Product Description

Introducing a ballet class in a book. Created by Lise Friedman, a passionate ballerina as a little girl who grew up to dance with the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, and photographed by K.C. Bailey, whose dance photography is part of the Lincoln Center Dance Collection, First Lessons in Ballet is an intimate and innovative approach that takes the reader right into the studio and teaches basic steps and positions.

Each spread works as a lesson. On the left, in a full-length, silhouetted photograph with callouts, a young ballerina named Rebecca demonstrates each move. On the right, a group of younger kids who might be the reader's fellow students practice the moves, while brief text, written in the voice of a master teacher, explains exactly what to do. Covered are the five basic positions of ballet, followed by a series of exercises just as they would be performed in class--barre exercises, such as plie and rond de jambe; centerwork exercises, including arabesque and pas de bourree; and such jumps and turns as changement, pique, and emboite. Class finishes with reverence--a formal way dancers thank their teacher--and the book ends with a brief discussion of the next steps in ballet--pointe work and partnering.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1203886 in Books
• Published on: 1999-10
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 64 pages

From Publishers Weekly
From warm-ups in "Body Basics" to weighing acting as a vocation versus avocation, Break a Leg! The Kids' Guide to Acting and Stagecraft by Lise Friedman, photos by Mary Dowdle, provides aspiring actors with digestible chunks of information and photos. Brass tacks about getting an agent, going on auditions and joining a union, plus an appendix with suggested monologues, Web sites, etc., rounds out this valuable resource.

From School Library Journal
Grade 5-8-While appealing on the surface, this "ballet class in a book" is seriously flawed. The spreads-with an experienced teen on one side and multiethnic beginners on the other-start with a vague discussion of warm-ups. They continue with the five positions, barre work, center work, and jumping, and conclude with brief remarks on pointe work and partnering. Although the French terms are defined in context, there is no glossary (or index). In the barre section, confusingly, most photos show the dancers in the center of the studio. All of the photos are black and white. Basic steps such as battement frapp?, pas de chat, echapp? saut?, and assembl? are omitted. Friedman uses others (d?velopp?, attitude, and glissade) in combinations without adequately explaining them. The descriptions are unnecessarily complex and, as step-by-step pictures aren't always provided, are hard to follow. Darcey Bussell's The Young Dancer (DK, 1994) explains many of the same steps and has attractive color photos. For a real ballet class, though, students should turn to Thalia Mara's First Steps in Ballet, Second Steps in Ballet, and Third Steps in Ballet (all Princeton, 1987). These were originally published in the 1950s and rely on old-fashioned line drawings. However, they are thorough, easy to follow, and far more satisfying than Friedman's offering.
Ann W. Moore, Schenectady County Public Library, NY
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Friedman, who danced with the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, offers advice and perspective for students starting to study dance seriously. Following explanations of the studio, the barre, and dress for class, she discusses technique and offers tips related to the main positions and exercises familiar to ballet students, from plieto reverence. K. C. Bailey provided the photographs of younger and older students that illustrate the text. Children who are serious about learning ballet correctly may find this a helpful guide to consult outside of class. Carolyn Phelan

Customer Reviews

little girl in need of guidance
I have a little girl,Anna, whom just recently started into her first year of serious ballet instruction. She felt nervous and scared that she would look silly in front of the other girls who have been taking classes since their pre-school years. Anna on the other hand has only been taking them for a year and still has a hard time remembering all the names and termology. I purchased this book about a week after she started instruction and we have enjoyed every moment together. The description of the steps make it very easy for me to relate and tell her how to hold herself proper, and the pictures are a great reference for her when mom is not around. After reading the book Anna has received confidence and poise that I don't think she knew she had in her. Great Book for beginners!