Author: Jennifer C. Kronenberg
Publisher: University Press of Florida
ISBN: 0813051843
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 177
Book Description
"An insightful read from one of the ballet world’s most beloved married couples!"--Melinda Roy, former principal dancer, New York City Ballet "Wonderfully complete and instructive, written by two artists who have lived what they write about and are sharing their life experience from a deep and very human viewpoint. Bravo!"--Donald Mahler, former director, Metropolitan Opera Ballet "Perfect for inspiring dancers who want to learn more about the art of partnering."--Lauren Jonas, cofounder and artistic director, Diablo Ballet "An effective and lively resource to add to a dancer and teacher’s partnering skills toolkit."--Dean Speer, author of On Technique Traditionally, the pas de deux was designed as an interlude during longer ballets and showcased a ballerina’s skills. The male was a guide to her movements and steps, an unwavering extension of the ballerina. Today the pas de deux occupies a central role in dances and the reliance on a male’s strength has given way to endless modifications. Respect, patience, intuition, and awareness are just as significant as technique and the best partners communicate through breath, eye contact, and musical cues. In Experiencing the Art of Pas de Deux, professional dance couple Jennifer Carlynn Kronenberg and Carlos Miguel Guerra demystify the physical, emotional, and artistic intricacies that allow two to dance as one. They examine key components often overlooked in classes and textbooks, such as how to build and maintain the connections necessary for a trusting and successful team. Illuminating pas de deux work from both male and female perspectives, they detail the specific responsibilities of each partner. Step-by-step instructions are provided for proper posture, lifts, promenades, turns, and even dance conditioning--and QR code–accessible videos provide brief demonstrations of new and complex movements. Each chapter also includes personal anecdotes, offering a rare and intimate look at how partners can support one another and discover the inner workings of the finest and most memorable dances. Jennifer Carlynn Kronenberg is a former principal dancer with the Miami City Ballet. She has conducted master classes for Ballet Chicago and Ballet de Monterrey, among other companies and schools. She is the author of So, You Want to Be a Ballet Dancer? Carlos Miguel Guerra is a former principal dancer with the Miami City Ballet. He studied and worked with Fernando Alonso in Cuba, Ivan Nagy in Chile, and Edward Villella in Miami.
Experiencing the Art of Pas de Deux
Author: Jennifer C. Kronenberg
Publisher: University Press of Florida
ISBN: 0813051843
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 177
Book Description
"An insightful read from one of the ballet world’s most beloved married couples!"--Melinda Roy, former principal dancer, New York City Ballet "Wonderfully complete and instructive, written by two artists who have lived what they write about and are sharing their life experience from a deep and very human viewpoint. Bravo!"--Donald Mahler, former director, Metropolitan Opera Ballet "Perfect for inspiring dancers who want to learn more about the art of partnering."--Lauren Jonas, cofounder and artistic director, Diablo Ballet "An effective and lively resource to add to a dancer and teacher’s partnering skills toolkit."--Dean Speer, author of On Technique Traditionally, the pas de deux was designed as an interlude during longer ballets and showcased a ballerina’s skills. The male was a guide to her movements and steps, an unwavering extension of the ballerina. Today the pas de deux occupies a central role in dances and the reliance on a male’s strength has given way to endless modifications. Respect, patience, intuition, and awareness are just as significant as technique and the best partners communicate through breath, eye contact, and musical cues. In Experiencing the Art of Pas de Deux, professional dance couple Jennifer Carlynn Kronenberg and Carlos Miguel Guerra demystify the physical, emotional, and artistic intricacies that allow two to dance as one. They examine key components often overlooked in classes and textbooks, such as how to build and maintain the connections necessary for a trusting and successful team. Illuminating pas de deux work from both male and female perspectives, they detail the specific responsibilities of each partner. Step-by-step instructions are provided for proper posture, lifts, promenades, turns, and even dance conditioning--and QR code–accessible videos provide brief demonstrations of new and complex movements. Each chapter also includes personal anecdotes, offering a rare and intimate look at how partners can support one another and discover the inner workings of the finest and most memorable dances. Jennifer Carlynn Kronenberg is a former principal dancer with the Miami City Ballet. She has conducted master classes for Ballet Chicago and Ballet de Monterrey, among other companies and schools. She is the author of So, You Want to Be a Ballet Dancer? Carlos Miguel Guerra is a former principal dancer with the Miami City Ballet. He studied and worked with Fernando Alonso in Cuba, Ivan Nagy in Chile, and Edward Villella in Miami.
