Book Description

Beginning Ballet is an essential first book for ballet students and their parents. The newly edited and revised edition provides a guide to technique, vocabulary and practice in class as well as to the costumes required for class and stage. Joan Lawson also offers invaluable advice to parents on how to seek ballet training for their child. The book is illustrated throughout by the remarkable drawings of Kay Ambrose and the costume patterns of Peter Revitt. Teachers will find an excellent selection of steps, exercises and drawings of basic poses adapted from various well-known methods of dancing. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Exceptional Resource for Ballet Students & Parents
My daughter is in her 4th year of ballet with a superb instructor, originally from England, who teaches the Royal Academy of Dancing method. Reading this book satisfied a hunger for detailed information stemming from the plethura of questions that I have had regarding my daughter's training through the years. It covers basics on everything from detailed costume/uniform tips & instructions, to being a superb treatise on technique, vocabulary and practice in class. The book is illustrated with incredible line drawings of technique which better equip me to help my daughter fine-tune her skills (learned in class) at home. The introduction by Joan Lawson is not only educational, but inspiring. This is a MUST HAVE BOOK for any dancer and his/her parents and I am grateful to my daughter's instructor for turning us on to it. My only regret about this book is that we did not find it sooner! ... Read more

Book Description

As the world's only publication devoted to sideshow, James Taylor's Shocked and Amazed! On & Off the Midway is chock-full of carnival and circus midway madness and mayhem. Hear the truth behind this uniquely American art form from the lips of the human marvels themselves! Shocked and Amazed! invites you to explore and satisfy your curiosity for the strange, the weird, the bizarre, the odd and the unusual. Witness never-before-seen photographs from the personal collections of sideshow superstars from yesteryear! Marvel at the sideshow stories presented personally for your pleasure by sideshow performers! Thrill to these titillating tales of laughter and woe on the sawdust trail from the likes of: Frank Lentini, who could kick a football the length of the midway with his third leg; Melvin Burkhart, the Human Blockhead who could pound six-inch spikes into his head; Harold Huge, the sideshow fat man who needs "Six Gals to Hug Him, and a Boxcar to Lug Him"; Percilla the Monkey Girl and her husband, Emmitt the Alligator Skin Man; Bill Durks, the Man with Three Eyes and many, many more. (7 x 10, 288 pages, b&w photos) ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Amazing
You wouldn't know it on the East Coast due to all the rain, but summer is upon us. School's out, the days are longer, the nights are hotter, the beer goes down a little easier and in some parts of the country the fairs and carnivals are starting to roll through town. The fairs and carnivals of today are filled with shaky rides, artery clogging concessions, grifted games and not much else. Maybe you'll be graced by the occasional handpainted sideshow banner or, if you're lucky, perhaps you will come across an animal curiosity act, but the days of the old shows are long gone. The days of the ten in one, the talker working the tip, the days of THE SHOW have passed us by. The midway today is dominated by Bobo the Clown taunting passersby from his perch in the dunk tank. And while Bobo is a good show, he'll never replace the "good old days." Thankfully James Taylor and Kathleen Kotcher have been documenting the days of yore in the journal "Shocked and Amazed: On and Off the Midway" since 1995, and thankfully Lyon's Press has graced us with what is basically a Best of "Shocked and Amazed."
Lyons Press has included 21 pieces that they deemed most representative of the six earlier issues of the "Shocked and Amazed" journal and placed them together to form the bulk of this book. However, this book should not be looked at as simply a reprint of the journals of the past. Lyons, Taylor and Kotcher have added a number of never before seen photos, an introduction and an index, as well as updated some of the interviews to create a classic of sideshow lore and legend.
Included in this volume are pieces on the three legged man, the Human Blockhead, a sideshow fat man, the Monkey Girl and her husband the Alligator Skin Man, the Half Girl and her husband the American Giant, the Human Fountain, the Man with Three Eyes among others. Also included are pieces on P.T Barnum, Ward Hall, known as King of the Sideshows, Girl Shows, and Bobby Reynolds, the self proclaimed "greatest showman in the world."
There are other books that cover these topics on the shelves of your local mega bookstore/Starbucks, but "Shocked and Amazed" has one distinct advantage over those titles: it treats its subjects with respect and as people, and that comes through in the interviews. When reading this book you never get the feeling that Taylor is there to exploit his subject. Instead you get the feeling that Taylor has a genuine affection for, and interest in these people and is just there to document their stories and histories. The interviews are all very well done and offer the reader a candid look into the lives of these people and performers. Taylor does an outstanding job in this book of letting his readers get a candid and revealing glimpse into the world of the sideshow.
If you decide that this is a book that you should read (and it is!), then set aside a day in which to read it, because once you open it up you'll be hard pressed to put it down until you have devoured every piece of information contained in its pages. "Shocked and Amazed!" is a must have book for anyone interested in the lore, legend and myth of the sideshow.

