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The Ballet Book: Learning and Appreciating the Secrets of Dance
– Nancy Ellison – The definitive book for learning and appreciating ballet, The Ballet Book follows the dancers of the American Ballet Theatre–both well-known and less well-known, through school, auditions, rehearsals and performing. Featuring photographs of the dancers at their most dramatic–and most intimate–and gives you the feeling as much as a book can of what it’s like to be a professional dancer. Fun and informative.
The Ballet Book – Darcy Bussel – An illustrated step-by-step guide for learning everything a young ballerina needs to know, from holding the barre to arabesques and pas de deux written by one of the world’s greatest ballerinas.
The Song Sings the Bird: A Manual on the Teaching of Classical Dance – Roger Tully – Today at 80 years of age, Roger Tully is our last direct link to the tradition associated with the golden age of the Marinsky Theatre, and one of the last masters of his generation. We often hear people say, “There aren’t any artists anymore, just technicians”. Yet, Roger Tully, as he meticulously transmits the Cecchetti method, disagrees: “We still have artists among us. What we’ve lost over recent decades is the Science of dance.” This book is an apprenticeship manual to classical dance. It is the work of a visionary and the fruit of twenty years of activity. The principles upon which Roger Tully works are universal and are present in all of the classical forms of art. The teaching concept discussed here is also a choreographic principle. Though the technical content of the manual is designed for a public of professional dancers and teachers, the introduction and first chapter would be of great use to all general readers interested in the history of ideas. Indeed, the text encourages readers to compare each idea to how it is applied in practice. The book is currently available in French. It is scheduled to be available in English in October of 2009. You can read more about the English edition by clicking here: http://www.italbooks.com/expo/expo2009/gremese.asp The French edition is available by clicking here: http://www.gremese.com/page.php?id_pag=2577
Letters On Dancing And Ballets
The dancer and choreographer Jean-George Noverre’s Letters on Dancing and Ballets were first published in Stuttgart in 1760 and set forth his ideas for the reform of ballet, ideas which were considered revolutionary in their day and indeed anticipated changes to be carried out more than a century later by Laban, Fokine and Jooss. At a time when court ballet had degenerated into a meaningless succession of conventional dances, Noverre advocated a unity of design and a logical progression from introduction to climax in which the whole was not sacrificed to the part and anything unnecessary to the theme was eliminated. Noverre’s Letters can be said without exaggeration to be one of the most important dance books ever published and through its influence Noverre can be seen as the grandfather of ballet as we know it. The present translation was made by the great dance historian Cyril W. Beaumont and first published by him in book form in 1930.
The Ballet Book: The Young Performer’s Guide to Classical Dance – National Ballet School of Canada Karen Kain (Foreword) – A guide for kids who love ballet. Includes sections on finding a teacher, evaluating a studio, and outfitting and grooming tips, plus chapters on ballet positions, steps and exercises with lots of pictures.
100 Lessons in Classical Ballet – Vera S. Kostrovitskaya – The complete 8-year curriculum of Lenningrad’s famed Vaganova Choreographic School, which trained Nureyev, Baryshnikov and Markova, including over 100 photographs. A volume which no teacher, scholar or student of the dance can afford to miss.
The Pointe Book: Shoes, Training & Technique Second Edition – Janice Barringer Sarah Schlesinger – A thorough examination of pointe technique and pointe shoes. Dancers tired of their pointe shoes wearing out too quickly benefit from research that illuminates the shoemaking process and tips that show how to best fit, care for, and custom order their shoes. Interviews with ballet stars Martine van Hamel and Darci Kistler reveal their highly evolved but proven methods of caring for pointe shoes. The basics of the pointe technique, different pointe methods, and the history of pointe are discussed. A handy reference on pointe-related injuries and their remedies is included.
The Ballet Companion: A Dancer’s Guide to the Technique, Traditions, and Joys of Ballet – Eliza Gaynor Minden – This book shares dancer-to-dancer advice, much of which is aimed at beginning-to-intermediate level dancers, or adults who are either starting or returning to a childhood passion; dancers who have been committed to the art for a couple of years will already know on the finer points of finding a school, how to behave in class and the basic positions and movements, though the crisp photographs of professionals demonstrating steps are quite useful. The chapter on pointework, Gaynor Minden’s specialty, is more valuable, and the pages devoted to dancer health contain vital information on eating disorders, injuries and supplemental physical training that teachers and students of all levels would do well to review. Her explanation of the differences between the six major ballet styles, along with the superb glossaries of terms and dance history timeline, make this book a valuable resource for dance studios and a great primer for dancers in the early stages of training.
