Raising the Barre

Raising the Barre
Author: Lauren Kessler
Publisher: Da Capo Press
Total Pages: 207
Release: 2015-11-24
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 0738218324

Like generations of little girls, Lauren Kessler fell in love with ballet the first time she saw The Nutcracker, and from that day, at age five, she dreamed of becoming a ballerina. But when she was twelve, her very famous ballet instructor crushed those dreams -- along with her youthful self-assurance -- and she stepped away from the barre. Fast forward four decades. Lauren -- suddenly, powerfully, itchingly restless at midlife -- embarks on a "Transcontinental Nutcracker Binge Tour," where attending a string of performances in Chicago, New York, Boston, and San Francisco reignites her love affair with the ballet--and fuels her girlhood dream. What ensues is not only a story about The Nutcracker itself, but also an inside look at the seemingly romantic -- but oh-so-gritty -- world of ballet, about all that happens away from the audience's eye that precedes the magic on stage. It is a tale told from the perspective of someone who not only loves it, but is also seeking to live it. Lauren's quest to dance The Nutcracker with the Eugene Ballet Company tackles the big issues: fear, angst, risk, resilience, the refusal to "settle in" to midlife, the refusal to become yet another Invisible Woman. It is also a very funny, very real look at what it's like to push yourself further than you ever thought you could go -- and what happens when you get there.

Dancers After Dark

Dancers After Dark
Author: Jordan Matter
Publisher: Workman Publishing Company
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2016-10-18
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 9780761189336

Dancers After Dark is an amazing celebration of the human body and the human spirit, as dancers, photographed nude and at night, strike poses of fearless beauty. Without a permit or a plan, Jordan Matter led hundreds of the most exciting dancers in the world out of their comfort zones—not to mention their clothes—to explore the most compelling reaches of beauty and the human form. After all the risk and daring, the result is extraordinary: 300 dancers, 400 locations, more than 150 stunning photographs. And no clothes, no arrests, no regrets. Each image highlights the amazing abilities of these artists—and presents a core message to the reader: Say yes rather than no, and embrace the risks and opportunities that life presents.

Raising the Bar

Raising the Bar
Author: Al Kavadlo
Publisher:
Total Pages: 203
Release: 2012
Genre: Calisthenics
ISBN: 9780938045458

Master the art of bar calisthenics and forge the upper body of your dreams without the need for weights, machines, or gym memberships! Kavadlo breaks down every type of exercise you can do with a pull-up bar. From basic two arm hangs to a one arm pull-up, the "bar master" takes you step by step through everything you need to do to build the chiseled frame you've always wanted.

Raising the Bar

Raising the Bar
Author: Gabby Douglas
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2013
Genre: Women Olympic athletes
ISBN: 9780310740704

The Olympic gold medalist shares the story of her life and how the people in her life helped to allow her to persevere and reach her dreams.

Raising Hell

Raising Hell
Author: Richard Crouse
Publisher: ECW Press
Total Pages: 180
Release: 2012-11-08
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 1770902813

Following the 2012 release of The Devils, Raising Hell examines the film from its inception through its reception.

Counterclockwise

Counterclockwise
Author: Lauren Kessler
Publisher: Rodale Books
Total Pages: 259
Release: 2014-05-20
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1609613481

At this moment, one in three Americans is entering midlife, and many are wondering, "How did I get to be this old?" Plenty will turn to miracle creams, injections, fillers, and surgery to reverse the hands of time, but Kessler investigates the largely unexplored side of anti-aging: what it takes to be younger, not just look younger. Guided by an open but pleasantly skeptical mind, a thirst for adventure, and a sense of humor, she investigates America's youth obsession and decides, on a very personal level, what to do about it. She is at once the careful reporter, the immersion journalist, the self-designated lab rat, and a midlife woman who is not interested in being as old as her driver's license insists she is. Counterclockwise is a lively quest to discover how to maintain stamina, vitality, fortitude, and creativity right to the very end. "The human smile is an anti-gravity device. Kessler's delightful, witty book actually takes 20 yearsoff your face!"—Mary Roach, author of Stiff and Gulp

Funding Bodies

Funding Bodies
Author: Sarah Wilbur
Publisher: Wesleyan University Press
Total Pages: 296
Release: 2021-10-20
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 0819580538

"A cultural and structural analysis of the NEA's dance funding from its inception through the early 2000s. Wilbur studies how people in power engineer and translate institutional norms of arts recognition within dance, performance, and arts policy disclosure"--

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Playing the Ukulele

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Playing the Ukulele
Author: David Hodge
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 384
Release: 2012-07-18
Genre: Music
ISBN: 1101585765

While other books get caught up in the novelty of the ukulele-how to accessorize them, who the best ukulele players are, etc.-this book covers in crystal clear detail everything beginners need to know to enjoy playing this tiny, four-stringed instrument. From strumming and finger picking to playing different genres and playing as part of a group, this book covers all the bases. And it includes a rich audio CD complete with music samples and ukulele exercises.

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: 1476771170

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 dancer in the western world,” presents a look at his artistic life—up to the moment he returns to the stage after a devastating injury that almost cost him his career. Beginning with his real-life Billy Elliot childhood—an all-American story marred by intense bullying—and culminating in his hard-won comeback, Hallberg’s “moving and intelligent” (Daniel Mendelsohn) memoir dives deep into life as an artist as he wrestles with ego, pushes the limits of his body, and searches for ecstatic perfection and fulfillment as one of the world’s most acclaimed ballet dancers. Rich in detail ballet fans will adore, Hallberg presents an “unsparing…inside look” (The New York Times) and also reflects on universal and relatable themes like inspiration, self-doubt, and perfectionism as he takes you into daily classes, rigorous rehearsals, and triumphant performances, searching for new interpretations of ballet’s greatest roles. He reveals the loneliness he felt as a teenager leaving America to join the Paris Opera Ballet School, 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 rank of Bolshoi Ballet, tendered by the Artistic Director who would later be the victim of a vicious acid attack. Then, as Hallberg performed throughout the world at the peak of his abilities, he suffered a crippling ankle injury and botched surgery leading to an agonizing retreat from ballet and an honest reexamination of his entire life. Combining his powers of observation and memory with emotional honesty and artistic insight, Hallberg has written a great ballet memoir and an intimate portrait of an artist in all his vulnerability, passion, and wisdom. “Candid and engrossing” (The Washington Post), A Body of Work is a memoir “for everyone with a heart” (DC Metro Theater Arts).