Publisher: University Press of Florida
ISBN: 0813051843
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 177
Book Description
"An insightful read from one of the ballet world’s most beloved married couples!"--Melinda Roy, former principal dancer, New York City Ballet "Wonderfully complete and instructive, written by two artists who have lived what they write about and are sharing their life experience from a deep and very human viewpoint. Bravo!"--Donald Mahler, former director, Metropolitan Opera Ballet "Perfect for inspiring dancers who want to learn more about the art of partnering."--Lauren Jonas, cofounder and artistic director, Diablo Ballet "An effective and lively resource to add to a dancer and teacher’s partnering skills toolkit."--Dean Speer, author of On Technique Traditionally, the pas de deux was designed as an interlude during longer ballets and showcased a ballerina’s skills. The male was a guide to her movements and steps, an unwavering extension of the ballerina. Today the pas de deux occupies a central role in dances and the reliance on a male’s strength has given way to endless modifications. Respect, patience, intuition, and awareness are just as significant as technique and the best partners communicate through breath, eye contact, and musical cues. In Experiencing the Art of Pas de Deux, professional dance couple Jennifer Carlynn Kronenberg and Carlos Miguel Guerra demystify the physical, emotional, and artistic intricacies that allow two to dance as one. They examine key components often overlooked in classes and textbooks, such as how to build and maintain the connections necessary for a trusting and successful team. Illuminating pas de deux work from both male and female perspectives, they detail the specific responsibilities of each partner. Step-by-step instructions are provided for proper posture, lifts, promenades, turns, and even dance conditioning--and QR code–accessible videos provide brief demonstrations of new and complex movements. Each chapter also includes personal anecdotes, offering a rare and intimate look at how partners can support one another and discover the inner workings of the finest and most memorable dances. Jennifer Carlynn Kronenberg is a former principal dancer with the Miami City Ballet. She has conducted master classes for Ballet Chicago and Ballet de Monterrey, among other companies and schools. She is the author of So, You Want to Be a Ballet Dancer? Carlos Miguel Guerra is a former principal dancer with the Miami City Ballet. He studied and worked with Fernando Alonso in Cuba, Ivan Nagy in Chile, and Edward Villella in Miami.
The Complete Ballet
Author: John Haskell
Publisher: Graywolf Press
ISBN: 1555979793
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 171
Book Description
A dark-hued, hybrid novel by a writer who “delivers our culture back to us, made entirely new” (A. M. Homes) In The Complete Ballet, John Haskell choreographs an intricate and irresistible pas de deux in which fiction and criticism come together to create a new kind of story. Fueled by the dramatic retelling of five romantic ballets, and interwoven with a contemporary story about a man whose daunting gambling debt pushes him to the edge of his own abyss, it is both a pulpy entertainment and a meditation on the physicality—and psychology—of dance. The unnamed narrator finds himself inexorably drawn back to the pre–cell phone world of Technicolor Los Angeles, to a time when the tragedies of his life were about to collide. Working as a part-time masseur in Hollywood, he attends an underground poker game with his friend Cosmo, a strip-club entrepreneur. What happens there hurtles the narrator down the road and into the room where the novel’s violent and surreal showdown leaves him a different person. As the narrator revisits his past, he simultaneously inhabits and reconstructs the mythic stories of ballet, assessing along the way the lives and obsessions of Nijinsky and Balanchine, Pavlova and Fonteyn, Joseph Cornell and the story’s presiding spirit, the film director John Cassavetes. This compulsively readable fiction is ultimately a profound and haunting consideration of the nature of art and identity.
