Being a Ballerina

Being a Ballerina
Author: Gavin Larsen
Publisher: University Press of Florida
Total Pages: 268
Release: 2021-04-27
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 081306595X

Finalist, the Arts Club of Washington Marfield Prize A look inside a dancer’s world Inspiring, revealing, and deeply relatable, Being a Ballerina is a firsthand look at the realities of life as a professional ballet dancer. Through episodes from her own career, Gavin Larsen describes the forces that drive a person to study dance; the daily balance that dancers navigate between hardship and joy; and the dancer’s continual quest to discover who they are as a person and as an artist. Starting with her arrival as a young beginner at a class too advanced for her, Larsen tells how the embarrassing mistake ended up helping her learn quickly and advance rapidly. In other stories of her early teachers, training, and auditions, she explains how she gradually came to understand and achieve what she and her body were capable of. Larsen then re-creates scenes from her experiences in dance companies, from unglamorous roles to exhilarating performances. Working as a ballerina was shocking and scary at first, she says, recalling unexpected injuries, leaps of faith, and her constant struggle to operate at the level she wanted—but full of enormously rewarding moments. Larsen also reflects candidly on her difficult decision to retire at age 35. An ideal read for aspiring dancers, Larsen’s memoir will also delight experienced dance professionals and fascinate anyone who wonders what it takes to live a life dedicated to the perfection of the art form.

The Ballet Companion

The Ballet Companion
Author: Eliza Gaynor Minden
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 362
Release: 2007-11-01
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 1416595716

A New Classic for Today's Dancer The Ballet Companion is a fresh, comprehensive, and thoroughly up-to-date reference book for the dancer. With 150 stunning photographs of ballet stars Maria Riccetto and Benjamin Millepied demonstrating perfect execution of positions and steps, this elegant volume brims with everything today's dance student needs, including: Practical advice for getting started, such as selecting a school, making the most of class, and studio etiquette Explanations of ballet fundamentals and major training systems An illustrated guide through ballet class -- warm-up, barre, and center floor Guidelines for safe, healthy dancing through a sensible diet, injury prevention, and cross-training with yoga and Pilates Descriptions of must-see ballets and glossaries of dance, music, and theater terms Along the way you'll find technique secrets from stars of American Ballet Theatre, lavishly illustrated sidebars on ballet history, and tips on everything from styling a ballet bun to stage makeup to performing the perfect pirouette. Whether a budding ballerina, serious student, or adult returning to ballet, dancers will find a lively mix of ballet's time-honored traditions and essential new information.

A Day in the Life of a Ballet Dancer

A Day in the Life of a Ballet Dancer
Author: Diana Herweck
Publisher: Teacher Created Materials
Total Pages: 28
Release: 2005-03-01
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 9780743989411

Each book in 8142--TIME For Kids Nonfiction Readers: Fluent Kit is available in a set of six.For add-on purchases, each 6-pack includes 6 copies of this title and a lesson plan, packaged in a self-sealing vinyl bag.Word Count: 824TCM (Teacher Created Materials) Level: 3.0Guided Reading Level: MEarly Intervention Level: 21DRA (Developmental Reading Assessment) Level: 30

So, You Want to Be a Dancer?

So, You Want to Be a Dancer?
Author: Laurel van der Linde
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 208
Release: 2015-04-07
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 1582704511

From ballet and contemporary to hip-hop and even Broadway, this book reveals what it really takes to build a career in dance today.

So, You Want To Be a Ballet Dancer?

So, You Want To Be a Ballet Dancer?
Author: Jennifer Kronenberg
Publisher: Diversion Books
Total Pages: 72
Release: 2013-12-03
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0983337101

“A revealing book about the grueling—and glamorous—world of ballet” (Daily News, New York). Is everything really so beautiful at the ballet? For Miami City Ballet principal dancer Jennifer Carlynn Kronenberg it is; but it wasn’t always so. Learn how she made it through all of her high jinx mishaps, missteps, and tribulations, and continued on to a glorious career as a prima ballerina with an internationally acclaimed ballet company. Kronenberg shares her memoirs, hints, tips, and professional advice for aspiring dancers and their parents, hoping to ease them through the hard years of study as well as through the abrupt and challenging transition from student to professional. Covering everything from choosing a school and auditioning, to stage makeup and backstage basics, this books provides the answers young dancers need to help them survive in today’s challenging ballet world. “Chock-full of tips and advice for aspiring dancers and their parents, and includes a personal account of the ballerina’s rocky journey to fame.” —Brooklyn Downtown Star “Entertaining, realistic, and practical—that big sister that you’d like to have beside you.” —Ballet News

