her mind-bending best * Ruth Ware *Kelly's pirouetting plot is up there with her best * Daily Express *Erin Kelly plunges readers into the highly competitive world of ballet in Watch Her Fall * Sunday Express S Magazine *Thriller queen Kelly is back with a new novel about a dancer at the London Ballet Company . . . Think Black Swan but in book form * Cosmopolitan *Bestselling crime novelist Kelly returns with a dark tale of obsession and ambition set in a prestigious ballet company and based around the story of Swan Lake * ipaper *Immerse yourself in the claustrophobic, competitive world of ballet. Beautifully dark and complex. So good! * Jane Fallon *The new addictive thriller of 2021 . . . Gripping with a devilish twist * Alice O’Keeffe *This was a wild ride! Erin Kelly's new book Watch Her Fall is a thrilling high-wire of twists and switchbacks! Brilliant * Marian Keyes *Watch Her Fall is a terrifically absorbing novel, rich in atmosphere, style and surprises - Erin Kelly once again leads her readers on a dark and merry dance, and they'll love her for it * Sarah Perry *Glitters with dark brilliance and portrays the complex, painful world of ballet with great authenticity. I loved it! * Kate Rhodes *This thriller is being described as Killing Eve meets Black Swan - how amazing does that sound? Set in the world of ballet, it's about two rival dancers and the lengths they go to to get to the top * Good Housekeeping ‘Books to Watch in 2021’ *Watch Her Fall is an absolute masterclass in misdirection, the kind of book that you finish and then turn straight back to the beginning to see how on earth she did it . . . A central twist so ingenious that this reader gasped out loud . . . The pressured, high-stakes world of professional ballet is brilliantly evoked . . . The brilliant Watch Her Fall will take some beating * Alice O'Keeffe, The Bookseller *Watch Her Fall dances with artistic passion and intrigue, beauty and pain; the plot pirouettes in ways that leave you breathless. More than an exciting read - it is a dazzling performance. Brava, Erin Kelly! * Rachel Edwards *Twisty and brilliant and completely absorbing - not only a masterclass of a thriller but also sneakily profound about identity, ambition and greed * Bridget Collins *Watch Her Fall is Erin Kelly's most ambitious and captivating book to date, an absolutely enthralling look at the dark underbelly of the ballet world, built into a shifting narrative of time and place that was so thrilling and unexpected that it made my head spin * Lisa Jewell *It's awfully gripping and beautifully written * Marian Keyes for OK! Magazine *set in the cut-throat world of ballet - the perfect backdrop for a twisty thriller that's sure to leave you breathless * Woman & Home *With its compelling arena, this dark thriller executes a fouetté turn half way through that will leave you breathless * Heat *This multi-layered, deftly written thriller set in the cut-throat world of ballet has all the ingredients of a must-read . . . Expect deceit and duplicity and one hell of a twist! * Red *With major Black Swan vibes, this thriller is one of the best books we've read this year * Claire Frost for Sun on Sunday Fabulous *Full of intrigue and secrets, this is set in the dazzling and claustrophobic ballet world * Nina Pottell for Prima *Kelly offers a nuanced account of the lengths to which dancers will go - or are driven to - when ambition is transmuted into obsession . . . Ava is a fascinating blend of control, power, and precision in the public sphere, but who is privately plagued by neuroses . . . A noir pas-de-deux that overflows with femmes fetales, but one written with a compassionate understanding of the intolerable pressures ballerinas must learn to live with * Irish Times *I was utterly immersed in this rarefied but cut-throat world. From the first page I was wrapped up in Ava's swooping, all-consuming passion and totally gripped by the explosive twists which held me to the very last page * Adele Parks for Platinum *A clever and brilliant thriller * Bella *Kelly's best yet . . . Genius twists and turns * Good Housekeeping *A dark, brilliant read with the most amazing twist * Closer *Twist follows twist, like The Red Shoes rewritten by Patricia Highsmith * Mail On Sunday *It seems so effortless . . . it's brilliant and you really do not guess what's coming * Virgin Radio Graham Norton *This dark and enticing thriller transports you on a journey filled with ingenious twists and turns at every corner. Just when you think you know what's happening, you realise everything is perhaps not quite as it seems, and you really won't predict what's coming. Packed with secrets, lies and mistaken identities, Watch Her Fall is a real crowd-pleaser that keeps you on your toes * Peterborough Evening Telegraph *The dark side of Swan Lake has inspired many books and films but this one will probably rate as one of the most original . . . Kelly's depiction of this claustrophobic and ambitious world is brutally convincing and her silky prose makes this an easy read. You don't have to be a dance expert to enjoy it * Daily Mail *The author is known for her twisty, turny tales and this one showcases her great storytelling brilliantly * The Sun *Set in a world of ambition and rivalry where someone is watching from the wings, the most shocking twists and secrets are revealed * Crime Monthly *Kelly's shapeshifting novel is by turns a social comedy, heist caper and whodunnit while remaining a dazzling psychological thriller * The Times *This is a twisty, emotional, intriguing account of minds and bodies under supreme stress * Literary Review *Watch Her Fall is Kelly's most ambitious novel yet, with one of her trademark clever, twisty plots, rendered twistier than ever * Sunday Independent (Ireland) *A new psychological thriller by Erin Kelly is always cause for celebration. And thankfully her trademarks - murky domestic setups, morally ambiguous protagonists on the verge of cracking, and a strong sense of place - are all present and correct in Watch Her Fall * Buzz Magazine *Kelly paints a picture of a claustrophobic, rarefied, piercingly lonely world . . . Deliciously sinister and obsessive . . . with one hell of a twist -- Review by Alison Flood as one of her Thrillers of the Month * Observer *Cleverly constructed . . . a curtain call and bouquets all round -- James Owen * The Times *A whipsmart novel set in the world of top-flight ballet . . . The plot twists are abundant, the prose eloquent and vivid, but it's the relationship between Juliet and Max that gives the novel its beating heart. Your hope that the pair can find some form of happiness will keep you glued to this classy thriller -- Charlotte Heathcote * Daily Express *Psychological crime is the speciality of British writer Erin Kelly, and Watch Her Fall is a prime example of her work . . . this is bravura fare, with the ballet company depicted as a toxic world akin to that in the 2010 film Black Swan * Financial Times *Another chilling read from best-selling writer Erin Kelly * Hello! *Impressive and beguiling psychological thriller * The Big Issue *Told from several viewpoints in acts and interludes, the plot cleverly mirrors the story of the ballet. With some surprising twists and unexpected turns, it's a good psychological thriller * Choice Magazine *Erin Kelly brings the claustrophobic atmosphere of a ballet company brilliantly to life in a well-paced thriller with a killer twist * Irish Independent *A stunner of a twist that's so unexpected that it will change the whole way you view the plot and its damaged characters . . . With suspense and intensity, Kelly explores the dark internal battles that ballerinas go through behind the curtain, but don't be fooled into thinking this is your typical Black Swan copycat rivalry-thriller. Watch Her Fall has hidden layers and a surprising emotional depth too . . . It is without doubt Erin Kelly's best novel yet * CultureFly *Addictive . . . switches skilfully between perspectives, and there's a clever twist that'll make you gasp * Cosmopolitan *A shout from the rooftops type of book, and this is so special, I may be there for some time! * LoveReading *A brilliant character study as a young woman's ambition gradually transforms into a lethal obsession * Irish Times, Books of the Year *A twisty psychological thriller set at a ballet company; shades of Black Swan * Irish Examiner, picked by Louise O'Neill as one of her Books of the Year *

