Books about ballet and famous dancers

[Dawnstar]

11 hours ago, Jan McNulty said:

Although it’s some time since BRB performed Job, the definitely performed Checkmate in 2012 (I saw them perform it in Munich).

 

Since I've only visited Munich once in my life - in 2006 for the last ever Marschallin performance by one of my favourite sopranos, Dame Felicity Lott - I'm afraid that BRB performing Checkmate there in 2012 wouldn't have been any help for my being able to see it, even if I'd known about it at the time.

[Dawnstar]

19 hours ago, glowlight said:

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.

 

They are out of print but the earlier ones are reasonably easy to find secondhand, as they've been reprinted a number of times over the decades, while the later ones, which used to be very difficult to find, were reprinted in paperback by Girls Gone By publishers over the last decade or so. In any case, the later ones tend to have less about ballet training than the earlier ones so I imagine they would probably be of less interest to someone reading them from the point of view of wanting to read about ballet (as opposed to someone like me who has little ballet knowledge but collects girls' books).

[Jan McNulty]

14 minutes ago, Dawnstar said:

 

Since I've only visited Munich once in my life - in 2006 for the last ever Marschallin performance by one of my favourite sopranos, Dame Felicity Lott - I'm afraid that BRB performing Checkmate there in 2012 wouldn't have been any help for my being able to see it, even if I'd known about it at the time.

 

That was the last time I saw them do it that I can remember but they had performed the work just before that on tour in the UK.

[alison]

11 hours ago, meadowblythe said:

Winnie the Pooh is the font of all knowledge. 

 

 

Which reminds me, I have an unread copy of The Tao of Pooh sitting around.  I suppose I could read it when we go back into lockdown.

[Bunny]

Thanks for this thread! Just ordered ‘Peril en pointe’ for my DS’s stocking 😁

[Legseleven]

I loved (and re-read as a teenager 😉) the Moth Graham books by Jean Richardson (The First Step, Dancer in the Wings and One Foot on the Ground) and also the dance books by Jean Ure (Nicola Mimosa, A Proper Little Nooryeff and one title which currently escapes me).

The Rumer Godden dance books were also enjoyable - ?Candle in the Wind (although I’m now doubting myself about that title - and humming the Elton John song) and at least one more. I shall try to find the correct title/s. 
I also preferred Curtain Up by Noel Streatfeild to her Ballet Shoes. (I realise that this is probably sacrilege!) 

 

[Legseleven]

Rumer Godden: it’s A Candle For St Jude, not a Candle in the Wind 😂 and Listen to the Nightingale. I confess that I found copies of these quite recently and re-read them with enjoyment and I am considerably older than 12 and read widely and voraciously. 

Jean Ure: the other one is Hi There Supermouse. 

[LinMM]

Ha ha Legseleven I love your mix up made me smile. 
Actually am looking for an adult ballet book does anyone know a very recently published ballet book either a Biography  or a more photographic book. I did google but can’t find one that’s less then ten years old 🤔 

[Guest oncnp]

2 minutes ago, LinMM said:

Actually am looking for an adult ballet book does anyone know a very recently published ballet book either a Biography  or a more photographic book.

 

Ballerina Project (2019) 

 

Created by New York City-based photographer Dane Shitagi over the span of eighteen years, Ballerina Project has become the most significant, unique, and creative photographic archive of renowned ballerinas in the world.

A brilliant collection of photographs that encapsulate the delicate majesty of ballerinas around the world: With over one million followers on Instagram, Ballerina Project has the largest network of fans in the world for ballet and has become an online phenomenon.

• Featuring over 170 inspiring black and white and full-color photographs that beautifully capture the artistry, strength, and dedication of more than 50 accomplished ballerinas
• Iconic locations across the globe including New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Buenos Aires, London, Rome, and Paris create a timeless backdrop for these remarkable portraits
• Introductions by renowned principal ballerinas Isabella Boylston and Francesca Hayward are also included to provide a more exclusive reading experience

 

[Jan McNulty]

31 minutes ago, LinMM said:

Ha ha Legseleven I love your mix up made me smile. 
Actually am looking for an adult ballet book does anyone know a very recently published ballet book either a Biography  or a more photographic book. I did google but can’t find one that’s less then ten years old 🤔 

 

Mary Li, wife of Li Cunxin, fondly remembered as Mary McKendry of London Festival Ballet has recently published a memoir as has David McAllister the just retired AD of Australian Ballet.  Both had various reviews and features in links.

[LinMM]

Many thanks you two....the Ballerina Project does seem interesting ...I’ve also just discovered   Carlos Acosta at the Royal Ballet ( 2015) so am interested in that one. 
Also the David McAllister book could be a winner as the person am buying for is Australian ..though a Brit now. 

[balletboy8]

On 06/12/2020 at 11:35, Confuddled said:

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.