the best of ballyhoo
Finally, those who have been outbid on eBay trying to acquire the long out-of-print early issues of James Taylor's sideshow magazine can read all fascinating articles in this book, which acts as a sort of "Shocked and Amazed" greatest hits collection. Over 250 pages of memories, history and humbug straight from the carnie's mouth are compiled in one handy volume, generously illustrated with unusual photographs.

One can only hope that this is the first in a series of volumes to collect articles from the fabulous magazine.

James Taylor's Shocked and Amazed: On and Off the Midway
"Step down a little closer you don't want to miss a thing!" James Tayor's writing is as interesting and colorful as his subject matter. He really loves the sideshow business and it shows in his writing. He gives the reader an intimate,insider, look at the shows, their operation and their performers. The photographs alone are worth the price of this book. "The shows about to begin...get your ticket and go now!" ... Read more

Book Description

This third volume in The Language of Dance series presents Nijinsky's ballet as he himself recorded it in 1915, making this authentic version, translated into Labanotation, immediately available to dance students, teachers, scholars and researchers. It intentionally includes the historical background, the chronology of Niminsky's performances of Faune, Nijinsky's production notes, analysis of the choreographic style of the ballet, detailed study and performance notes, approaches to learning and teaching the ballet, research problems encountered in the transcription and revival, and a comprehensive explanation of Nijinsky's notation system with examples from his score.
Supplemented by photographs of the 1912 production and with the music adjacent to the dance phrases, this book provides unique access to a much discussed and elusive ballet.
Nijinsky's score of his L'Apres-midi d'un faune lay unused for nearly forty years after his death, because nobody could read it. In 1987 ... Read more

Book Description

Amazon.com

American Indian Ballerinas includes authorized mini biographies of ballerinas Rosella Hightower, Yvonne Chouteau, Maria Tallchief (who recently published her autobiography), and her sister Marjorie Tallchief. All four dancers share a common ethnicity (Native American) and state of origin (Oklahoma), and all came to prominence at the roughly the same time, the 1940s-1960s--though the four had markedly different temperaments. Without working too hard to compare them, the book shows how their common heritage of dance and spirituality suffused their respective artistic careers. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Fascinating
This book gives a very nice over-view of the four American Indian Ballerinas, tracing their careers and rise to stardom in a parallel fashion. You get a sense of where each dancer was in her training and her performance years with respect for the others. The easy going style paints a clear and accurate picture that dancers and non-dancers alike can enjoy. ... Read more

Book Description

Written with wit, insight, and candor, Balanchine is a book thatwill delight lovers of biography as well as those with a special interest indance. For this edition the author has added a thoughtful yet dramatic accountof the working out of Balanchine's legacy, from the making of his controversialwill to the present day. The author explores the intriguing legal, financial,and institutional subplots that unfolded after the death of the greatestchoreographer of the century, but the central plot of his epilogue is theaesthetic issue: In the absence of their creator, can the ballets retain theirwondrous vitality? Taper illuminates the fascinating transmission ofBalanchine's masterworks from one generation to another, an unprecented legacyin the history of ballet, that most evanescent of the arts. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Tough but Good Read
This is no easy, inspirational biography. It really goes in depth. But you finish thinking you understand this enigmatic man about as well as possible.

If you like or are curious about Balanchine, READ THIS BOOK!

The best Balanchine's biography!
I've so happy I bought this book, it's a pleasure to read. I'm a long time ballet fan, but I would stronly recommend this book for anyone who is interested about ballet, you can learn so much reading it!