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Book SynopsisMargot Fonteyn - born plain Peggy Hookham - was dreamed into existence by the architects of British ballet: Ninette de Valois, Frederick Ashton and Constant Lambert. Carried to fame on a wave of wartime patriotism, Margot''s sense of duty rather than ambition propelled her forward. Yet her gifts were such that her pre-eminence would come to eclipse the careers of subsequent generations.Ballet is a fairytale world; if Margot, like the pure and poetic heroine of Swan Lake, was a natural Odette, she would also have to contend with virtue''s raw shadow-side in the guise of Constant Lambert, Roberto Arias and Rudolph Nureyev - the men who, like Von Rothbart, were to take possession of her heart.

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Book SynopsisRaised in a desperately poor village during the height of China''s Cultural Revolution, Li Cunxin''s childhood revolved around the commune, his family and Chairman Mao''s Little Red Book. Until, that is, Madame Mao''s cultural delegates came in search of young peasants to study ballet at the academy in Beijing and he was thrust into a completely unfamiliar world. When a trip to Texas as part of a rare cultural exchange opened his eyes to life and love beyond China''s borders, he defected to the United States in an extraordinary and dramatic tale of Cold War intrigue. Told in his own distinctive voice, this is Li''s inspirational story of how he came to be Mao''s last dancer, and one of the world''s greatest ballet dancers.Trade Review'An inspiring true story of courage and determination' - Adeline Yen Mah, author of 'Falling Leaves' 'His vivid descriptions of life at home, surviving on family love and dried yams, and of the harsh regime, make riveting reading' Guardian 'Mao's Last Dancer is a modern fairy-tale. Li Cunxin's story is a breathtaking indictment of brute Communism, told with great honesty' - Kate Adie 'Appalling, brave and funny ... you cannot do better than to read this book' Mail on Sunday