Publisher: Graywolf Press
ISBN: 1555979793
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 171
Book Description
A dark-hued, hybrid novel by a writer who “delivers our culture back to us, made entirely new” (A. M. Homes) In The Complete Ballet, John Haskell choreographs an intricate and irresistible pas de deux in which fiction and criticism come together to create a new kind of story. Fueled by the dramatic retelling of five romantic ballets, and interwoven with a contemporary story about a man whose daunting gambling debt pushes him to the edge of his own abyss, it is both a pulpy entertainment and a meditation on the physicality—and psychology—of dance. The unnamed narrator finds himself inexorably drawn back to the pre–cell phone world of Technicolor Los Angeles, to a time when the tragedies of his life were about to collide. Working as a part-time masseur in Hollywood, he attends an underground poker game with his friend Cosmo, a strip-club entrepreneur. What happens there hurtles the narrator down the road and into the room where the novel’s violent and surreal showdown leaves him a different person. As the narrator revisits his past, he simultaneously inhabits and reconstructs the mythic stories of ballet, assessing along the way the lives and obsessions of Nijinsky and Balanchine, Pavlova and Fonteyn, Joseph Cornell and the story’s presiding spirit, the film director John Cassavetes. This compulsively readable fiction is ultimately a profound and haunting consideration of the nature of art and identity.
Pas de Deux
Author: Lynn Turner
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781980555872
Category : Ballerinas
Languages : en
Pages : 424
Book Description
It's said the artist is born of a damaged soul...Wilhelmina Allende is a prima ballerina. When tragedy turns her beloved Paris into a gilded cage, she jumps at the chance to work with one of the most prolific choreographers she's ever seen. But Zack's style is way out of her comfort zone. So is his teaching method. And his humor. And his everything. He's a charming little connard. It's hard not to like him. Merde. What has she gotten herself into?Zachary Coen's first musical is opening on Broadway. Much like his life, it's anything but conventional, so hiring Mina is simply out of the question. She's too...classical. Too perfect. She's all wrong for the role. Then he meets her in person and sees her cracks. Her broken pieces. How unique and beautiful each one is. And he can't help but notice how her edges seem to fit his...perfectly.Just when teaming up seems to be working, the monsters they've kept hidden threaten to rip it all apart.**Possible trigger warning: The hero is a child sexual assault survivor. He uses a coping mechanism throughout the story, and is triggered in a scene toward the end. (It doesn't get explicit, but it is not glossed over.)**
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781980555872
Category : Ballerinas
Languages : en
Pages : 424
Book Description
It's said the artist is born of a damaged soul...Wilhelmina Allende is a prima ballerina. When tragedy turns her beloved Paris into a gilded cage, she jumps at the chance to work with one of the most prolific choreographers she's ever seen. But Zack's style is way out of her comfort zone. So is his teaching method. And his humor. And his everything. He's a charming little connard. It's hard not to like him. Merde. What has she gotten herself into?Zachary Coen's first musical is opening on Broadway. Much like his life, it's anything but conventional, so hiring Mina is simply out of the question. She's too...classical. Too perfect. She's all wrong for the role. Then he meets her in person and sees her cracks. Her broken pieces. How unique and beautiful each one is. And he can't help but notice how her edges seem to fit his...perfectly.Just when teaming up seems to be working, the monsters they've kept hidden threaten to rip it all apart.**Possible trigger warning: The hero is a child sexual assault survivor. He uses a coping mechanism throughout the story, and is triggered in a scene toward the end. (It doesn't get explicit, but it is not glossed over.)**
Experiencing the Art of Pas de Deux
Author: Jennifer Carlynn Kronenberg
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780813062921
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
