Confuddled Posted December 6, 2020 Share Posted December 6, 2020 Can anyone recommend some books about ballet? Dd has the ballet encyclopaedia, but she’s looking for some more - particularly anything about famous current or recent dancers. Could anyone recommend some? She’s reading at an adult level, but she’s 12, autobiographies that are too graphic wouldn’t be suitable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kanangra Posted December 6, 2020 Share Posted December 6, 2020 Misty Copeland's autobiography "Life in Motion". Michaela de Prince "Hope in a Ballet Shoe" Li Cunxin "Mao's Last Dancer" All of these come in Young Reader editions. I love David Hallberg's book Body of Work but that might be better for older readers. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Confuddled Posted December 6, 2020 Author Share Posted December 6, 2020 (edited) Ooh, thank you! She doens’t need Young Reader per se (she’s happily reading things like Jane Eyre) but I would prefer to avoid anything with really upsetting / mature content which apparently the first few chapters of Hope in a Ballet Shoe do contain (based on the reviews I’ve read). Edited December 6, 2020 by Confuddled Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted December 6, 2020 Share Posted December 6, 2020 Avoid Hope in a Ballet Shoe, then - the first chapter is stomach-churning. We already have a thread or two on books, so I'm going to find them and merge this one. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted December 6, 2020 Share Posted December 6, 2020 I can't immediately see that we have any appropriate threads in Doing Dance - at least, none which have been tagged with "books" - but the one below looks like the main one in the main part of the forum: Alternatively, click on the "books" tag which I've added, and see what that brings up. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonac Posted December 6, 2020 Share Posted December 6, 2020 A super book is Jennifer Homans' Apollo's Angels. In addition to being a most fascinating history of ballet in many different European countries, Britain, Denmark, Russia, America, it contains much about the cultural and general history of the individual countries. Therefore, I would consider it most appropriate, informative, and interesting reading for a intelligent 12 year old. Glad to hear that she has read Jane Eyre. Watching the films or tv dramatisations of the story do not even approach the greatness of the actual novel. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluebird22 Posted December 6, 2020 Share Posted December 6, 2020 (edited) @jonacAbsolutely love this book! My copy is very well worn having referenced it in many essays and then loaning it to various students! Edited December 6, 2020 by Bluebird22 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meadowblythe Posted December 6, 2020 Share Posted December 6, 2020 Just added to my list for my school library .. it's a tough one, good readers want the full version but, for example, I have limited Misty Copeland's autobiography to older readers. Not a biography, and not particularly challenging but the Peril en Pointe books are great fun - a new one has just been published. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odyssey Posted December 6, 2020 Share Posted December 6, 2020 There are some lovely photographic books out there, but in terms of fairly recently published titles about the world of ballet, very little. There are also relatively few ballet biographies being published these days - more from America. I assume it’s the Dorling Kindersley one that you mean by ‘the ballet encyclopaedia’. If not it is definitely the one to get. It’s the one which Viviana Durante contributed to and is an excellent all round book. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justkeepsmiling Posted December 6, 2020 Share Posted December 6, 2020 A series I would recommend is the ‘Ballet for Drina’ series by Jean Estoril (although they are fiction, not autobiographical). I remember borrowing them from my school library as a teenager and loved them. They are out of print now but you can get them from Amazon, second hand. 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kanangra Posted December 6, 2020 Share Posted December 6, 2020 If looking for fiction what about Noel Streatfield - Ballet Shoes - and I think there was another one Ballet Shoes for Anna? or something like that. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kanangra Posted December 6, 2020 Share Posted December 6, 2020 8 hours ago, alison said: Avoid Hope in a Ballet Shoe, then - the first chapter is stomach-churning. We already have a thread or two on books, so I'm going to find them and merge this one. Does the young reader version tone it down though? (I would assume it would.