Here’s what I got at The Strand:
The Pointe Book second edition, shoes, training, and technique by Janice Barringer and Sarah Schlesinger
Rori of roriroars recommended it when I was pointe shoe shopping, and four eyed ballerina did a write up, so I was specifically looking for this one. And there it was, bam!
Dance Is A Contact Sport by Joseph H. Mazo
Subtitle reads, “A season with the New York City Ballet- How the company works, from the corps de ballet to Balanchine and Robbins”
The season in question is 1973, and it’s one of those journalist-imbedded-with-the-dancers type books. Kinda gossipy, intimate, it’ll be a fun read.
How To Dance Forever by Daniel Nagrin
Subtitle on this one is, “Surviving Against The Odds. Tricks, tips, and philosophies that will help both the student and the professional dancer vault the 40-year barrier and live a long life in dance. A dance legend writes about diet, sex, dangers, healers, treatments, making a living, and, most important, the heart-mind of a dancer who survives.”
Phew! That is quite a subtitle, amiright?!
This one was published in 1988 and looks so woo-woo that I couldn’t resist.
Ooh, ooh, I got a shout-out! I feel all verklempt.
Can’t wait to hear about the Dance is a Contact Sport one… that sounds like some good summer reading right there!
After posting about The Pointe Book I ordered myself a copy too – Canada Post went on strike the next day! I have been waiting weeks
Why can’t all book stores have a dance section?
Dude! Bummer!
Oh… I wish I could buy so many dance books too, but I’m still a student and must spend all my money in academic books instead- they are so expensive! My parents asked me if I wanted something for my graduation next year, I told them I want as many dance books as they can get for me :p There’s still hope!
That’s such a great idea for a gift! Bet you’ll get all kinds of neat surprises!
Man, I remember academic books. Ruh-diculously expensive!
Well, in the meantime, keep you ballet radar up. Oftentimes you can find ballet books for cheapity-cheap-cheap in weird places. I’ve found a lot of great books at yard sales and thrift-shops, just gotta dig around a little, look behind the romance novels and stuff.
All of these books sound so good! I hope I can ad a few to my kindle.
Hope so! iBooks is pretty heavy on the biographies and light on the technique, let me know if you’re successful with kindle.
Oh! Apollo’s Angels by Jennifer Homans! I’m still working on reading it, kindle for iPad style, it’s dense but amaaaaaaazing. It’s like the caramel of ballet books.
The Pointe Book is excellent; very informative. I haven’t read the others, but you’ve made me interested in How To Dance Forever. May be my next kindle purchase.
Also, I just got Apollo’s Angels in hardcover (it was a gift, and really heavy!) but haven’t started it yet.