"An insightful read from one of the ballet world's most beloved married couples "--Melinda Roy, former principal dancer, New York City Ballet "Wonderfully complete and instructive, written by two artists who have lived what they write about and are sharing their life experience from a deep and very human viewpoint. Bravo "--Donald Mahler, former director, Metropolitan Opera Ballet "Perfect for inspiring dancers who want to learn more about the art of partnering."--Lauren Jonas, cofounder and artistic director, Diablo Ballet "An effective and lively resource to add to a dancer and teacher's partnering skills toolkit."--Dean Speer, author of On Technique Traditionally, the pas de deux was designed as an interlude during longer ballets and showcased a ballerina's skills. The male was a guide to her movements and steps, an unwavering extension of the ballerina. Today the pas de deux occupies a central role in dances and the reliance on a male's strength has given way to endless modifications. Respect, patience, intuition, and awareness are just as significant as technique and the best partners communicate through breath, eye contact, and musical cues. In Experiencing the Art of Pas de Deux, professional dance couple Jennifer Carlynn Kronenberg and Carlos Miguel Guerra demystify the physical, emotional, and artistic intricacies that allow two to dance as one. They examine key components often overlooked in classes and textbooks, such as how to build and maintain the connections necessary for a trusting and successful team. Illuminating pas de deux work from both male and female perspectives, they detail the specific responsibilities of each partner. Step-by-step instructions are provided for proper posture, lifts, promenades, turns, and even dance conditioning--and QR code-accessible videos provide brief demonstrations of new and complex movements. Each chapter also includes personal anecdotes, offering a rare and intimate look at how partners can support one another and discover the inner workings of the finest and most memorable dances. Jennifer Carlynn Kronenberg is a former principal dancer with the Miami City Ballet. She has conducted master classes for Ballet Chicago and Ballet de Monterrey, among other companies and schools. She is the author of So, You Want to Be a Ballet Dancer? Carlos Miguel Guerra is a former principal dancer with the Miami City Ballet. He studied and worked with Fernando Alonso in Cuba, Ivan Nagy in Chile, and Edward Villella in Miami.
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780813062921
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
"An insightful read from one of the ballet world's most beloved married couples "--Melinda Roy, former principal dancer, New York City Ballet "Wonderfully complete and instructive, written by two artists who have lived what they write about and are sharing their life experience from a deep and very human viewpoint. Bravo "--Donald Mahler, former director, Metropolitan Opera Ballet "Perfect for inspiring dancers who want to learn more about the art of partnering."--Lauren Jonas, cofounder and artistic director, Diablo Ballet "An effective and lively resource to add to a dancer and teacher's partnering skills toolkit."--Dean Speer, author of On Technique Traditionally, the pas de deux was designed as an interlude during longer ballets and showcased a ballerina's skills. The male was a guide to her movements and steps, an unwavering extension of the ballerina. Today the pas de deux occupies a central role in dances and the reliance on a male's strength has given way to endless modifications. Respect, patience, intuition, and awareness are just as significant as technique and the best partners communicate through breath, eye contact, and musical cues. In Experiencing the Art of Pas de Deux, professional dance couple Jennifer Carlynn Kronenberg and Carlos Miguel Guerra demystify the physical, emotional, and artistic intricacies that allow two to dance as one. They examine key components often overlooked in classes and textbooks, such as how to build and maintain the connections necessary for a trusting and successful team. Illuminating pas de deux work from both male and female perspectives, they detail the specific responsibilities of each partner. Step-by-step instructions are provided for proper posture, lifts, promenades, turns, and even dance conditioning--and QR code-accessible videos provide brief demonstrations of new and complex movements. Each chapter also includes personal anecdotes, offering a rare and intimate look at how partners can support one another and discover the inner workings of the finest and most memorable dances. Jennifer Carlynn Kronenberg is a former principal dancer with the Miami City Ballet. She has conducted master classes for Ballet Chicago and Ballet de Monterrey, among other companies and schools. She is the author of So, You Want to Be a Ballet Dancer? Carlos Miguel Guerra is a former principal dancer with the Miami City Ballet. He studied and worked with Fernando Alonso in Cuba, Ivan Nagy in Chile, and Edward Villella in Miami.