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted December 6, 2020 Share Posted December 6, 2020 I didn't know there was one - sorry, missed your reference earlier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted December 6, 2020 Share Posted December 6, 2020 10 hours ago, jonac said: A super book is Jennifer Homans' Apollo's Angels. In addition to being a most fascinating history of ballet in many different European countries, Britain, Denmark, Russia, America, it contains much about the cultural and general history of the individual countries. Therefore, I would consider it most appropriate, informative, and interesting reading for a intelligent 12 year old. Glad to hear that she has read Jane Eyre. Watching the films or tv dramatisations of the story do not even approach the greatness of the actual novel. If she's to read that one, she should try reading around the subject elsewhere as well: some of what Ms Homans wrote has been deemed quite controversial, so a wider range of opinions should be sought. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted December 6, 2020 Share Posted December 6, 2020 Try also this thread (I may merge them in due course): 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meadowblythe Posted December 7, 2020 Share Posted December 7, 2020 I've attached a list recently compiled by a group of school librarians. Variety of reading ages, genre and print availability. Hope it may help someone ..Ballet and dance titles.xlsx 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Confuddled Posted December 7, 2020 Author Share Posted December 7, 2020 17 hours ago, meadowblythe said: Just added to my list for my school library .. it's a tough one, good readers want the full version but, for example, I have limited Misty Copeland's autobiography to older readers. Not a biography, and not particularly challenging but the Peril en Pointe books are great fun - a new one has just been published. What’s in Misty Copeland’s autobiography that might not be suitable? I had a look at some reviews and didn’t spot anything, so I had planned to get it. Peril en Pointe does sound fun - I think she’ll complain its too young for her, then secretly read it and love it 🙂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Confuddled Posted December 7, 2020 Author Share Posted December 7, 2020 15 hours ago, Kanangra said: If looking for fiction what about Noel Streatfield - Ballet Shoes - and I think there was another one Ballet Shoes for Anna? or something like that. She’s read that, and all the other Noel Streatfeilds as well. 12 hours ago, alison said: If she's to read that one, she should try reading around the subject elsewhere as well: some of what Ms Homans wrote has been deemed quite controversial, so a wider range of opinions should be sought. That’s useful to know, thanks! What else would you recommend? And how come it’s controversial? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meadowblythe Posted December 7, 2020 Share Posted December 7, 2020 Misty Copeland has a "gritty" (ie age 13+ in my library!) opening. But as a school librarian I have to err on the side of caution. lovereading4kids, btw, rates hope in a ballet shoe as 13+ - and the younger version as 11+. This is one of my go-to sites for books by age. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fiz Posted December 7, 2020 Share Posted December 7, 2020 52 minutes ago, Confuddled said: Peril en Pointe does sound fun - I think she’ll complain its too young for her, then secretly read it and love it 🙂 I’ve ordered it for me to read. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted December 7, 2020 Share Posted December 7, 2020 3 hours ago, Confuddled said: That’s useful to know, thanks! What else would you recommend? And how come it’s controversial? Unfortunately, Apollo's Angels came out in 2010, so the discussion would have been on the forerunner of this forum (being UK-based, I think people here took greater exception to her comments, which I think came across as a bit what you might call Balanchine-worship, and her lack of appreciation of various other choreographers, for a start. Also, having skimmed this thread, I'm reminded that she appeared to have a very narrow definition of what she deemed ballet to be - rather like people who don't believe that painting should be ugly) but you can get some idea from the discussion here: https://balletalert.invisionzone.com/topic/32852-apollos-angels-by-jennifer-homans/page/3/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odyssey Posted December 7, 2020 Share Posted December 7, 2020 (edited) A fairly recent title for youngsters is No Ballet Shoes in Syria by Catherine Bruton. Can highly recommend this. In the previous thread I suggested Dance of Shadows and Dance of Fire both by Yelena Black. I wouldn’t rule out Hope in a Ballet Shoe. Yes, the opening is quite hard hitting, but it is handled well and ultimately the book is uplifting and I am sure would appeal to a young teenager. Edited December 7, 2020 by Odyssey 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glowlight