Ballet Dancers in Career Transition

Ballet Dancers in Career Transition
Author: Nancy Upper
Publisher: McFarland
Total Pages: 279
Release: 2015-10-03
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 1476616728

A professional dancer's career, like a professional athlete's, lasts an average of 10 to 15 years. Once the prime years of physical prowess have passed, retirement is inevitable, but dancers still have many years of adult life ahead. The challenge for many is making the transition into a new career. Motivated by her own career transition, author Nancy Upper interviewed former ballet dancers who made successful transitions into new careers after they stopped performing. Part 1 of the book features dancers who remained in ballet-related careers. Part 2 features four individuals who chose careers outside the field of dance. Part 3 focuses on dancers who pursued non-dance careers that help dancers and other performing artists. Appendices include the marketable qualities dancers develop as a result of their training, career transition tips, transition resources, and a graph mapping the transition process.

A Day in the Life of a Ballet Dancer

A Day in the Life of a Ballet Dancer
Author: Diana Herweck
Publisher: Free Spirit Publishing
Total Pages: 30
Release: 2011-12-30
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 1433380099

Leap into the world of a ballet dancer! In this engaging nonfiction book, readers learn about the history of this art form as well as what a ballet dancer does to get ready for a performance. With informational text, vibrant photographs, a sample schedule of ballet dancer's day, a look at ballet positions, and simple, clear text, readers learn about the basics of ballet and that this beautiful art form takes a lot of hard work and dedication.

Dancing Through It

Dancing Through It
Author: Jenifer Ringer
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 335
Release: 2014-02-20
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 069815150X

“A glimpse into the fragile psyche of a dancer.” —The Washington Post Jenifer Ringer, a principal dancer with the New York City Ballet, was thrust into the headlines after her weight was commented on by a New York Times critic, and her response ignited a public dialogue about dance and weight. Ballet aficionados and aspiring performers of all ages will want to join Ringer behind the scenes as she shares her journey from student to star and candidly discusses both her struggle with an eating disorder and the media storm that erupted after the Times review. An unusually upbeat account of life on the stage, Dancing Through It is also a coming-of-age story and an inspiring memoir of faith and of triumph over the body issues that torment all too many women and men.

Ballet Dancer

Ballet Dancer
Author: Lisa Regan
Publisher: The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc
Total Pages: 34
Release: 2012-08-15
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 1448881986

The reader is introduced to and guided through the basic steps and techniques of ballet. The beautiful history, development, and famous artists of ballet are also discussed.

A Body of Work

A Body of Work
Author: David Hallberg
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 432
Release: 2017-11-07
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1476771154

"David Hallberg, the first American to join the famed Bolshoi Ballet as a principal dancer and the dazzling artist The New Yorker described as 'the most exciting male ballet dancer in the Western world,' presents an intimate journey through his artistic life up to the moment he returns to the stage after a devastating injury almost cost him his career. While rich in detail ballet fans will adore, this is a book that anyone interested in a life of creativity will love. Hallberg reflects on themes like inspiration, ego, self-doubt, 'the artistic calling', and perfectionism as he takes readers into daily classes, rigorous rehearsals, and triumphant performances, searching for new inspiration and interpretations of ballet's greatest roles. He reveals the vicious bullying he endured as a child, the ambition he had to tame as a new member of American Ballet Theatre, and the reasons behind his headline-grabbing decision to be the first American to join the top ranks of the Bolshoi Ballet. Then, as Hallberg circled the globe performing at the peak of his abilities, he suffered a crippling injury that led to two surgeries, an agonizing retreat from ballet, and the decision to commit to a radical rebuilding of his body and technique that resulted in his miraculous return to the stage as a new artist and a new man. Combining his impressive powers of observation and memory with emotional honesty and artistic insight, David Hallberg has written a thrilling dance memoir and an intimate portrait of an artist in all his vulnerability, passion, and wisdom."--Dust jacket flap.