My DS won't thank me for saying but he is really enjoying The Royal Ballet School DIARIES - by Alexandra Moss - there are about 6 books in the series. He is also able to read at an adult level perhaps not yet able to read with that level of comprehension - he is 10 so not sure if they are too young for your DD. However, I also enjoyed reading them and I'm quite a lot older 😁

[meadowblythe]

Just seen Waterstones is offering signed copies of Into the Spotlight

 

https://www.waterstones.com/book/into-the-spotlight/carrie-hope-fletcher/9780241503829

 

[BalletBear]

On 11/12/2020 at 18:41, balletboy8 said:

My DS won't thank me for saying but he is really enjoying The Royal Ballet School DIARIES - by Alexandra Moss - there are about 6 books in the series. He is also able to read at an adult level perhaps not yet able to read with that level of comprehension - he is 10 so not sure if they are too young for your DD. However, I also enjoyed reading them and I'm quite a lot older 😁

I agree with your son! I was about 12 when I read them and even if they were a bit “easy” I absolutely loved them!! 

[Lusodancer]

I love scouring second-hand book shops anywhere ,including Europe for English titles, and have picked up several old autobiographies and history of dance, occasionally first editions. I usually give them to my DD as Christmas or Birthday presents. She found the book by Gelsey Kirkland online herself. She has is just finishing the Nuryev and has devoured an old history of modern ballet with a lot of information about  long forgotten or rarely performed ballets.  She was fascinated by the stories, but in any case she loves to learn the history of the art, studies many old films and reads online the biographical accounts of Russian dancers published by one of the  history teachers of the  Russian ballet academies( I forget which) and just soaks it all up .    

[bridiem]

On 10/12/2020 at 17:27, Legseleven said:

I also preferred Curtain Up by Noel Streatfeild to her Ballet Shoes. (I realise that this is probably sacrilege!) 

 

 

Not to me! I loved Ballet Shoes, but for some reason it's Curtain Up that I return to time and time again. Something about the wartime setting, I think. I've read it so often there are bits I almost know by heart!!

[Jan McNulty]

Pointe Magazine has some suggestions:

 

https://www.pointemagazine.com/the-year-in-ballet-books-2649530542.html?rebelltitem=11#rebelltitem11

[Jan McNulty]

Wendy Perron has produced a list of notable books published in 2020.

 

https://wendyperron.com/notable-dance-books-of-2020/

[Fiz]

Thank you so much, Jan!

[Jan McNulty]

For younger children - 5 picture dance books:

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/30/books/review/misty-copeland-setor-fiadzigbey-bunheads.html

[onemouseplace]

On 07/12/2020 at 20:15, 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.

 

The Lorna Hill Sadler's Wells books, especially the earlier ones with Veronica, Sebastian and Caroline, were my absolute favourite ballet fiction when I was a teenager.  I was never going to be a dancer myself, but I definitely ascribe some of my love of ballet now to reading them over and over.

 

On 07/12/2020 at 22:32, glowlight said:

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.  

 

Yes, same here.  I'm so sad that my eldest daughter, who is a total bookworm, has no interest in ballet whatsover and refuses to read them!

[Sim]

Hi everyone.  I haven't read this book yet as it hasn't been published, but it looks very interesting and a 'must read' for both parents and dancing children, just to give an idea of what might lie ahead.  It is written by Sabine Naghdi, mother of Royal Ballet Principal Yasmine Naghdi.  As if that weren't already enough of an enticement, some of the photos featured in the book are by our very own Dave Morgan!  This could make a very nice Christmas present...see below for more info:

 

"Tears of a Ballet Mum" is a candid memoir and opens a fascinating window on the emotive journey of a ballet mum: the mother of Yasmine Naghdi, Principal ballerina of The Royal Ballet.

She presents a unique perspective, not only on her initial doubts and hesitation prior to her twelve-year-old daughter commencing her classical ballet training at The Royal Ballet School, she also offers a great insight into what it takes to support a talented child throughout the training years, how to deal with various mental challenges and building mental strength, taking ownership of the training, and ensuring overall mental well-being. When her daughter was about to give it all up at the age of sixteen, she ensured her crisis turned into a victory. 

She takes the reader through thirteen chapters from "Her dream was never mine", "Firstly, let's talk about the ballet mum", "Can talent can be spotted?", "What led her to The Royal Ballet School?", "A year as a Junior Associate", "Training at the Lower School: her White Lodge years", "A make or a break year? A year of crisis", "Seven months in the Graduate Year", "From corps de ballet to first soloist", "Life as a Principal ballerina", "And down came the curtains at the Royal Opera House", "The end of my journey", 

to "A tete-a-tete with my daughter".

 

260 pages with over 70 private, backstage, and performance colour photos.

