Book Description

Rudolf Laban was one of the great theorists and practitioners of movement. In Laban for All, expert teachers ofLaban's techniques offer simplified version of his system that can be used by anyone, from beginners to pros.

Extensively illustrated with John Dalby's line drawings and diagrams, Laban for All lays out the basic vocabulary of the Laban system and goes on to offer specific exercises.

The result is a thorough - and thoroughly practical - grounding in the most important movement system in use today. ... Read more

Book Description

Simple guidelines for the business of "making up dances!" Choreographers do not make dances out of words. They compose them in the vocabulary of movement. Dr. Ellfeldt has long demonstrated her command of that vocabulary in her own dance compositions. Now, in A Primer for Choreographers, she has undertaken the difficult task of explaining its alphabet to beginning students. Beginning with a brief definition of dance, this book supplies young dancers not with an easy explanation of the process of choreography, but with some tools for finding their own processes. It is a primer, a beginner's book, which identifies the alphabet and the rules of grammar and spelling of dance. It is not a how-to book, for no one is sure how to succeed as a choreographer--except by really trying. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A pretty good book
This book, like the title says, is a primer for choreographers. That means this book explains the basics to beginners like me. It explained in rich language how choreographers should do their jobs well. It helped me understand that dance is more than a bunch of people moving around. In some places, it gets a little hard to understand and a little too philosophical, but overall, it is a good, informative book. I would recommend this to ameteur choreographers, but not to those with more experience. ... Read more

Book Description

From Christiane Vaussard in Paris, to David Howard in New York City and Larisa Sklyanskaya in San Francisco, Gretchen Warren profiles ten world-renowned master ballet teachers to capture their philosophies, training methods, and the classroom presence that makes their instruction magical.

Based on extensive interviews and classroom observation, each profile is an entertaining and enlightening mix of personal anecdotes and details about teaching techniques, class content and organization. Warren also includes a section of signature exercises drawn from each teacher. Because of the master teachers' diversity of styles and methods, as well as their occasional disputes with traditional wisdom, the book offers a brisk stimulant for reflecting on the values of developing and holding true to one's own style and beliefs.

Warren combines her years of experience as a dancer and master ballet teacher and her engaging writing style to create a living history of 20th-century classical ballet training.Like their legions of students, readers will appreciate not only these teachers' philosophies, their endless curiosity, and their devotion to ballet, but also what distinguishes them. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

An Inspiring Book!
Every ballet teacher must own this book. You will gain enormous insight into how 10 master teachers pass on the art of ballet to their students. You may not be drawn to the teaching styles of each teacher but you will learn something from everybody. Each chapter begins with a short essay in which Ms. Warren weaves what she learned from interviewing the master teachers about how they developed their method of teaching with specific accounts of what she observed in their classes. Each chapter concludes with "Classroom Quotes," the order of exercises in a technique class, and the pedagogical lineage of the master teacher. At the end of the book, Ms. Warren includes several exercises constructed by each of the master teachers. For non-teachers, this book will give you renewed appreciation for the work that goes into making a dancer.

Informative
Two years ago, we purchased this book for our son for his 16th birthday for several reasons. The major two were that his own ballet teacher -- Larry Long -- was one of the teachers written about in the book. Also, he had taken classes with the author one summer, loved her as a teacher, and continually referred to her previous book -- Classical Ballet Technique. After we purchased the book, he discovered that several teachers with whom he had either taken classes or about whom he had heard were also covered in the book. He enjoyed the book because of the biographies of each of the teachers and because of the descriptions of their techniques and classes. He assumes that if he ever teaches he will enjoy rereading the book to see the information from a different perspective. We, his parents, have enjoyed it because we have little knowledge of the world of ballet and it gave us more insight into it. Of course, our favorite chapter was the one about his teacher as we learned more of his background, many of the people we knew were mentioned, it gave us greater insight into his teaching style, and the pictures were great. However, the other chapters were very informative and helpful to parents of a serious ballet student. (Since we had no background in ballet, it helped us understand the field a little more.) ... Read more

Book Description

With this brilliantly imagined and beautifully achieved work, Gretchen Warren has created the fisrt comprehensive, photgraphicaly illustrated reference and teaching guie on classical ballet technique. In more than 2,600 photographs, Johan Renvall, Cynthia Harvey, Susan Jaffe, and an array o other dancers from such companies as the American Ballet Theatre and the Joffrey Ballet demonstrate in sequence every movement in the classical repertoire, from the most basic to the most advanced.

The book's design matches each photograph with captions that details appropriate teaching techniques and describe the proper teaching techniques and describe the proper execution of each step. A glossary defines common dance terms, and a pronunciation guide provides phonetic transcriptions of French ballet terms. ... Read more

Reviews (21)

The Ultimate Ballet book
This wonderful book is a must have for any person who claims an interest in ballet. Whether you are a serious student , a beginner, or just a passionate observer, this book provides excellent instruction and beautiful photographs that walk you through every step of a movement. Provides helpful hints on classroom ettiquite, dress, etc., and is arranged to show the typical ballet class order. I have worn my copy to a very dog-eared state from constant use both at home and in class. Wonderful for teachers and students alike.

Best Reference Book
This book by Gretchen Ward has been the most useful and used book that I have as a reference for teaching ballet. The pictures are wonderful. They actually show photos and not poorly drawn pictures. It shows so many movements used in classical ballet, with pictures and descriptions. It also has a wonderful section for teachers, which give you tips and a teaching guide that gives you insight on the order of what you should teach at specific levels. This book is so organized and covers so much material. I love this book and highly recomend it to every teacher who teaches ballet!

Good Book
I think that this book is a very good book. It shows a lot of pictures so that we can follow to become a good ballerina. It also show pictures of common errors so that we can avoid making the common errors. I myself do not dance ballet, but I am very fond of this dancing. I have friends which dance ballet and they also found this book very useful.

A must for any dancer
This is the best and most complete book on ballet that I have ever seen. I like that this book uses pictures of professional dancers to demonstrate steps. This book is worth purchasing for the beautiful pictures alone. It covers the most basic movements to advanced combinations.
I want to stress that no book or video can substitute for lessons with a qualified teacher. The only way to master proper form is corrections from an experienced instructor. This book is an excellent supplement to lessons. It is a perfect way for students to review what they have been learning in class.

Good book, could use a lesson plan!
This is a wonderful book to reference proper ballet technique. I've returned to dancing on my own, for fitness, after 15 or so years away from proper lessons. With this book as a reference, I'm regaining confidence in how I move. If I were taking actual lessons, I would think it would be truly invaluable.

I'm a little disappointed that they didn't provide any sort of sample lesson plan. I had to find that in a different book. ... Read more

Book Description

A long-time observer of George Balanchine describes his experience with and reactions to the great choreographer`s work. Handsomely illustrated with dramatic photographs of past and present members of the New York City Ballet, this fascinating book is both a major contribution to dance criticism and an absorbing chronicle of the education of one man`s taste. ... Read more