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Book SynopsisOne of the most important ballet choreographers of all time, Marius Petipa (1818 - 1910) created works that are now mainstays of the ballet repertoire. Every day, in cities around the world, performances of Swan Lake and The Sleeping Beauty draw large audiences to theatres and inspire new generations of dancers, as does The Nutcracker during the winter holidays. These are his best-known works, but others - Don Quixote, La Bayadère - have also become popular, even canonical components of the classical repertoire, and together they have shaped the defining style of twentieth-century ballet. The first biography in English of this monumental figure of ballet history, Marius Petipa: The Emperor''s Ballet Master covers the choreographer''s life and work in full within the context of remarkable historical and political surroundings. Over the course of ten well-researched chapters, Nadine Meisner explores Marius Petipa''s life and legacy: the artist''s arrival in Russia from his native France, the socio-political tensions and revolution he experienced, his popularity on the Russian imperial stage, his collaborations with other choreographers and composers (most famously Tchaikovsky), and the conditions under which he worked, in close proximity to the imperial court. Meisner presents a thrilling and exhaustive narrative not only of Petipa''s life but of the cultural development of ballet across the 19th and early 20th centuries. The book also extends beyond Petipa''s narrative with insightful analyses of the evolution of ballet technique, theatre genres, and the rise of male dancers. Richly illustrated with archival photographs, this book unearths original material from Petipa''s 63 years in Russia, much of it never published in English before. As Meisner demonstrates, the choreographer laid the foundations for Soviet ballet and for Diaghilev''s Ballets Russes, the expatriate company which exercised such an enormous influence on ballet in the West, including the Royal Ballet and Balanchine''s New York City Ballet. After Petipa, Western ballet would never be the same.Trade ReviewNo other scholar investigating Petipa has managed to uncover and access so many sources, from letters to photographs, from newspaper cuttings to sketches, from political analyses to ballet reviews. The result is a most impressive collage of a vast array of various kinds of documents. [...] This is a ground-breaking study with a new perspective on Marius Petipa and ballet in Russia. * Marion Kant, Journal of European Studies *Nadine Meisner's new book [...] comes as a landmark in Petipa scholarship and dance history in general. Painstakingly researched, with equal attention paid to Russian and Western sources (a rare occurrence), it calmly and heroically unearths Petipa in life and work. [...] Nadine Meisner's biography of Petipa makes his life and work brighter, richer, and messier than we have ever known it. * Daria Khitrova, Ballet Review *A wonderful, comprehensive biography ... Meisner has meticulously researched the facts of Petipa's life and presents a full portrait of the man born in Marseilles in 1818, investigating his talent and his temperament. It's immensely readable, with tantalising archive photographs and an exhaustive and invaluable chronology of all Petipa's Russian works. * Debra Craine, The Times *A valuable new book ... Ms. Meisner's book, the first full-length Petipa biography in English, is by far the most detailed and complete survey of his life and work to date. * Alistair Macauley, New York Times *... engaging, well-researched, and strong on context ... Ms Meisner's biography is impressively detailed ... weaves a rich portrait of Petipa, his circumstances, his times. * John Check, Wall Street Journal *... a magisterially epic study of the man who gave the world La Bayadère, The Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake ... Meisner weaves this biographical material into a much broader picture of ballet under the tsars; she is excellent on the contrasting skills and styles of the ballerinas with whom Petipa worked, and who forged his style just as much as any ethereal notions of dance did. * Sarah Crampton, The Sunday Times *Nadine Meisner's meticulously researched and exhaustively detailed study will surely establish itself as the standard authority on the subject in English. The absence of any scorching drama or scandal in Petipa's life means that it doesn't make electrifying reading, but its poise and scholarship impress, particularly in its command of the broader cultural context. * Rupert Christiansen, The Spectator *A rich addition to scholarship on Russian ballet. Meisner fills in long-standing gaps in the literature by focusing on the life and works of one of the most significant, yet understudied, names in ballet history, and she does so in a style that is enjoyable as well as informative. * Megan Race, LA Review of Books *Through her exhaustive work, which includes a comprehensive list of the works he created in Russia and a Petipa genealogy, Meisner presents the story of a key figure in the development of Western ballet... an important addition to any performing arts collection. Students of Russian culture and history, and devotees of dance, alike will appreciate its scope and scholarship. * Carolyn Mulac, BookList *... at last someone has collected the factsthe successes, the flops, everybody's patronymicand put them down in graceful English prose ... the book is admirable. * Joan Acocella, New York Review of Books *There is finally a proper biography of Marius Petipa... * Carolina Miranda, LA Times *... it's a great thing that finally a full-scale biography of Petipa has arrived, the first to appear in English, published by Oxford University Press in solid, beautifully written text by the British journalist-scholar Nadine Meisner ... She has written an affectionate, thoughtful life ... This is a book I will return to again and again. * Paul Parish, Bay Area Reporter *Fabulous for balletomanes... This is a fascinating examination of one of the major figures in dance history and an invaluable resource showing how ballet today continues a link from the Imperial Russian past to now. * Lynne Lancaster, Sydney Arts Guide *This is however an important addition to the library for anyone with a series interest in classical ballet. * Dance International Magazine *As a research tool Meisner's biography is invaluable as it includes detailed information concerning Petipa's ballets with notations and the artists who performed in them... This is a valuable biography of one of the most important artists in the ballet world and also how Petipas influence is very much alive on the ballet stages of the world today. * Mark Kappel, Newsnotes Dance Blog *Nadine Meisner's meticulously researched biography is the first coherent, full length, account of his life... This is an important book on many levels: drawing on an impressive array of primary and secondary research materials, it fills a narrative gap in ballet history... * Maggie Watson, Oxford Dance Writers *The depth of research is impressive ... a valuable pulling together of research into one volume ... it is a good read. * Charlotte Kanser, SeeingDance.com *Meisner's writing is elegant, never obtusely theoretical ... The book is rigorous, deep, and full of detail. I'm ready to re-read it. * Lynn Brooks, thinkingdance.net *In Marius Petipa: The Emperor's Ballet Master, the first biography in English of the preeminent architect of Russian ballet classicism, Nadine Meisner offers a vivid portrait of the French-born itinerant dancer who choreographed dozens of ballets during sixty years of service to Russia's tsars. In this deeply researched book we meet the workaholic who labored over the grand ensembles and cascades of solo dances that became defining features of ballets such as The Sleeping Beauty and raymonda; the lover and man of passion who was also a devoted father, and the company director who learned to navigate a world of courtiers, bureaucrats, and protectors' to create with his dancers a world of beauty in movement. * Lynn Garafola, author of Diaghilev's Ballets Russes and Professor Emerita of Dance, Barnard College *Marius Petipa, the architect of classical ballet as we know it today, finds a splendid biographer in Nadine Meisners The Emperors Ballet Master. This compulsively readable book gives us not only Petipas melodramatic life, from his youthful wanderings through his artistic flowering in Russia, but the very flavor of the worlds he passed through and settled in all narrated in supremely graceful and lively prose. Absolutely essential reading for cultural history devotees. * Elizabeth Kendall, author of Balanchine and the Lost Muse *Nadine Meisner tells the gripping story of Marius Petipas remarkable career at the Imperial Theatres with great flair. Her scrupulous research reveals the French choreographers seminal role in laying a foundation without which the dance revolution wrought by Diaghilevs Ballets Russes in the twentieth century would scarcely have been possible. * Rosamund Bartlett, author of Wagner and Russia *This book is an illuminating addition to dance histories. * Kate Mattingly, Journal Of Dance Education *Table of ContentsOverture 1. Prologue 2. The Travelling Dancer 3. Russian Debut 4. Looking Back, Moving Forward 5. Ballet Wars, Real and Imagined 6. Questions of Style and Structure 7. At Home and at Work 8. The Vsevolozhsky Reforms 9. Big Music, Big Dance 10. Enter Vladimir Teliakovsky Apotheosis Appendices The Chain of Command The Petipa Family List of Works Libraries and Archives Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisPresenting for the first time Akim Volynsky''s (1861-1926) pre-balletic writings on Leonardo da Vinci, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Otto Weininger, and on such illustrious personalities as Zinaida Gippius, Ida Rubinstein, and Lou Andreas-Salome, And Then Came Dance provides new insight into the origins of Volynsky''s life-altering journey to become Russia''s foremost ballet critic. A man for whom the realm of art was largely female in form and whose all-encompassing image of woman constituted the crux of his aesthetic contemplation that crossed over into the personal and libidinal, Volynsky looks ahead to another Petersburg-bred high priest of classical dance, George Balanchine. With an undeniable proclivity toward ballet''s female component, Volynsky''s dance writings, illuminated by examples of his earlier gendered criticism, invite speculation on how truly ground-breaking and forward-looking this critic is.Trade ReviewRecommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty; professionals. * L. K. Rosenberg, CHOICE *Akim Volynsky, an idealist's idealist, abandoned philosophy for literature, then literature for Russian classical ballet. He wrote obsessively and compellingly about the female dancer as martyr, oracle, and cipher of an art he hoped might change the world. Rabinowitz has produced a mesmerizing, provocative collection of his writings, beautifully translated. * Simon Morrison, Princeton University *Praise for Ballet's Magic Kingdom: Selected Writings on Dance in Russia, 1911-1925 (2011): This is a fantastic book ... The book is a must for anyone claiming a love of ballet ... [Volynsky's text] is always hugely entertaining and surprising, you will never look at a toeshoe, a tiara or a tendu ... the same way again. * Toni Bentley, The New York Times Book Review *Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Preface A Note on the Text Acknowledgments Introduction: Akim Volynsky's Female Portraits PART ONE: BODIES IN SITU Russian Women: A Retrospective (1923) 1) Amoureuses and Druidesses 2) A Belated Druidess (on Lyubov Gurevich) 3) The Sylph (on Zinaida Gippius) 4) Pandora's Box (on Ida Rubinstein) 5) A Bouquet (on Lou Andreas-Salome and others) Amor (co-authored with Lou Andreas-Salome, 1897) The Mona Lisa (from Volynsky's book: Leonardo da Vinci (1898) 1) Nastasya Filippovna (1900) 2) The Infernal Woman (Grushenka) (from Volynsky's writings on Dostoevsky 1901) Madonna (Introduction to the Russian edition of Otto Weininger's Sex and Character, 1909) PART TWO: BODIES IN MOTION The 'Russkaya' (Ekaterina Geltser) (1912) The Young Generation (1912) The Dancing of Isadora Duncan (1913) The Dancing of Anna Pavlova (1913) Three Ballerinas (Pavlova, Preobrazhenskaya, Kshesinskaya) (1913) A Legendary Talent (Agrippina Vaganova) (1913) The Russian Dancer (1913) The Pupil of Mariya Savina (Olga Spesivtsva) (1913) The Performances at Krasnoe Selo (1913) The Broken Harp (Olga Preobrazhenskaya) (1913) The Snowflake (Olga Spesivtseva) (1913) Anna Pavlova (1914) A Pre-eminent Talent (Mathilda Kshesinskaya) (1914) Vain Precautions (Tamara Karsavina) (1915) Kseniya Makletsova (1915) Moscow and Petrograd (Geltser, Makletsova, et al) (1915) Agrippina Vaganova's Farewell Benefit (1916) The Testing of a Ballerina (Elena Liukom) (1916) Yuliya Sedova's Farewell Benefit (1916) Tamara Karsavina (1916) Vera Karalli (1916) Liubov Egorova's Final Benefit Performance (1917) The Classical Dancer (1922) Elsa Vill (1922) Classical Fouette and Leonardo da Vinci's Contrapposto (1922) Giselle and The Little Humpbacked Horse (Elena Liukom) (1922) The Animated Flower (1923) Ballet's Lily (Elizaveta Gerdt) (1923) Kseniya Petrovna Makletsova (1923) Elena Liukom (1923) Our Moscow Guests (Viktorina Kriger) (1923) The Gemstones of Benvenuto Cellini (1923) On the Russian Ballet (1923) The Fairy of Deer Park (Mathilda Kshesinskaya) (1924)