One of my favorite books!!
Taper's Balanchine biography is one of the best books I have ever read! It combines the biographical information with personal accounts and stories that really give you the feeling of getting to know the amazing George Balanchine. Some may have read other books, like Gelsey Kirkland's "Dancing on my Grave", that give a bad impression of Mr. Balanchine, but I promise if you read this book, you will have a change of heart. Although no biography can be completely free of bias, this author describes Mr. Balanchine in a truly honest and real way. I really do feel like I know Mr. Balanchine and I promise that if you read this incredible book, you will too ... Read more

Book Description

The photographs in Hal Eastman's new book, Natural Dance, celebrate the freedom, energy and power of women dancers as they spontaneously explore their personal inner sense of movement in intuitive harmony with the natural beauty around them. At the same time, these extraordinary images capture the liberating spirit of dance and the dance rhythms that permeate the natural world. Created by an unusual time-lapse photographic technique, an effect generated wholly with the camera, the images evoke late 19th and early 20th century prints. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Gorgeous portraits of women in nature
In Natural Dance, Hal Eastman's remarkable photos of women dancers in nature visusally captures their backgrounds as much as their movements, with the individual photos proving especially strong in revealing motion and action. These gorgeous portraits of women in nature will make an especially strong addition to any personal and community library professional photography collecitons.

Rich
A positive addition to my book collection. I just wish it had more pages.

Ethereal and Lovely
The photographs in Hal Eastman's book are of things only once of this world; dancers and rocks and water and grass. These photographs rip through the fabric of nature and movement, and deliver a new world, an ethereal plane between natural and painted, movement and still. On this new plane, the body is more lovely, the colors of our world more vibrant, entropy halted into the calm of the moment. My notion is that in the infinitesimal time lost in a blink, there exists dancers and a world of order and beauty, and now, in these photographs, I can see them clearly.

Ground-breaking Dance Photography
American photographer Hal Eastman's new collection of fine art photographs of dancers in nature are both a revelation and revolutionary. The grand doyenne of fine art photography, Miss Ruth Bernard, informs us: "...Eastman's ethereal images in Natural Dance capture the very essence of the relationship between dance and nature, and the intuitive in dance." Armed with a hand-held manual 35mm Leica camera Eastman captured his dancers by moving with them rhytmatically in natural settings on or near the unspoiled coasts of California and Hawaii, slowing the shutter speed as both photographer and dancer moved as one with nature. The ecstatic nature of Isadora Duncan captured with each frame. Destined to become a collector's item this exquisite book, produced with sublime production values, and rare painterly quality ushers in a new standard in dance photography. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

The Happy ending at last
This book is a continuation of the first autobiography by Gelsey Kirkland. It tells about her starting back up in dancing and winning her final aclaim for her career before finding out what she has to give to the new young generations of dancers. This book is full of Gelsey's wonderful insights and methods of working on ballets, and I am sorry that it is out of print. I recommend it to dancers and autobiography readers. It is rare that you see a star find true happiness in the course of their life.

Better than "Dancing On My Grave"
This book goes beyond "Dancing On My Grave" and extends the "happy ending." Gelsey describes her experiences with teaching. The best part was when she takes you through the rehearsals and performances of Romeo and Juliet. She describes how she develops the character, and makes the character come alive. I loved this book!

This book stirred my heart...
Kirkland's moving and in depth sequel to "Dancing on my Grave" is wonderful. She uses her experiences and struggles to find meaning and life in her dancing. From one who has been classically trained in ballet, but never been taught to feel emotion or a character, I am forever grateful to Ms. Kirkland for opening her life and sharing it with me. Please, if you dance, read this book!

Not for everyone, but a must for ballerina-wannabes
Gelsey Kirkland, the author of "Dancing On My Grave," goes deep into "how to build a character" in this book, using Juliet and Giselle as examples. So, if you don't know much about ballet, you probably won't get much from this book. However, the book is certainly educational and benefits all ballerina-wannabes. A lot of humor, and also, this book offers great encouragement for those who are planning to go back to dancing after years of not taking lessons.
If you haven't read her first book "Dancing On My Grave," read that first. It is one of the best autobiographies of dancers and it's much more entertaining (and shocking) than this one.

BTW, if you are an Anthony Dowell fan, you'll enjoy this book. I can't believe he can be so nice and cheerful in this nasty dance world!

