Ballet 101: A Complete Guide to Learning and Loving the Ballet (Limelight) Review

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(More customer reviews)Reading this book was a good learning experience -- the author, clearly, knows his stuff; at the same time, it's a bit awkward, hard to read (somewhat meandering, artificially florid, disjointed at times, with proofreading snafus -- for example, "graphein" is said to be a German word: obviously a typo made in haste) -- overall, I wish the writing were simpler, more to the point; it'd be great if an editor kneaded it all into a more graceful literary shape.

Recommended though: although the book can be improved, overall it's informative, quite good for a novice.

PS. When reading reviews on this page, please be careful to distinguish between bona-fide reviews by real readers and phony commercial blurbs by publishers' flunkeys who dishonestly use the amazon review capability to post advertizing copy here. A case in point, a review right above, by "D. Donovan, Editor/Sr. Reviewer": visit this person's reviews page and count the number of reviews posted in a single day. For example, on April 26, no less than forty (40!) reviews were added by this "reviewer", and so on, nearly every day, back to the beginning of time. No one can read forty books a day every day, to say nothing of reviewing them afterwards. I've discovered lately that this is a very widespread practice here. Beware! Not every reviewer posting something here is honest.

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Valery Gergiev and the Kirov: A Story of Survival (Amadeus) Review

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(More customer reviews)A smart, well-written, middlingly edited book on Valery Gergiev and the Mariinsky Theatre. A welcomed and useful historical perspective of the Mariinsky, and the theatre tradition of Petersburg in general, comes on strong the first third of the book. The book is surprisingly substantive given the quasi-coffeetable book guise. Interesting to read what's there on Gergiev, one of a handful of great living musicians, but nothing compares to experiencing his art live. I've been fortunate to hear him conduct around the world, each musical occasion nothing less than transfixing. He is as great an opera conductor as we have, fearlessly and justly serving as prophet to the West concerning Prokofiev's operas - experience Gergiev's War and Peace in the opera house and you'll know the ground he stands. Brilliant guy, always visionary, and always musically worth pursuing. Likewise this book, a valuable contribution blissfully abstemious with fluff photos. Another reviewer's note re the layout of the book is an estimable criticism, but some people will never see the forest. Overall, this is a book well worth your time and money.

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Fifty Ballet Masterworks: From the 16th Century to the 20th Century Review

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(More customer reviews)Lincoln Kirstein's genius as a writer of dance history is his ability to concisely and accurately relate dance to politics, industry, and economics--among other things. This book is organized chronologically by dance masterpieces, beginning with the sixteenth century and ending in the twentieth century. It's a great quick reference book to the great ballets. For each ballet, Kirstein describes the plot, creation of the ballet, and artistic collaborations that made the ballet possible. More importantly, he puts each ballet into historical context by discussing the art movements and politics of the time that affected the performers, choreographers, composers, costume designers, set designers, librettists, and other creative contributors to the ballets.

There is also a section of photographs, lithographs, etchings, and drawings at the end, in addition to the art that appears with each ballet. You won't find a lot of biographical information in the book, nor is it filled with anecdotes about the artists. The bibliography will point you in the right direction if you want to learn more. This is a straightforward, factual book that never ceases to educate and fascinate.

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Profusely illustrated vision of ballet as movement, art, theatrical spectacle, and history. Penetrating discussions of 50 seminal works, from the 16th to the 20th century. 474 illustrations.

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Les Noces in Full Score Review

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(More customer reviews)Dover reproduces old editions of masterworks at very economical prices."Les Noces" is a fine example and at an unbelievable price.The format is large, which is welcome, and the text is in both the originalRussian (indispensable), and in French.An English translation is providedseparately, in the introduction.
The volume is more sturdilyconstructed and in a much larger format than the Boosey and Hawkes scoresof Stravinsky pieces; my "Persephone", while it is a beautifuledition, is small, expensive, and falling apart despite careful treatment.

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A sort of choreographic cantata depicting Russian peasant nuptials, Les Noces ("The Wedding") was produced by Diaghilev in Paris in 1923. This outstandingly original work broke new musical ground with its compact, concise style, using unusual combinations of instruments with vocal accompaniment rather than a large orchestra. Reproduced from an authoritative score, this handsome, inexpensive volume incorporates new lists of contents and instrumentation; a glossary and preface (with illustrations); a Note on the Translation and Translation of the French Text.

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"Swan Lake" and "The Sleeping Beauty": Suites from the Ballets in Full Score Review

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(More customer reviews)As always, Tchaikovsky's finely crafted melodies flow from the page.The binding and print are easy to read and the paper is designed to last.Watching the notes dance across the page brings to mind the twirling ballerinas and wonderful stories that underlie these two masterpieces.
The Only regret that you'll have regarding this issue is that there is not a complete score out for either of these two monuments of the ballet world.

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More than a century after the debuts of these classic ballets, audiences thrill to their captivating melodies, magnificent orchestration, and romantic atmosphere. This convenient compilation features the full scores of Swan Lake and The Sleeping Beauty, reprinted from authoritative editions. Instrumentation.

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Grace Under Pressure: Passing Dance Through Time (Limelight) Review

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(More customer reviews)In Grace Under Pressure: Passing Dance Through Time, ballet expert Barbara Newman (Dance Critic of "Country Life" magazine and a journalist contributor to "Dancing Times"), has compiled remarkably informative interviews with eighteen contemporary illuminaries of the world of dance. This impressive collection of leading dancers and renowned dance instructors ranging from Suki Schorer (School of American Ballet) and Marc Du Bouays (Paris Opera Ballet School) to Yuri Fareyev, Margaret Mercier, and Richard Thomas. Enthusiastically recommended reading for anyone contemplating a life in ballet, Grace Under Pressure offers the reader a diverse selection of insights into the dedicated life and working world of the contemporary ballet as the aspirants experience the hard work and intense discipline for learning and practicing this demanding art.

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Grace under Pressure is a series of insightful essays by Ms. Newman and a collection of stimulating interviews with movers and shakers of today's dance world. They are: Suki Schorer, Violette Verdy, Kathryn Wade, Mark Morris, Anne Marie Vessel, Margaret Mercier, Robert Denvers, Richard Thomas, Sorella Englund, Marc du Bouays, Helgi Tomasson, Francia Russell, Maina Gielgud, David Bintley, Irina Kolpakova, Yuri Fateyev, Jean-Pierre Frohlich, Shelley Washington.
Grace under Pressure provides a brief history of important schools in four countries as well as a detailed overview of the audition policy, curriculum and pedagogic philosophy that shape each one. In dance as in every academic discipline, the classroom is a testing ground for dedicated pupils, who must constantly adapt to the rigorous demands of their chosen art. The subjects in this book speak openly about the challenges they face themselves as they attempt to breathe new life into familiar performance pieces and imbue each student with a unique love of dance that surpasses the drive for physical perfection.

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