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Book SynopsisFive Ballets from Paris and St. Petersburg offers fascinating new looks at five classic story ballets: Giselle (1841), Paquita (1846), Le Corsaire (1856), La Bayadère (1877), and Raymonda (1898), drawing on a treasure trove of manuscripts that offer explicit written information about how many nineteenth-century ballets were performed in their earliest incarnations. Bursting with details forgotten for more than a century, these manuscripts bring the ballets to life by disclosing steps, floor patterns, and mime conversations as well as valuable insight into how the music helped create the drama.Generously enriched with more than 50 images and more than 350 musical examples, the book also includes, in appendices, English translations of seven French and Russian librettos. Emerging from the plenteous new findings in this book is a fresh portrait of a living, breathing art form with strong audience appeal. Simply put, Five Ballets fills huge gaps in dance history, inviting both general readers and specialists to rethink the usual narratives about nineteenth-century ballet, its music, characters, and choreographies, its depictions of Others and Elsewhere, and the careers of its major choreographers. It also offers a rich resource to practitioners seeking to learn how the makers of these five classic ballets found such great success.

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Book SynopsisThis book introduces the reader to the reflective practice of Functional Awareness®. It uses foundational information of anatomy and motor learning to guide the reader toward a deeper understanding of their personal body structure. Each chapter provides essentials in functional anatomy with movement explorations and over 60 beautiful illustrations to buoy the reader through the content.Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. The Relationship of Habit to Dance Training 2. Dynamic Alignment and the 4Rs 3. Impact of Thinking on Doing 4. Motions of the Trunk and Use of Spiral 5. Core Support 6. The Pelvis and Hip Joint 7. The Knee 8. The Ankle and Foot 9. Walking and Weight Shift 10. Expressivity of Arms 11. Breath 12. Restore Toward Balance Works Cited Glossary of Terms in Human Anatomy Index