This is a quote from the part Anthony Dowell is waiting for Gelsey and her husband at the airport, to meet her for the first time in years.

"[Anthony Dowell] was quick to offer me an apology, admitting with an innocent blush that he had already approached a woman whom he had mistakenly identified.
'Well, there was a resemblance from behind, you see. Same hair... and she was with a man. But when I approached her from the front my heart stopped, dear. I said to myself, Oh my God, she's had her face done! I realize this must sound frightful, but she did have me in a bit of a panic, and as it turned out, she weighed, well, more than I'd have expected...' " ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Very comprehensive, accurate information
As a step dancer with limited exposure to set dancing, I found this book a wonderful introduction. Although I cannot personally vouch for the accuracy of his notation, I know/ have heard of several who do. In any case, it is well written and researched.... An excellent historical guide. Probably the best Irish dance (step or set) book sold on Amazon.

Toss the Feathers: Bible of Set Dancers
_Toss the Feathers_ is the definitive book on Irish set dancing. I bought a copy in Galway City, and it has saved me innumerable times. I carry it with me to all classes and ceilis; it's well-worn and well-loved. Besides the most common sets, Pat gives us notes for beautiful and obscure local dances. His introduction also includes an illuminating history of set dancing. Beware: you will not teach yourself to dance from this book if you have no prior knowledge of set dancing. However, it is ideal for supplementing your knowledge from classes. When two set dancers disagree on the "correct" version of a set, one inevitably pulls out a copy of Pat's book, and his judgement is trusted. All of us set dancing addicts are awaiting the upcoming sequel. Buy it now! You'll never regret this useful reference on bad days when you can't even remember how the Ballyvourney Jig Set begins.

The perfect book for those who set dance!
This book is great for anyone who set dances but hasn't yet memorized all of the moves (-most of us?!). Not intended for people who have never set danced before. You need to be familiar with the jargon, such as "round the house", "ladies chain", etc.

buy it
This is the best. If you want a reference for dancing, the one the teachers use, this is it. Buy it. There is none better.

_Toss the Feathers_ a very useful resource
Pat Murphy's _Toss the Feathers_ is the most useful guide to set dancing I have come across. During my nine months dancing in Northern Ireland, _Toss the Feathers_ was the book that my teachers used to check for technicalities, and the book I used to brush up on my steps on my way to ceilis. I heartily recommend this book to people who know about set dancing, and want to check their steps or sets. However, I do not recommend this book to newcomers, because Murphy's language is overly technical. For example, to turn someone under your arm, you have to rotate them in a counterclockwise manner until they reach 360 degrees, etc. :) I'm exaggerating. But this book is a definite must-have for those who love set dancing, especially when they're away from Ireland. Like me. Cheers go to Pat Murphy. ... Read more

Book Description

The merengue is internationally recognized as the Dominican Republic’s national dance. It is an integral and unifying element of Dominican identity both within that nation and among emigrants abroad. Although Dominicans often make the claim that merengue has always been in their blood, the dance is relatively young, and its popularity among Dominicans of all social classes and ages is an even more recent occurrence.

This book presents three convincing arguments about the merengue’s longevity as a unifying symbol of Dominican identity: Dominican identity and the merengue have necessarily been extremely fluid in order to encompass the different cultural and ethnic groups present; historically, the merengue has become a stronger identity symbol when the nation is or is perceived to be threatened from outside; and the white, Catholic, Hispanic Dominican has long been held as the "true" Dominican identity, causing the dance to become progressively "whitened" in terms of performers and style to reflect this notion and gain wider appeal at home and abroad. A map of the Dominican Republic, related photographs of key figures of Dominican history and merengue artists across the decades, and a complete bibliography are included. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A MUST FOR FOLLOWERS OF DANCE
One does not have to be a dance aficionado to enjoy and appreciate the spectacular art work in this tribute to the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo (1938-1962). Some 42 color plates and 21 duotone illustrations fill a gallery of costume and set designs recording for all time the uniqueness of this company. Presented are the designs of fourteen artists for nineteen premieres.

Essentially, the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo became an American company with the beginning of World War II causing a separation from its home in Monte Carlo. As it traveled throughout the United States the Ballet found itself greeted by enthusiastic audiences, thus building a loyal following for this dance form in the United States.