Turning Pointe
Author: Chloe Angyal
Publisher: Bold Type Books
ISBN: 1645036723
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 298
Book Description
A reckoning with one of our most beloved art forms, whose past and present are shaped by gender, racial, and class inequities—and a look inside the fight for its future Every day, in dance studios all across America, legions of little children line up at the barre to take ballet class. This time in the studio shapes their lives, instilling lessons about gender, power, bodies, and their place in the world both in and outside of dance. In Turning Pointe, journalist Chloe Angyal captures the intense love for ballet that so many dancers feel, while also grappling with its devastating shortcomings: the power imbalance of an art form performed mostly by women, but dominated by men; the impossible standards of beauty and thinness; and the racism that keeps so many people of color out of ballet. As the rigid traditions of ballet grow increasingly out of step with the modern world, a new generation of dancers is confronting these issues head on, in the studio and on stage. For ballet to survive the twenty-first century and forge a path into a more socially just future, this reckoning is essential.
Publisher: Bold Type Books
ISBN: 1645036723
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 298
Book Description
A reckoning with one of our most beloved art forms, whose past and present are shaped by gender, racial, and class inequities—and a look inside the fight for its future Every day, in dance studios all across America, legions of little children line up at the barre to take ballet class. This time in the studio shapes their lives, instilling lessons about gender, power, bodies, and their place in the world both in and outside of dance. In Turning Pointe, journalist Chloe Angyal captures the intense love for ballet that so many dancers feel, while also grappling with its devastating shortcomings: the power imbalance of an art form performed mostly by women, but dominated by men; the impossible standards of beauty and thinness; and the racism that keeps so many people of color out of ballet. As the rigid traditions of ballet grow increasingly out of step with the modern world, a new generation of dancers is confronting these issues head on, in the studio and on stage. For ballet to survive the twenty-first century and forge a path into a more socially just future, this reckoning is essential.
So, You Want To Be a Ballet Dancer?
Author: Jennifer Kronenberg
Publisher: Diversion Books
ISBN: 0983337101
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 72
Book Description
“A revealing book about the grueling—and glamorous—world of ballet” (Daily News, New York). Is everything really so beautiful at the ballet? For Miami City Ballet principal dancer Jennifer Carlynn Kronenberg it is; but it wasn’t always so. Learn how she made it through all of her high jinx mishaps, missteps, and tribulations, and continued on to a glorious career as a prima ballerina with an internationally acclaimed ballet company. Kronenberg shares her memoirs, hints, tips, and professional advice for aspiring dancers and their parents, hoping to ease them through the hard years of study as well as through the abrupt and challenging transition from student to professional. Covering everything from choosing a school and auditioning, to stage makeup and backstage basics, this books provides the answers young dancers need to help them survive in today’s challenging ballet world. “Chock-full of tips and advice for aspiring dancers and their parents, and includes a personal account of the ballerina’s rocky journey to fame.” —Brooklyn Downtown Star “Entertaining, realistic, and practical—that big sister that you’d like to have beside you.” —Ballet News
Publisher: Diversion Books
ISBN: 0983337101
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 72
Book Description