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Book SynopsisThe late 1920s and early 1930s were a pivotal moment in Russian cultural development: a time of uncertainty but also of openness and experimentation in the arts and especially in dance. During this period in Leningrad, Dmitri Shostakovich composed three ballets--The Golden Age, The Bolt, and The Limpid Stream--at a time when he was consolidating his position as Soviet Russia''s preeminent young composer. His three ballets aimed at creating Soviet ballet, or works that commanded the technical legacy of the genre but that promoted contemporary topics and Soviet cultural policies. The Limpid Stream proved hugely successful and was even staged as part of the 1935 celebrations for Stalin''s birthday at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. Six weeks later, however, the ballet was condemned, just a week after Shostakovich''s opera Lady Macbeth suffered a similar fate. Shostakovich never wrote another ballet.Shostakovich''s ballets of the early 1930s occupied a unique moment in Soviet cultural history and in the development of early Soviet dance. As author Laura E. Kennedy demonstrates, cultural policy shifted frequently and rapidly in these years, summoning all areas of Soviet life to new orthodoxies. Like other arts, ballet emerged as a testing ground for the marriage of artistic innovation to Soviet ideology. Kennedy argues that Shostakovich''s three ballets shaped the search for a Soviet approach to the genre in offering three distinct responses to these demands. At the same time, they illuminated the pressures and concerns that vied for dominance in the experimental environment of the late 1920s and early 1930s.Throughout, Kennedy draws on extensive archival materials from St. Petersburg and Moscow--many of which have not previously been published--that preserve the creative record of Shostakovich''s ballets in scores, répétiteurs, photographs, libretti, costume sketches, set designs, theatre documents, and annals of performance. Backed by these primary sources, she charts the complex histories of Shostakovich''s ballets, their contributions to dance in Russia, and their impact on the composer''s artistic career and the genre of ballet in the twentieth century.

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Book SynopsisThis first biography of Nicolas Nabokov (1903-78) reevaluates the role of the Russian-born American composer as a postwar cultural force, notably as secretary general of the Congress for Cultural Freedom in the 1950s and 1960s, and the contribution to twentieth-century music of this collaborator of Diaghilev, Stravinsky, and Balanchine.Trade ReviewConductor, author, translator, multi-lingual cosmopolite, Nicolas Nabokov was one of the most versatile intellectuals of the past century. Vincent Giroud, a brilliant musicologist and Nabokov's very first biographer, narrates his subject's multi-faceted life with unusual clarity and vigor. * Francine du Plessix Gray *They just don't make cultured, quadrilingual, cosmopolitans of this sort anymore. Nicolas Nabokov managed to hit every artistic and intellectual high note of the 20th century, missing no one, from Auden and Balanchine to Virgil Thomson and Edmund Wilson. The genius went equally into the life and the music; Vincent Giroud elegantly captures both in his joyous, star-studded, beautifully modulated biography. - Stacy Schiff, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Vera: (Mrs. Vladimir Nabokov)Nicolas Nabokov is our most famous unknown composer. At last there is a book that sheds light on this extraordinary composer's life and work. * Ned Rorem, composer and author *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments ; Introduction ; Note on transliteration of Russian names and phrases ; Chapter 1: The Lubcza Years ; Chapter 2: The Petersburg Years ; Chapter 3: The Road to Exile ; Chapter 4: In Stuttgart and Berlin ; Chapter 5: Paris Debuts ; Chapter 6: Successes and Frustrations ; Chapter 7: New Exile ; Chapter 8: Engagement and Americanization ; Chapter 9: In Wartime Washington ; Chapter 10: In Postwar Germany ; Chapter 11: Music and the Cold War ; Chapter 12: Moving Center Stage ; Chapter 13: Masterpieces of the Twentieth Century ; Chapter 14: Culture Generalissimo ; Chapter 15: The Rasputin Years ; Chapter 16: Disenchantment and New Departure ; Chapter 17: Berlin, Don Quixote, and the CIA ; Chapter 18: Love's Labours Won ; Epilogue ; Checklist of Nabokov's Works and Writings ; Works Consulted ; Notes ; Index

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Book SynopsisTells the story of the rise of modern ballet and its popularity through the life story of one of ballet's most glamorous stars, Irina Baronova (1919-2008), prima ballerina for the Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo and later for Ballet Theatre in New York.Trade Review"My friend Irina Baronova was a legendary Baby Ballerina of the Ballets Russes and an ambassador of classical ballet in America, but this book shows us the kind, funny, and hardworking woman behind the legend. She was a total pro and an elegant human being. If it's possible, I'm more in awe than ever." -Mikhail Baryshnikov "As a dancer myself, I connected deeply to Baronova's words about what it's like to feel in your soul the extremes of sacrifice, familial rivalry, and tremendous love that come from committing oneself to the art form. These pages made me realize how lucky we are now, we American dancers, because of the pioneering energy and sheer strength of Baronova and the other great dancers of the Ballets Russes who performed tirelessly night after night, stirring and thrilling hearts in every tiny pocket of America. It is something that should never be forgotten and should be instilled in all young dancers. We could never enjoy the careers we have today without these artists paving the way for us. I really couldn't put this book down. I was in tears." -Wendy Whelan, New York City Ballet "This is a beautiful record of the twentieth century lived through dance. It is illuminating and passionate and vivid: imagine Nabokov's Speak Memory photographed and choreographed. I loved it." -Edmund De Waal, author of The Hare with Amber Eyes

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Book SynopsisNOW A MAJOR FILM BY RALPH FIENNES, THE WHITE CROW''A gripping account of an extraordinary life'' Daily Telegraph Born on a train in Stalin''s Russia, Rudolf Nureyev was ballet''s first pop icon. No other dancer of our time has generated the same excitement - both on and off stage.Nureyev''s achievements and conquests became legendary: he rose out of Tatar peasant poverty to become the Kirov''s thrilling maverick star; slept with his beloved mentor''s wife; defected to the West in 1961; sparked Rudimania across the globe; established the most rhapsodic partnership in dance history with the middle-aged Margot Fonteyn; reinvented male technique; gatecrashed modern dance; moulded new stars; and staged Russia''s unknown ballet masterpieces in the West. He and his life were simply astonishing.''Magnificent, a triumph. Captures every facet of this extraordinary man'' Mail on Sunday''The definitive study of a manTrade ReviewMagnificent, compulsively readable * Guardian *A gripping account of an extraordinary life * Daily Telegraph *Magnificent, a triumph. Captures every facet of this extraordinary man * Mail on Sunday *Undoubtedly the definitive biography. Rudolf Nureyev, superstar, emerges in all his terribly flawed glory * Sunday Telegraph *The definitive study of a man who, in his combination of aesthetic grace and psychological grime, can truly be called a sacred monster * Observer *Julie Kavanagh writes with flair and abundance * The Sunday Times *