Published in partnership with an exhibition at the Cincinnati Museum of Art, this volume represents the largest collection of designs commissioned by this company. Many of the ballets were born during America's wartime years, often reflecting the turbulent times in our country.

Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo is a must for followers of dance, and an enjoyment for all.

- Gail Cooke ... Read more

Book Description

Edwin Denby was the most important and influential American dance critic of this century and was also a poet of distinction. This book presents a sampling of his reviews, essays, and poems, a collection that is an essential resource for students and lovers of dance. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Edwin Denby defines the terms of dancewriting.
Denby's Vocabulary

Frank O'Hara wrote of dancewriter Edwin Denby in his poem 'Edwin's Hand', that he was 'Easy to love, but/difficult to please,he/walks densely as a child/in the midst of spectacular/needs to understand.' A glimpse of Denby the man and the myth peek through in a new book of his prose DANCE WRITINGS AND POETRY, Edited by Robert Cornfield, (Yale University Press, $40 hard, $18 soft). Cornfield notes in an introductory short-bio, that Denby had a background in art history, music, gymnastics, theater and began his career in the 20s as a dancer. This is the only book now in print of Denby's influencial dance articles. For almost thiry years Denby's eye was deftly focused on the evolution of dance in this century.

Denby's ability as a dance interpreter has a dramatic authority, if dated abstractness. His encylopedic knowledge of the history and connotations of every type of dance is always evident in his essays. This spectrum, as presented in the uneven 'Dance Writings', builds as a symposia on the world of dance, invovling complete aspects of academic, physical and aesthetic interrogation. And, to credit his anti-eliteism, his work, even at it most studied, has a conversational lightness. It is obvious that his evaluative powers were distinctive and unique. But you cannot help but wonder why he doesn't employ the economy in his writing that he would expect on the dance stage. Or red flag his own indulgences of style, something that he was obviously fond of doing when critiquing other artists.

Denby's mission was to define the terms of dancewriting and make it vital to the art form. To achieve "disentangling the pretensions of a ballet from it achievements." as he put in the essay 'Dance Criticism'. Often his method of dissection reads as too accurate and overstated, like that of a sharpshooter killing a faun and mounting it on the hood of his car. Denby himself sites a great reason for choreographers to be concise in a review of the first mounting of Balanchine's Apollo where he cites lines by Richard Howard on poetry, that advise, "...Always halve the line so that a rest is heard." But frequently fails to apply the tenet himself.

In his time and now, Denby enjoys a reputation as 'the final word' as a dance-theater historian. He was no doubt given broad licence by his editors at his reviewing posts for The Times Herald and Modern Music, among other publications. More theoretical in approach than descriptive, Denby often veers from dance reporting to his own conceptual impressions and emotional responses. Now, completely detached from the performances, his analysis is comes off as obtuse, sometimes even funny. Take for example a description of Martha Graham's company in her piece 'Chronicle', Denby writes, "Even her so-called angularity springs partly from a feat that the eye will be confused unless every muscle is given a definite job. The eye will be confused. But our bodily sense would not. Our bodily sense needs the rebound from a gesture, the variation of hard and soft muscle, of exact and general." Etc. Etc. Etc. I'll attempt to translate- Graham's pained looks and overwrought extentions detracted from her artistry. Denby gets so carried away with his themes that he can't resist stating the obvious, as in this observation, .."the musician exists not only as an instrument but also as a person." Deep.

Still, there is no doubt that Denby is a journalist with potent instincts. You get the sense that he is engaging in a broad discussion of dance as a vital human condition. In Brad Gooch's biography of O'Hara ('City Poet'), he is described as, "soft spoken, reserved and gentlemanly" and "that sitting next to Denby at the ballet felt like sitting next to a lightning rod."