“A revealing book about the grueling—and glamorous—world of ballet” (Daily News, New York). Is everything really so beautiful at the ballet? For Miami City Ballet principal dancer Jennifer Carlynn Kronenberg it is; but it wasn’t always so. Learn how she made it through all of her high jinx mishaps, missteps, and tribulations, and continued on to a glorious career as a prima ballerina with an internationally acclaimed ballet company. Kronenberg shares her memoirs, hints, tips, and professional advice for aspiring dancers and their parents, hoping to ease them through the hard years of study as well as through the abrupt and challenging transition from student to professional. Covering everything from choosing a school and auditioning, to stage makeup and backstage basics, this books provides the answers young dancers need to help them survive in today’s challenging ballet world. “Chock-full of tips and advice for aspiring dancers and their parents, and includes a personal account of the ballerina’s rocky journey to fame.” —Brooklyn Downtown Star “Entertaining, realistic, and practical—that big sister that you’d like to have beside you.” —Ballet News
Being a Ballerina
Author: Gavin Larsen
Publisher: University Press of Florida
ISBN: 081306595X
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 268
Book Description
Finalist, the Arts Club of Washington Marfield Prize A look inside a dancer’s world Inspiring, revealing, and deeply relatable, Being a Ballerina is a firsthand look at the realities of life as a professional ballet dancer. Through episodes from her own career, Gavin Larsen describes the forces that drive a person to study dance; the daily balance that dancers navigate between hardship and joy; and the dancer’s continual quest to discover who they are as a person and as an artist. Starting with her arrival as a young beginner at a class too advanced for her, Larsen tells how the embarrassing mistake ended up helping her learn quickly and advance rapidly. In other stories of her early teachers, training, and auditions, she explains how she gradually came to understand and achieve what she and her body were capable of. Larsen then re-creates scenes from her experiences in dance companies, from unglamorous roles to exhilarating performances. Working as a ballerina was shocking and scary at first, she says, recalling unexpected injuries, leaps of faith, and her constant struggle to operate at the level she wanted—but full of enormously rewarding moments. Larsen also reflects candidly on her difficult decision to retire at age 35. An ideal read for aspiring dancers, Larsen’s memoir will also delight experienced dance professionals and fascinate anyone who wonders what it takes to live a life dedicated to the perfection of the art form.
Publisher: University Press of Florida
ISBN: 081306595X
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 268
Book Description
Finalist, the Arts Club of Washington Marfield Prize A look inside a dancer’s world Inspiring, revealing, and deeply relatable, Being a Ballerina is a firsthand look at the realities of life as a professional ballet dancer. Through episodes from her own career, Gavin Larsen describes the forces that drive a person to study dance; the daily balance that dancers navigate between hardship and joy; and the dancer’s continual quest to discover who they are as a person and as an artist. Starting with her arrival as a young beginner at a class too advanced for her, Larsen tells how the embarrassing mistake ended up helping her learn quickly and advance rapidly. In other stories of her early teachers, training, and auditions, she explains how she gradually came to understand and achieve what she and her body were capable of. Larsen then re-creates scenes from her experiences in dance companies, from unglamorous roles to exhilarating performances. Working as a ballerina was shocking and scary at first, she says, recalling unexpected injuries, leaps of faith, and her constant struggle to operate at the level she wanted—but full of enormously rewarding moments. Larsen also reflects candidly on her difficult decision to retire at age 35. An ideal read for aspiring dancers, Larsen’s memoir will also delight experienced dance professionals and fascinate anyone who wonders what it takes to live a life dedicated to the perfection of the art form.
