Footnotes: Dancing the World's Best-Loved Ballets

Augustyn, Frank; Tanaka, Shelley

ISBN 10: 0761323236 ISBN 13: 9780761323235

Publisher: Millbrook Pr, 1616

Synopsis

Describes the years of training and hard work involved in becoming a ballet dancer and the dedication and expertise needed to dance the lead roles in famous ballets such as Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake.

About this title

From Booklist

Gr. 5-8. Many books for young people discuss individual ballets, but few give readers the sense of the dancer's point of view. This one, written by Augustyn, former principal dancer with the Royal Ballet of Canada, and veteran nonfiction writer Tanaka, is different. Using the framework of seven major ballets--among them, La Sylphide , Giselle , and Romeo and Juliet--it considers matters such as the role of the male dancer, the physical demands of ballet (including the pain associated with dancing on pointe), and the challenges of partnering. It also relates many backstage stories. One, which recalls that exhausted ballerina Karen Kain fell asleep on the stage during a performance at the Metropolitan Opera House, adds a new dimension to The Sleep ing Beauty. Fine photographs, most in color, add enormously to the book's appeal. A well-crafted, readable volume, sure to entertain and enlighten ballet students and others who enjoy watching dance. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

From School Library Journal

Gr 7 Up-Based on a television series, Footnotes uses seven classical ballets as a jumping-off point to talk about the evolution of this unique art form, partnering, dancer as actor, training, costumes, choreography, and some of the world's most well-known performers. Each chapter includes the plot summary of a ballet and photos of productions in the U.S., Canada, or Europe. While a few sections end a bit abruptly, the authors share some delicious inside anecdotes, such as the time ballerina Karen Kain fell asleep on stage waiting for her prince in Sleeping Beauty. The tone is chatty and informal, and fascinating archival and contemporary black-and-white and full-color photographs are aptly chosen and well placed. A well-organized, handsomely designed volume.

Amy Kellman, The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, PA

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Millbrook Pr
• Publication date: 1616
• ISBN 10: 0761323236
• ISBN 13: 9780761323235
• Binding: Library Binding
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 94