The poetry section of the book is a curious and frustrating inclusion- intriguing, but decorative. Denby's character peeks through in his poems, with at times, a diarist's intimacy. In an introductory essay titled 'The Thrities', Denby describes his process in interpreting painting academically and emotionally. He speaks of the immediacy of a canvas and its after-image- the lingering affect. This quality can be said of many of his poems. In between frequent casualness, forced imagery and veiled homoerotica, unexpected clarity and lyrcism appear, particularly in his 'Mediterrean Cities' poems, demonstrated hauntingly in the sharp-faceted 'Delos'- Glistens a vivid phallus; marsh-born here before At a palm, cleft-suckled, a god he first came Who hurts and heals unlike love, and whom I fear; Will he return here? quickly we pluck dry flowers The sailor blows his conch; Delos disappears

With all of its faults 'Dance Writing and Poetry' still has great value as a reference for dance students, artists and writers. Read selectively, Denby can render a kinetic reality to the performance and performers with provocative imagery. And the essays about ballet history, neoclassicism, Nijinski and, most pointedly, the Balanchine revolution, remain invaluable contributions.

Lewis Whittington

A necessary book: among the best critics, beautiful poems.
Don't be buffaloed by Times reviewer: Denby's poems are American treasures, not "quaint" in any way; they are densely wrought, large scale beyond their compact sonnet formats, piquant. & yes, as critic, Denby is among the topmost immortals -- meaning he ranks with Diderot, Shaw, Baudelaire. Poems & dance writings both put forth companionable, no-nonsense, strict, generous urbane attitude: "Dance criticism has two different aspects: one is being made drunk for a second by seeing something happen; the other is expressing lucidly what you saw when you were drunk." And: "Actual events are obscure/ Though the observers appear clear." ... Read more

Book Description

Ballet: From the First Plie to Mastery is designed as a complement to a beginning student's ballet training. The book opens with a brief description of the benefits of ballet training to young dancers, and then introduces fundamentals and precepts of the technique.Clear photographs show exactly how to execute each movement.Then an eight-year course is presented, taking the student from age 5 or 6 through the teen years, outlining exactly what is to be taught and how it is to be performed.A glossary, bibliography, and discography close the book.
Young girls-and increasingly boys-are drawn to ballet training as a way of developing healthy musculature and bones, building an aesthetic awareness, and enhancing body image.Paskevska believes that-when performed correctly-ballet can provide a lifetime of artistic and physical pleasure.Shunning pyrotechnics and flashy technique, the book offers a solid grounding in the basics of ballet movement that will serve the student well, whether or not he or she chooses to continue training.Through her comprehensive examination of the how, why, and when of performing basic ballet techniques, Paskevska offers a concise and easy-to-follow regimen for everyone from the beginning to more advanced dancer.
For ballet students, their parents, and their teachers, Ballet: from the First Plie to Mastery is an invaluable first step toward enjoying dance and excelling as a dancer. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

parents, ease up!
I'm giving it three stars although I haven't purchased the book yet. Three seems fair enough. I'm interested to see how many parents were disappointed in it. Seems that they were expecting a picture book to teach their children "who are already taking ballet". If these children are studying from quality teachers, they should ask them for help! And how in the world could it be a bad thing for children to read and learn the words and to see how they are spelled. I suggest you take the book to your child's ballet teacher and ask him/her to physically "demonstrate" the words, for the class.

Wonderful Resource for Ballet Teachers
I am in the process of writing curriculum for the studio that I teach at, and this has been an indespensable resource for a teacher. It had easy to follow sample classes that help you to get an idea of how to teach the classical vocabulary for that level. I found some of my all time favorite combinations in this book. Fabulous resource if you want to make sure your students are keeping up the ballet world!

excellent for teachers
this is a perfect guide for a syallabus for a dance school.
That is what I'm doing with it. I am a professional ballet dancer that has danced with major dance companies in the USA. I needed a good guide to teach young beginners I am teaching.This book is a perfect guide in teaching young beginners through to advance students. The stretches taught are real perks for the students to gain the flexibility they need for the years new steps. Also the strenghtening back exercises are exactly what children need in order to do arabesques and other steps. I am also a pilates instructor and these stretches and strengthening floor exercises are perfect. I wouldn't reccommend this book to a child since it is very detailed in words but to a 12-13year old that likes to read and dance it might be just what she likes! and it will give her some good pointers.
Best of luck
T.T.