I Was a Dancer
Author: Jacques D'Amboise
Publisher: Knopf
ISBN: 0307595234
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 465
Book Description
“Who am I? I’m a man; an American, a father, a teacher, but most of all, I am a person who knows how the arts can change lives, because they transformed mine. I was a dancer.” In this rich, expansive, spirited memoir, Jacques d’Amboise, one of America’s most celebrated classical dancers, and former principal dancer with the New York City Ballet for more than three decades, tells the extraordinary story of his life in dance, and of America’s most renowned and admired dance companies. He writes of his classical studies beginning at the age of eight at The School of American Ballet. At twelve he was asked to perform with Ballet Society; three years later he joined the New York City Ballet and made his European debut at London’s Covent Garden. As George Balanchine’s protégé, d’Amboise had more works choreographed on him by “the supreme Ballet Master” than any other dancer, among them Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux; Episodes; A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream; Jewels; Raymonda Variations. He writes of his boyhood—born Joseph Ahearn—in Dedham, Massachusetts; his mother (“the Boss”) moving the family to New York City’s Washington Heights; dragging her son and daughter to ballet class (paying the teacher $7.50 from hats she made and sold on street corners, and with chickens she cooked stuffed with chestnuts); his mother changing the family name from Ahearn to her maiden name, d’Amboise (“It’s aristocratic. It has the ‘d’ apostrophe. It sounds better for the ballet, and it’s a better name”). We see him. a neighborhood tough, in Catholic schools being taught by the nuns; on the streets, fighting with neighborhood gangs, and taking ten classes a week at the School of American Ballet . . . being taught professional class by Balanchine and by other teachers of great legend: Anatole Oboukhoff, premier danseur of the Maryinsky; and Pierre Vladimiroff, Pavlova’s partner. D’Amboise writes about Balanchine’s succession of ballerina muses who inspired him to near-obsessive passion and led him to create extraordinary ballets, dancers with whom d’Amboise partnered—Maria Tallchief; Tanaquil LeClercq, a stick-skinny teenager who blossomed into an exquisite, witty, sophisticated “angel” with her “long limbs and dramatic, mysterious elegance . . .”; the iridescent Allegra Kent; Melissa Hayden; Suzanne Farrell, who Balanchine called his “alabaster princess,” her every fiber, every movement imbued with passion and energy; Kay Mazzo; Kyra Nichols (“She’s perfect,” Balanchine said. “Uncomplicated—like fresh water”); and Karin von Aroldingen, to whom Balanchine left most of his ballets. D’Amboise writes about dancing with and courting one of the company’s members, who became his wife for fifty-three years, and the four children they had . . . On going to Hollywood to make Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and being offered a long-term contract at MGM (“If you’re not careful,” Balanchine warned, “you will have sold your soul for seven years”) . . . On Jerome Robbins (“Jerry could be charming and complimentary, and then, five minutes later, attack, and crush your spirit—all to see how it would influence the dance movements”). D’Amboise writes of the moment when he realizes his dancing career is over and he begins a new life and new dream teaching children all over the world about the arts through the magic of dance. A riveting, magical book, as transformative as dancing itself.
Publisher: Knopf
ISBN: 0307595234
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 465
Book Description
“Who am I? I’m a man; an American, a father, a teacher, but most of all, I am a person who knows how the arts can change lives, because they transformed mine. I was a dancer.” In this rich, expansive, spirited memoir, Jacques d’Amboise, one of America’s most celebrated classical dancers, and former principal dancer with the New York City Ballet for more than three decades, tells the extraordinary story of his life in dance, and of America’s most renowned and admired dance companies. He writes of his classical studies beginning at the age of eight at The School of American Ballet. At twelve he was asked to perform with Ballet Society; three years later he joined the New York City Ballet and made his European debut at London’s Covent Garden. As George Balanchine’s protégé, d’Amboise had more works choreographed on him by “the supreme Ballet Master” than any other dancer, among them Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux; Episodes; A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream; Jewels; Raymonda Variations. He writes of his boyhood—born Joseph Ahearn—in Dedham, Massachusetts; his mother (“the Boss”) moving the family to New York City’s Washington Heights; dragging her son and daughter to ballet class (paying the teacher $7.50 from hats she made and sold on street corners, and with chickens she cooked stuffed with chestnuts); his mother changing the family name from Ahearn to her maiden name, d’Amboise (“It’s aristocratic. It has the ‘d’ apostrophe. It sounds better for the ballet, and it’s a better name”). We see him. a neighborhood tough, in Catholic schools being taught by the nuns; on the streets, fighting with neighborhood gangs, and taking ten classes a week at the School of American Ballet . . . being