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Almost every page offers provocative commentary on the aesthetics and politics of modern dance." —Signs "[An] important step . . . in the ineluctable dance by postmodern historians across a bridge that spans the gaps among disciplines, between theory and practice, and between present and past." —Theatre Journal "This complex and important book needs to be read by anyone interested in dance history or the cultural politics of dance." —Dance Theatre Journal "Mark Franko's Dancing Modernism / Performing Politics is challenging, groundbreaking, insightful, and . . . an important contribution to the field of dance scholarship." —Dance Research JournalTable of ContentsForeword: Geneaology and Event in the Work of Mark Franko, by Juan Ignacio VallejosPrefaceIntroduction: The Politics of Expression1. The Invention of Modern Dance2. Bodies of Radical Will3. Emotivist Movement and Histories of Modernism: The Case of Martha Graham4. Expressivism and Chance Procedure: The Future of an Emotion5. Some Notes on Yvonne Rainer, Modernism, Politics, Emotion, Performance, and the AftermathAppendix: Left-Wing Dance Theory: Articles on Dance from New Theatre, New Masses, and Daily WorkerNotesBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Almost every page offers provocative commentary on the aesthetics and politics of modern dance." —Signs "[An] important step . . . in the ineluctable dance by postmodern historians across a bridge that spans the gaps among disciplines, between theory and practice, and between present and past." —Theatre Journal "This complex and important book needs to be read by anyone interested in dance history or the cultural politics of dance." —Dance Theatre Journal "Mark Franko's Dancing Modernism / Performing Politics is challenging, groundbreaking, insightful, and . . . an important contribution to the field of dance scholarship." —Dance Research JournalTable of ContentsForeword: Geneaology and Event in the Work of Mark Franko, by Juan Ignacio VallejosPrefaceIntroduction: The Politics of Expression1. The Invention of Modern Dance2. Bodies of Radical Will3. Emotivist Movement and Histories of Modernism: The Case of Martha Graham4. Expressivism and Chance Procedure: The Future of an Emotion5. Some Notes on Yvonne Rainer, Modernism, Politics, Emotion, Performance, and the AftermathAppendix: Left-Wing Dance Theory: Articles on Dance from New Theatre, New Masses, and Daily WorkerNotesBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisIgor Stravinsky was a towering composer of the twentieth century and closely linked to dance. His early commissions for Diaghilev's Ballets Russes - "The Firebird", "Petrouchka", and "The Rite of Spring" - put him on the international map. This survey analyses each of Stravinsky's ballet pieces.Trade Review"This excellent source offers a unique approach to analysis of ballet, recording its history—as seen through the life and work of Stravinsky—and reflecting the impact of Russian culture on ballet and music of the 20th century. With its 33 pages of endnotes and 4-page bibliography of primary sources, this book is a scholarly delight."—C.T. Bond, Choice -- C.T. Bond * Choice *

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Book Synopsis

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Book SynopsisNamed a Best Book of the Year by NPR and The New YorkerThe Boy from Kyiv is the life story of Alexei Ratmansky, the most celebrated ballet choreographer of our time.?A revelatory book about how [Ratmansky] evolved into the internationally sought-after choreographer of the moment . . . A must-read.? ? Martha Anne Toll, NPRAlexei Ratmansky is transforming ballet for the twenty-first century. An artist of daring imagination, the choreographer has created breathtakingly original works for the world?s most revered companies. He has fashioned a singular approach to balletic storytelling that bridges the space between narrative and abstraction and heightens ambiguity and surprise on the stage. He has boldly restored great centuries-old ballets to their former glory, combining archival research with his own choreographic genius to retrieve detail and color once lost to the ages. And above all, he is renowned for fusing the Western and Eastern ballet traditions, and for drawing on the visual arts, literature, music, film, and beyond with inspired vim, to forge a style that is vibrant, eclectic, and utterly new: one that promises to leave an indelible mark on this venerable art form.But before Ratmansky was the artistic director of the Bolshoi Ballet, the resident choreographer at American Ballet Theatre, the artist in residence at New York City Ballet, and generally, as The New Yorker has it, ?the most sought-after man in ballet,? he was just a boy from Kyiv, sneaking into the ballet at night, concocting his own juvenile adaptations of novels and stories, and dreaming up new possibilities for bodies in motion.In The Boy from Kyiv, the first biography of this groundbreaking artist, the celebrated dance writer Marina Harss takes us behind the curtain to reveal Ratmansky?s fascinating life, from his Soviet boyhood through his globe-spanning career. Over a decade in the making, this biography arrives at a pivotal moment in Ratmansky?s journey, one that has seen him painfully and publicly break ties with Russia, the country in which he made his name, in solidarity with his native Ukraine, and take on a new challenge at the storied New York City Ballet. Told with the lyricism, drama, and verve that befit its subject, The Boy from Kyiv is a riveting account of this major artist?s ascent to the peaks of his field, a mesmerizing study of creativity in action, and a triumphant testament to ballet?s enduring vitality.