Book about real ballet, it's no picture book
If want your child to read some ballet picture book that they can color in, don't buy this book. This book is an indepth look into the technique of ballet. I sat down and read it with my seven year old. The author is so describtive that the pictures are not even needed. My daughter could perfectly comprehend the technique. This isn't a book of flashy technique or shortcuts around the technique, but of the simple,perfect technique. This is for parents and children who thinking of starting in seriuos ballet. I applaud Anna Paskevska for this delightful book on beginning ballet.

This is a Teachers Manual, NOT something you give your kids.
This is a manual a ballet teacher might use. It's definately NOT something you give your daughter who's already in ballet. There are hardly NO pictures. It's mosting words. What good is an instructional book about ballet without pictures to show you the correct positions. Very disappointing. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

looking desperatly for Jack Cole
I am looking for all kind of information about jack Cole (forgive my bas english)
can anyone help me finding this book (and any other document)?????? ... Read more

Reviews (3)

The "Method"??
I am in complete agreement with the reviewer below who wrote the very well written and intelligent review of Strasberg's Method and how paralyzing it is for actors. I would like to add some more thoughts on the matter so that the argument is very clearly and outlined and does not just seem like an unfair attack on the Method, but instead a detailed outline of its many flaws and onesidedness as a technique.
-The Method since it is primarily focused on generating feelings through either past experiences or sensory experiences does create an unhealthy obsession on inner emotional states and not nearly enough on just going deep into understanding the characters situation. Method actors tend to be so focused on their own emotional states that the scene gets lost due to some futile inner, self indulgent technique. Strasberg was very confused in thinking that a: Personal Object, Sense Memory , Affective Memory, or Place could be more important than going deep into the writing and cultivating your talent through creative choices. If one has acting talent and has a good understanding of the characters circumstances (objective, needs, relationship to other characters, character traits etc.)then that in and of itself is the main thing an actor needs....to do the analytical work and then really trust their talent-moment to moment. None of this Method inner manipulation. Method actors become almost morose about generating feelings all the time instead of learning to free themselves up and become spontanous, they just bring themselves down and become self-absorbed.
-The Method does not work or speak much of styles of acting. All the work they do at Straberg's Studio is usually something that is a heavy drama, like :Checkov, Tenessee Williams, Eugene O'Neill, and Ibsen--those heavy, dramatic plays mainly. Try to get a Method actor to work on high comedy, farce, avant-garde pieces and they have no grasp at all of the material. They're always too busy trying to be "real" by generating "real emotion" that they don't develop a sense of different styles needed for acting. It's not all Marlon Brando roles out there!!! (not a method actor by the way).
-What could be more unhealthy psychologically than using past hurts over and over to generate emotions for a scene? Most people are learning to learn to heal the past, to let it go, accept what happened and live in the NOW, the Present. When you generate painful emotions and constantly search for how to "cash in" on past angst, it implies that you can't let go of all these experiences. Wouldn't it be far healthier to learn to let go of your scars once and for all and move on, not to "cash in" on them as some misguided "artistic expression". Yes, it may not be easy to let go, but trying to use a past experience as fuel for a scene is absurd. Pain is a signal to "let go" and live in the NOW, it's not some acting tool! When I went to Strasberg, there was always this very angst ridden energy in the school. People thinking that they are being sensitive artists, because they cry all the time during sensory excercises. I fully accept that we all have past hurts that will trigger pain in us and that it isn't always easy to just transend our hurts, but it should be explored in a more spiritual, therapeutic setting, not as fuel for a scene. This warped perspective creates the subconscious idea that "the external world caused my pain" instead of "my lack of deeper Awareness caused my pain and I am suffering due to MY lack of Awareness and learning to develop deeper Awareness". I don't mean to oversimplify, but that's what it leads to in the end and understanding that is part of the purpose of life. Your dad doesn't solely cause your present pain really, YOU mainly do, due to your lack of inner Awareness and learning to rise above memories of the past and let go. How can someone base an acting technique on those misguided perspectives??? Imagine how damaging that is to actors.
I suggest people avoid this type of technique and seek out a well rounded school that offers thorough scene analysis and encourages being a balanced, smart actor, not just an emotional based actor and to handle there self-awareness issues in the proper environment: counceling, a spiritual setting etc.
I can't tell you how many people I've met (casting directors, directors, actors) over the years that have commented on the poor quality of acting they see at auditions from Method actors. There lack of understanding a character and the difficulty in working with most of them. I've even met directors who have said they will NOT even call in an actor that is a Strasberg trained actor because they expect the poor quality from them. It is a complete myth that Method actors are great actors--a myth. I've just expained why. Learn instead to free up your spontaneity and break down scenes intelligently, use your unlimited imagination, have fun, be in the moment and learn to function organically again by trusting your talent.