The Joffrey Ballet School’s Ballet-Fit – Allison Kyle Leopold and Dena Moss – For the adult beginner ballet student. Ballet studios can be a bit intimidating, but needn’t be. Ballet Fit contains a combination of confidence-boosting ballet instruction and fitness facts, with plenty of photographs (although all in black and white), and tips. You’ll learn what to wear to class, the best way to break in a new pair of pointe shoes, and how to prevent injuries. With this book and some dedication, you can work your way toward becoming toned, flexible and fit.
Dancers’ Body Book – Allegra Kent – How do ballet dancers stay slender and willowy while maintaining the extraordinary energy it takes to perform night after night? Can a non-dancer or an amateur attain a dancer’s figure and a dancer’s vitality? Here, in The Dancers’ Body Book, the legendary ballerina Allegra Kent discloses the health, weight-watching, and relaxation secrets of some of the world’s greatest ballet dancers — from Suzanne Farrell and Fernando Bujones to Darci Kistler and Madame Alexandra Danilova. Includes diets, recipes and exercise regimens.
The Stark Reality of Stretching – Dr. Steven D. Stark – Improper muscle preparation prior to exercise is the most common cause of acute pain, strain, and permanent damage. Many of these injuries are preventable with proper lower extremity stretching. This book addresses the need for warm-up exercises, analyzes the stretching process, and illustrates anatomy and basic biomechanics. Applying the strategies outlined in this book will help keep an athlete/dancer healthy, build strength and power, and, most important, prevent injury.
The Dancing Gourmet – Linda Hymes – Winner 2002 Gourmand World Cookbook Award for Best Photography/Illustration! Professional ballerina and Le Cordon Bleu chef Linda Hymes marries the culinary and performing arts with over 100 easy to prepare recipes. Clear and concise step-by-step instructions create casual yet elegant meals that rely on healthy ingredients and vibrant spices. This unique book is a must for every cookbook lover!
The Young Person’s Guide to the Ballet – Anita Ganeri – Following the history of the dance from the first ballets in the French court of Louis XIV to the modern productions of the Dance Theatre of Harlem, The Young Person’s Guide to the Ballet introduces the greats of ballet – Fonteyn, Baryshnikov, Balanchine – as well as the choreographers, costume designers, and composers. Photographs from the world of dance illustrate the book, and the scores of Tchaikovsky’s classic ballets – The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, and The Sleeping Beauty are featured on the accompanying CD.
The Classic Ballet – Lincoln Kirstein, Muriel Stuart, and George Balanchine – A beloved classic! For decades the standard text for ballet technique, this book–first published in 1952–presents a beginner’s guide to basic movements, steps, and terminology. Written by the staff of the School of American Ballet, it builds on the Russian tradition of Anna Pavlova and reflects the dance style of George Balanchine. The 800 masterful drawings by Carlus Dyer demonstrate proper body position, balance point, movement, and attitude.
The Art of Teaching Ballet – Gretchen Warren – From Christiane Vaussard in Paris, to David Howard in New York City and Larisa Sklyanskaya in San Francisco, Gretchen Warren profiles ten world-renowned master ballet teachers to capture their philosophies, training methods, and the classroom presence that makes their instruction magical.
Technical Manual and Dictionary of Classical Ballet – Gail Grant – From adagio to voyage, over 800 steps, movements, poses, and concepts are fully defined. A pronunciation guide and cross-references to alternate names for similar steps and positions that vary from the Russian to the French or Italian schools are also invaluable aids.
Classical Ballet Technique – Gretchen Ward Warren – an important addition to the reference libraries of teachers and students of ballet. Warren, soloist with the Pennsylvania Ballet for 11 years and now associate professor of dance at the University of South Florida, explains the correct execution of every step in the ballet vocabulary. Dancers from the American Ballet Theatre and the Joffrey Ballet appear in over 2600 photographs and illustrate the movement.
Basic Principles of Classical Ballet – Agrippina Vaganova – Discusses 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.
Dance anatomy and kinesiology – Karen Sue Clippinger – A definitive textbook in dance anatomy, kinesiology, and conditioning.
Physics and the Art of Dance: Understanding Movement Kenneth Laws – Written by a physicist with professional dance training, this book explains how dancers can achieve better, safer performances through an understanding of physics in motion. Using simple, non-technical terms, Kenneth Laws combines his knowledge of both physics and dance to describe how the laws of gravity, momentum, and energy affect dancing bodies. Beautiful, original stop-action photographs by Martha Swope, along with clear diagrams, illustrate the concepts described in the text.
Classes in Classical Ballet – A companion guide to one of the bestselling Limelight Edition titles, this book by Asaf Messerer, a founder of what has become known as the Bolshoi School, is one of the most celebrated manuals of classic dance instruction in the world.
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