Posted December 7, 2020 Share Posted December 7, 2020 @Confuddled - I hope your dd can soon learn to appreciate books that she feels are too young for her. There are so many wonderful children's books it is a shame to limit yourself to your reading age. I regularly read children's books for pleasure, and can thoroughly recommend No Ballet Shoes in Syria as @Odyssey has. It deals with the harrowing issue of asylum seekers in a very age appropriate way. And of course has lots of ballet in it 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawnstar Posted December 7, 2020 Share Posted December 7, 2020 Another fiction series is Lorna Hill's Sadler's Wells books. The earlier books in the series were written while the author's daughter was at the Sadler's Wells ballet school in the late 40s/early 50s so presumably have a reasonable degree of accuracy as to learning ballet at that time & they mention some of the real-life dancers of the time. They certainly make me wish the RB would revive some of the ballets from that time that they've not done for a while, such as Job & Checkmate. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glowlight Posted December 7, 2020 Share Posted December 7, 2020 I loved Lorna Hill's books as a teenager, and was going to suggest them but I think they are out of print now. Definitely worth looking out for in second hand book shops. For me these are comfort books which I return to if times are tough. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted December 7, 2020 Share Posted December 7, 2020 3 hours ago, Dawnstar said: They certainly make me wish the RB would revive some of the ballets from that time that they've not done for a while, such as Job & Checkmate. That's a point: Kevin O'Hare was in Job the last time it appeared at the Royal Opera House (in its entirety), I think ... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted December 8, 2020 Share Posted December 8, 2020 10 hours ago, Dawnstar said: Another fiction series is Lorna Hill's Sadler's Wells books. The earlier books in the series were written while the author's daughter was at the Sadler's Wells ballet school in the late 40s/early 50s so presumably have a reasonable degree of accuracy as to learning ballet at that time & they mention some of the real-life dancers of the time. They certainly make me wish the RB would revive some of the ballets from that time that they've not done for a while, such as Job & Checkmate. Although it’s some time since BRB performed Job, the definitely performed Checkmate in 2012 (I saw them perform it in Munich). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meadowblythe Posted December 8, 2020 Share Posted December 8, 2020 Research shows that reading for pleasure is one of the best things you can do for your mental health - but it's about reading for pleasure. I've had to curb my innate desire to move students on from Wimpy Kid. The most significant factor was about the student being equipped to choose a book and having the freedom to choose for themselves - not parents, teachers or even librarians! I won't get started on why we should have more independent book shops. but modern books are a glorious thing. I'm attaching a picture of a pile of books I'm about to put out (colour of stickers indicates borrowing age, 20 just tells me the year it was put on the shelf) - and they are a visual treat - even before you start reading. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted December 8, 2020 Share Posted December 8, 2020 Darn. And Winnie-the-Pooh is in storage It seems to me there's a lot more good children's literature around than there was when I was young. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meadowblythe Posted December 8, 2020 Share Posted December 8, 2020 Winnie the Pooh is the font of all knowledge. Incidentally, I'd recommend Wink to anyone looking for a stocking filler for their Y6/7 DC https://www.lovereading4kids.co.uk/book/16925/Wink-by-Rob-Harrell.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsMoo2 Posted December 8, 2020 Share Posted December 8, 2020 DS has some anime comic type books, that are based on a boy ballet dancers experiences. Think Stephen McCrae had something to do with them. DS was so pleased when he found them, I’ll try to find it and post the title...xx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meadowblythe Posted December 8, 2020 Share Posted December 8, 2020 How fantastic! Please do post, and I'll try and add them to our library. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest oncnp Posted December 8, 2020 Share Posted December 8, 2020 3 minutes ago, meadowblythe said: How fantastic! Please do post, and I'll try and add them to our library. Probably not the right one but came across this https://www.amazon.com/Adventure-BALLET-FANTASY-Steven-Principal/dp/4403261078 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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