A misguided teacher-Strasberg
Even though Strasberg tried to justify his system, the Method has done more harm than good in the acting world. It has created an acting army that is more interested in obessesing about emotions and past experiences than creativity. For those that are truly objective and can look at the Strasberg Method intelligently they will see that it is a highly flawed system and there is a valid reason why he was not well accepted in the acting community of his peers. He was not the genius people made him out to be. He was quite an ego maniac that was obsessed about creating a system that was not even well rounded effective in order to promote himself. It's all in the books if you do the research.
The whole method is very crippling for actors due to how 'heavy handed' it is. Strasberg was a bit of a dark soul himself and that is how his training is-dark and angst ridden. You would walk into a method class and feel like it was a mortuary, not a place where art is taking place, where there is creativity, self expression, love for the craft, you know, all the stuff that makes acting exciting and fun! No, the Strasberg trained people are lost in trying to dig up all their lost unconscious agony. You become obsessed with emotion, your past, your pain etc. That might be OK for a theraputic environment, but not an acting class. The result is that you carry that attitude with your wherever you go and you become way too serious about yourself and acting. You start to leave behind the simple idea of'make believe' and trade it in for your Strasbergian process something deadly serious and agonizing! In that process you lose touch with that inspired, fun side of it and your joy for the process dimishes more and more as time go on. Not to mention that you don't exactly leave a great impression at auditions. (Method actors are usually way too serious at auditions and come across heavy handed). The training is not at all well rounded. It puts almost all the emphasis on your emotional states and how in touch with your feelings you are during a scene and puts very little emphasis on imagination and good scene analysis. Two very important things!!
If you do your research you will find out that Strasberg was not a very well accepted man in the acting community-at all. Many of his respected peers had an actual disdain for him and his system -Stella Adler, Harold Clurman, Marlon Brando, his own son John Strasberg who worked with him for years wrote a book pointing out the Methods flaws and many theatre critics that were bored to tears when they watched a Strasberg production. The main reason he rose to power was because he was good at promoting himself through the Actors Studio. Basically what he did was invite many famous people to the Studio and he tried to take credit for their success. That is basically how Strasberg become a celebrity. These are FACTS, not some gossip I'm inventing. Overall, his system does not work, it mainly hinders actors. Find a well rounded teacher instead that emphasizes imagination and creativity and yes even employs some exercises to help you tune into your here and now sense of being but not this emotional based stuff. It's a bore to watch (and agony to execute).
My intention is not to bash Lee Strasberg. We ALL have our flaws, including this reviewer. It's just that I've seen the negative effects it has on actors and I would love to be able to help you save years of confusion!! Even if some of you will disregard this outline, at least it'll make some of you real pro-Strasberg method people think so that you can now develop some awareness of what I'm saying. Good Luck and God Bless!!!

Enough said about the method.
This book in my view puts to rest the decades long debate about what " method acting " is. IN HIS OWN WORDS, Strasberg explains that these are not the be all and end all for acting, but exercises for unlocking the creative abilities of the INDIVIDUAL ACTOR ! Absorb what you need from it and put the rest on the shelf for later. ... Read more

Book Description

This entertaining volume describes the beginnings of the dance in Buenos Aires, biographies of famous tango dancers, what to wear, what shoes are best, tango etiquette, an in-depth section on tango music. ... Read more

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A "must" for all tango dance enthusiasts!
Paul Pellicoro On Tango is a comprehensive guide to the Argentine Tango dance, written by expert instructor Paul Pellicoro -- who is the man that taught and choreographed the tango scene for Al Pacino in the popular movie "Scent of a Woman." Individual chapters embrace the philosophy that anyone can learn the tango, and address everything from dance steps to what to wear to working in harmony with one's partner. An extensive lists of top-class places to go to for tango dancing around the world rounds out this superb instructional for dance enthusiasts. Paul Pellicoro On Tango is a "must" for all tango dance enthusiasts! ... Read more