U.K. Publication Date: 9th December

Signed copies available to pre-order via Shopify 

Delivery: from 1st December onwards from  https://tears-of-a-ballet-mum.myshopify.com/products/tears-of-a-ballet-mum

 

 

 

[Tango Dancer]

On 07/12/2020 at 18:00, glowlight said:

@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

 

I loved No Ballet Shoes in Syria.  I know I'm not the target age group but I thought it was really good.  

[alison]

20 hours ago, Sim said:

Hi everyone.  I haven't read this book yet as it hasn't been published, but it looks very interesting and a 'must read' for both parents and dancing children, just to give an idea of what might lie ahead.  It is written by Sabine Naghdi, mother of Royal Ballet Principal Yasmine Naghdi.  As if that weren't already enough of an enticement, some of the photos featured in the book are by our very own Dave Morgan!  This could make a very nice Christmas present...see below for more info:

 

 

There's a thread discussing the book in the "News" forum:

 

 

[bridiem]

40 minutes ago, art_enthusiast said:

Just wondering if anyone can recommend any other good ballet biographies/autobiographies? I read Rudolf Nureyev: The Life recently (by Julie Kavanagh) and found it extremely detailed and interesting.

 

Of similar quality are Kavanagh's biography of Ashton ('Secret Muses'), Jan Parry on MacMillan ('Different Drummer') and Meredith Daneman's 'Margot Fonteyn'.

[FionaM]

Also David Hallberg’s A Body of Work 

[art_enthusiast]

12 minutes ago, FionaE said:

Also David Hallberg’s A Body of Work 

I've read that - probably my favourite, it's an amazing book.

[FLOSS]

My suggestions begin with three autobiographies  Karsavina's  "Theatre Street", "Dancing for Diaghilev" the recollections of the English dancer, Lydia Sokolova of working for the great man coauthored by Richard Buckle, and the first volume of Bronislava Nijinska's autobiography. I would add  Richard Buckle's biographies of Diaghilev and Nijinsky. While the  scholarship may have dated a bit Buckle, a ballet critic who studied ballet to understand it, and staged the first great Diaghilev exhibition to mark the twenty fifth anniversary of the impresario's death in 1954, was the first to write seriously about both men and of course he had met and knew a lot of those who were involved with Diaghilev's company over the years.

[FionaM]

Geksey Kirkland’s Dancing on My Grave is rather shocking … and possibly not entirely honest (in my personal opinion) about how much drug taking was going on in order to perform. 
 

I’m sure there are dancers now having operations/procedures to improve their appearance … more arched feet, less chunky thighs, smaller breasts, etc. 

[art_enthusiast]

49 minutes ago, FionaE said:

Geksey Kirkland’s Dancing on My Grave is rather shocking … and possibly not entirely honest (in my personal opinion) about how much drug taking was going on in order to perform. 
 

I’m sure there are dancers now having operations/procedures to improve their appearance … more arched feet, less chunky thighs, smaller breasts, etc. 

Yes, I've heard that her book is quite detailed about this. It seems like she went through a lot (I haven't read it yet). I'm interested to see more of the performances she did with the Royal Ballet, if I can find any. I think I found a recording of her Juliet performance, which was amazing. It looks like she had a great experience with the RB.

[FionaM]

Oops…  just spotted typo too late to amend …. Gelsey obviously (need better 👓)

Edited December 9, 2021 by FionaE

[art_enthusiast]

1 hour ago, FLOSS said:

My suggestions begin with three autobiographies  Karsavina's  "Theatre Street", "Dancing for Diaghilev" the recollections of the English dancer, Lydia Sokolova of working for the great man coauthored by Richard Buckle, and the first volume of Bronislava Nijinska's autobiography. I would add  Richard Buckle's biographies of Diaghilev and Nijinsky. While the  scholarship may have dated a bit Buckle, a ballet critic who studied ballet to understand it, and staged the first great Diaghilev exhibition to mark the twenty fifth anniversary of the impresario's death in 1954, was the first to write seriously about both men and of course he had met and knew a lot of those who were involved with Diaghilev's company over the years.

Thank you for the recommendations.

Just wondering if anyone has read Holding on to the Air by Suzanne Farrell? I'd really like to read it, to get more of an insight into the New York City Ballet's early years.

[Dance*is*life]

There's a slightly old fashioned series of books about Drina by Mabel Esther Allen which I adored as a young student. I believe they're still in print and there are about a dozen of them.  What's nice is that she grows up throughout the series, so it's great even for teenagers. I also loved the Lorna Hill books and The Ballet Family, which is also by Mabel Esther Allen.  I loved Noel Streatfeild. My favourite was actually Dancing Shoes (though it was called something else in my day)  and I also loved White Boots, which is now called Skating Shoes.  Even though it was about skating and not dance, it spoke to me.  I would also heartily recommend the abridged version of Mao's Last Dancer, simply because the adult version might have parts not suitable for a 12 year old.