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Book SynopsisBallet in Western Culture is a history of the development of ballet designed for dance history courses. After a brief discussion of the origins of dance through the middle ages, the author then traces the beginnings of ballet to Renaissance spectacle in Italy and the beginnings of ballet in France. In the second part of the book, the maturation of ballet as a style is studied, from the 1600s through the 1800s, in France, Russia, and other major European countries. Finally, the last part of the book focuses on the changes in ballet through the 20th century, including major movements in the U.S. and Europe. Nicely illustrated with historic prints and photos, the book is easy to read and ideally suited to the dance history student, addressing both historical issues and the evolution of ballet technique.Trade Review"Serves well as a basic foundation for my course devoted solely to ballet history." -- Angelika Gerbes, Professor of Ballet, Ohio State University"The text is a good introduction to ballet history . . . it's a great reference source." -- Amy Stoddart, Professor of Dance History, University of Oregon"An excellent ballet history book." -- Judith Bennahum, Department Chair, Dance History Program, University of New MexicoTable of ContentsPart One: From Folk Expression to Seventeenth Century Court Dance 1. Origins of Dance 2. Renaissance Spectacle in Italy 3. The Ballet de Cour in France. Part Two: Emergence of Ballet as an Art Form: Seventeenth to Ninteeenth Century 4. Baroque Ballet 5. The Advamncement of Professional Ballet 6. Growth and Refinement of Classical Ballet 7. The Foundations of Romantic Ballet 8. The Romantic and Post-Romantic Ballet 9. The Evolution of Ballet in Russia 10. Imperial Russian Ballet Part Three: The Flourishing of Ballet in the Twentieth Century 11. Sergie Diaghilev and the New Dance 12. The Ballet Russes from the Pursuit of the Avant-Garde to Neoclassicism 13. Ballet in the Twentieth Century 14. The Development of Ballet in the United States. Chronology. Glossary. Bibliography. Ballets. Index

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Book SynopsisOutlines four models for representation in dance which are illustrated through an analysis of the works of contemporary choreographers and through historical examples beginning with court ballets of the Renaissance.Trade Review"Susan Foster is a new breed of dancer and choreographer." * New York Times *"Foster proposes a context from which the reader might make, see, or write about dance." * CHOICE *"No other dance book had posited an alternative aesthetic and historical framework beyond its own disciplinary content. In advance of the turn to the body in social theory, dance therefore became a major contributor to the rethinking of history advanced by new historicists, and an art form that could be "read" within the context of history and politics. . . . Although dance studies is a growing field for undergraduate studies, its critical status depends on texts such as Reading Dancing that can be debated more widely." * Times Higher Education *Table of Contents Illustrations Preface CHAPTER ONE Reading Dance: Composing the Choreographer, the Dancer, and the Viewer Deborah Hay George Balanchine Martha Graham Merce Cunningham Four Bodies and Subjects CHAPTER TWO Reading Choreography: Composing Dances Frames Modes of Representation Styles Vocabularies Syntaxes Reading the Performance CHAPTER THREE Readings in Dance's History: Historical Approaches to Dance Composition Allegorical Dance in the Late Renaissance Neoclassical Dance in the Eighteenth Century Expressionist Dance in the Early Twentieth Century Objectivist Dance from 1950 to the Present CHAPTER FOUR Writing Dancing: The Viewer as Choreographer in Contemporary Dance The Grand Union Meredith Monk Twyla Tharp Writing Bodies and Subjects Notes Selected Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisBelle époque Paris adored dance. Whether at the music hall or in more refined theaters, audiences flocked to see the spectacles offered to them by the likes of Isadora Duncan, Diaghilev's flashy company, and an embarrassment of Salomés. After languishing in the shadow of opera for much of the nineteenth century, ballet found itself part of this lively kinetic constellation. In Kinetic Cultures, Rachana Vajjhala argues that far from being mere delectation, ballet was implicated in the larger republican project of national rehabilitation through a rehabilitation of its citizens. By tracing the various gestural complexes of the periodbodybuilding routines, appropriate physical comportment for women, choreographic vocabularies, and moreVajjhala presents a new way of understanding histories of dance and music, one that she locates in gesture and movement.

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Book SynopsisThe 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.

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Book SynopsisAmericanSoviet Cultural Diplomacy: The Bolshoi Ballet's American Premiere is the first full-length examination of a Soviet cultural diplomatic effort. Following the signing of an American-Soviet cultural exchange agreement in the late 1950s, Soviet officials resolved to utilize the Bolshoi Ballet's planned 1959 American tour to awe audiences with Soviet choreographers' great accomplishments and Soviet performers' superb abilities. Relying on extensive research, Cadra Peterson McDaniel examines whether the objectives behind Soviet cultural exchange and the specific aims of the Bolshoi Ballet's 1959 American tour provided evidence of a thaw in American-Soviet relations. Interwoven throughout this study is an examination of the Soviets' competing efforts to create ballets encapsulating Communist ideas while simultaneously reinterpreting pre-revolutionary ballets so that these works were ideologically acceptable. McDaniel investigates the rationale behind the creation of the Bolshoi's repertoire and the Soviet leadership's objectives and interpretation of the tour's success as well as American response to the tour. The repertoire included the four ballets, Romeo and Juliet, Swan Lake, Giselle, and The Stone Flower, and two Highlights Programs, which included excerpts from various pre- and post-revolutionary ballets, operas, and dance suites. How the Americans and the Soviets understood the Bolshoi's success provides insight into how each side conceptualized the role of the arts in society and in political transformation. AmericanSoviet Cultural Diplomacy: The Bolshoi Ballet's American Premiere demonstrates the ballet's role in Soviet foreign policy, a shift to artful warfare, and thus emphasizes the significance of studying cultural exchange as a key aspect of Soviet foreign policy and analyzes the continued importance of the arts in twenty-first century Russian politics.Trade ReviewCadra McDaniel’s book, which is based on serious and solid research using both archival and published documents engaging contemporary Soviet and American periodicals and occasionally oral history, is a welcome addition to the growing literature about cultural production/consumption, cultural politics, and ideology in the Soviet Union, especially during post-Stalin socialism. It is devoted to a very important topic— the role of cultural diplomacy in both the relaxation of international tensions and the intensification of ideological confrontation between the Soviet Union and the United States during the rule of Nikita Khrushchev. Its main focus is on the history of the successful Bolshoi Ballet's tour in the U.S. in 1959, which is presented as a major chapter in Soviet cultural diplomacy and an episode of the Soviet ‘artful warfare’ against the Americans. -- Sergei Zhuk, Ball State UniversityThis book is well worth the attention of anyone interested in the Cold War or in the value of cultural exchanges, then, now, and in the future. . . .McDaniel's work will awaken those scholars who concentrate on military and political confrontations, such as those concerning Russian activity in Ukraine, to the importance of the calming and rewarding aspects of cultural interactions. * The Russian Review *Table of ContentsDedication Transliteration and Translation Notes Acknowledgments Contents List of Photographs and Tables Introduction Chapter 1: Ideological Goodwill: American and Soviet Cultural Exchange Plans Chapter 2: Restricted Repertoire: Planning for the Bolshoi’s 1959 Tour Chapter 3: The Class Struggle and Shakespeare: The Soviets’ Interpretation of Romeo and Juliet Chapter 4: Imperial Communism: The Soviets’ Reinterpretation of P. I. Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake Chapter 5: Preserving and Elevating the Classics: Giselle Chapter 6: State Approved Innovations: The Stone Flower Chapter 7: Soviet Highlights: The Very Eclectic Soviet Artistic Scene Chapter 8: Tempered Success: Ballet's Role in the Cold War Conclusion Bibliography Index