taught professional class by Balanchine and by other teachers of great legend: Anatole Oboukhoff, premier danseur of the Maryinsky; and Pierre Vladimiroff, Pavlova’s partner. D’Amboise writes about Balanchine’s succession of ballerina muses who inspired him to near-obsessive passion and led him to create extraordinary ballets, dancers with whom d’Amboise partnered—Maria Tallchief; Tanaquil LeClercq, a stick-skinny teenager who blossomed into an exquisite, witty, sophisticated “angel” with her “long limbs and dramatic, mysterious elegance . . .”; the iridescent Allegra Kent; Melissa Hayden; Suzanne Farrell, who Balanchine called his “alabaster princess,” her every fiber, every movement imbued with passion and energy; Kay Mazzo; Kyra Nichols (“She’s perfect,” Balanchine said. “Uncomplicated—like fresh water”); and Karin von Aroldingen, to whom Balanchine left most of his ballets. D’Amboise writes about dancing with and courting one of the company’s members, who became his wife for fifty-three years, and the four children they had . . . On going to Hollywood to make Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and being offered a long-term contract at MGM (“If you’re not careful,” Balanchine warned, “you will have sold your soul for seven years”) . . . On Jerome Robbins (“Jerry could be charming and complimentary, and then, five minutes later, attack, and crush your spirit—all to see how it would influence the dance movements”). D’Amboise writes of the moment when he realizes his dancing career is over and he begins a new life and new dream teaching children all over the world about the arts through the magic of dance. A riveting, magical book, as transformative as dancing itself.
Physics and the Art of Dance
Author: Kenneth Laws
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 9780198033080
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 264
Book Description
Written by a physicist with professional dance training, Physics and the Art of Dance 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. The book explores the natural laws that govern the subtleties of balance, the techniques of leaps and pirouettes, and the impressive lifts and turns executed by ballet partners. Finally, Laws offers insight into two current discussions in the dance world--the effect of body size on ballet technique, and the relationship between science and the art of dance. Beautiful, original stop-action photographs by Martha Swope, along with clear diagrams, illustrate the concepts described in the text. Plus, an intriguing "puzzler" at the beginning of each chapter provides an engaging entrée into the topics presented. For those who want a more advanced understanding of the physics, extensive appendices are provided. This new book combines the best features of Laws's widely acclaimed The Physics of Dance and Physics, Dance, and the Pas de Deux by Laws and Cynthia Harvey. Its expert application of the basic principles of physics to the art of dance will be an invaluable resource for dancers and dance instructors and will open a new level of appreciation for lovers of the form. It will also appeal to physicists who seek to include the arts in their scientific pursuits.
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 9780198033080
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 264
Book Description
Written by a physicist with professional dance training, Physics and the Art of Dance 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. The book explores the natural laws that govern the subtleties of balance, the techniques of leaps and pirouettes, and the impressive lifts and turns executed by ballet partners. Finally, Laws offers insight into two current discussions in the dance world--the effect of body size on ballet technique, and the relationship between science and the art of dance. Beautiful, original stop-action photographs by Martha Swope, along with clear diagrams, illustrate the concepts described in the text. Plus, an intriguing "puzzler" at the beginning of each chapter provides an engaging entrée into the topics presented. For those who want a more advanced understanding of the physics, extensive appendices are provided. This new book combines the best features of Laws's widely acclaimed The Physics of Dance and Physics, Dance, and the Pas de Deux by Laws and Cynthia Harvey. Its expert application of the basic principles of physics to the art of dance will be an invaluable resource for dancers and dance instructors and will open a new level of appreciation for lovers of the form. It will also appeal to physicists who seek to include the arts in their scientific pursuits.
Life in Motion
Author: Misty Copeland
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1476737983
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 288
Book Description
Profiles the life and career of the professional ballerina, covering from when she began dance classes at age thirteen in an after-school community center through becoming the only African American soloist dancing with the American Ballet Theatre.
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1476737983
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 288
Book Description
Profiles the life and career of the professional ballerina, covering from when she began dance classes at age thirteen in an after-school community center through becoming the only African American soloist dancing with the American Ballet Theatre.