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Book Synopsis''Mackrell''s enthralling biography restores Lydia Lopokova to her rightful position centre-stage'' DAILY MAIL''Superb ... Mackrell, with her insider''s knowledge of ballet and theatre, lovingly recreates Lydia''s many worlds'' GAY & LESBIAN REVIEW''A hugely entertaining and informative study of the Ballets Russes star'' SPECTATORBorn in 1891 in St Petersburg, Lydia Lopokova lived a long and remarkable life. Her vivacious personality and the sheer force of her charm propelled her to the top of Diaghilev''s Ballet Russes. Through a combination of luck, determination and talent, Lydia became a star in Paris, a vaudeville favourite in America, the toast of Britain and then married the world-renowned economist, and formerly homosexual, John Maynard Keynes.Lydia''s story links ballet and the Bloomsbury group, war, revolution and the economic policies of the super-powers. She was an immensely captivating, eccentric and irrTrade ReviewMackrell's enthralling biography restores Lydia Lopokova to her rightful position centre-stage * DAILY MAIL *In this lovingly crafted biography, Judith Mackrell restores to life a colourful bohemian character... a warm memorial to an almost-forgotten star * OBSERVER *Superb ... Mackrell, with her insider's knowledge of ballet and theatre, lovingly recreates Lydia's many worlds * GAY & LESBIAN REVIEW *Judith Mackrell has used her resources to rescue the ballerina from an undeserved obscurity * CONTEMPORARY REVIEW *Mackrell captures the fizz of Lopokova's personality, her lovability, and makes her come alive. * LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKS *Thorough and absorbing * GOOD BOOK GUIDE *Bloomsbury Ballerina is a compelling account of the extraordinary life and times of an unforgettable woman. Mackrell is to be congratulated * LITERARY REVIEW *Mackrell shows us exactly what made Lopokova one the last century's "true originals". * SUNDAY TIMES *Judith Mackrell ... is brilliant at making the reader see why Lopokova matters * GUARDIAN *How shrewd and kind of Mackrell to extricate Lopokova from so many decades as the snubbed alien in Bloomsbury footnotes * NEW STATESMAN *Mackrell's unfailingly vivacious and scholarly biography pays splendid tribute * SUNDAY TELEGRAPH *She was, as Mackrell concludes, one of the 20th century's "true originals" and this narrative tells us exactly why * FINANCIAL TIMES *Admirably researched ... enthralling * DANCING TIMES *Judith Mackrell, in this masterly biography, shows us why we should remember her (Lopokova) ... writing as fine as one could hope to encounter * TLS *A hugely entertaining and informative study of the Ballets Russes star * SPECTATOR *Judith Mackrell has used her resources to rescue the ballerina from an undeserved obscurity * CONTEMPORARY REVIEW *In this lovingly crafted biography, Judith Mackrell restores to life a colourful bohemian character... a warm memorial to an almost-forgotten star * OBSERVER *Mackrell captures the fizz of Lopokova's personality, her lovability, and makes her come alive. -- Alison Light * LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKS *a superb new biography...Mackrell, with her insider's knowledge of ballet and theatre, lovingly recreates Lydia's many worlds * GAY & LESBIAN REVIEW *Thorough and absorbing * GOOD BOOK GUIDE *

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Book SynopsisA charmingly illustrated exploration of The Nutcracker ballet, from the story to the characters to the music, for kids aged 8 - 12 to enjoy. The Nutcracker is one of the world''s most beloved and recognizable ballets. A holiday perennial, it is frequently the first ballet young people experience and remember for a lifetime. This wonderfully engaging book introduces children, ages 8 to 12, to the story of the ballet, its history, the music and choreography, as well as all of the characters from Clara and the Prince to the Mouse King and the Snow Queen. Special sections introduce children to some of the most famous dancers and companies that have brought the performance and the magic of the ballet to life. Including a fold-out poster that young readers can remove and hang on their walls, A Child''s Introduction to The Nutcracker is the perfect souvenir for the millions of young people who attend a holiday performance and have dreams of Sugarplum Fai

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Book SynopsisFor decades the prominent image of a ballet dancer has been a white body with pale clothing. It took 75 years for American Ballet Theatre to have its first African American female principal dancer, Misty Copeland. When TaKiyah Wallace-McMillian went to enrol her three-year-old daughter into her first ballet class, she immediately saw this lack of diversity and representation-even on her local dance studio''s website. Within weeks TaKiyah, a freelance photographer, began shooting a project she called Brown Girls Do Ballet, which eventually became an Instagram hit and a non-profit organization that provides resources, mentorship, inspiration, and encouragement to young dancers of colour worldwide.For her first book, The Color of Dance, TaKiyah travelled around the United States seeking out dancers of African, Asian, East Indian, Hispanic, and Native American ancestry. With these more than 190 breath-taking images of colourful ballerinas of all ages and levels, both

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