BAD Reads
Back to Ballet and Some Great Dance Books
I am going to have sore muscles again tonight, but it's for a good reason.
For those of you who were not reading this blog 2 years ago, that fall I took a ballet class that I hated. The teacher was a jazz dance teacher who (I'm still gasping)commented that she hated barre work--the whole basis of ballet! And after 6 weeks I realized I was miserable and I dropped out.
Last fall my friend Lynne resumed teaching ballet and I happily went back to class with her. But she teaches on Monday and Wednesday mornings. I can take an early lunch and leave work to go to the Monday class, but the Wednesday class is at the same time as one of my story hours. Which means I'm only taking one class a week. And I need to do two classes-- I'd do three if I could!
So I plucked up my courage and signed up for another ballet class at the place I went to 2 years ago.
I've had 2 classes and overall I'm pleased. The teacher is good--she's really a ballerina-- and there were no teeny boppers in frilly outfits who were more into their look than in learning to dance. Most of the students are in my age range and a lot of them have taken class with this teacher before. That makes it kind of clubby--but if they don't want to get to know me now--or ever--fine. I'm in there to dance.
The big difference is that this is a lot more advanced work than what I've done with Lynne. In her class, I'm the advanced one who knows the steps and the patterns, and here I'm struggling to keep up. I know the basic steps, but the sequences are different and I am so busy trying to figure them out that I can't pay attention to my form as much as I need to.
It's okay though. Today was the second class, and I'm starting to catch on more. There's LIVE music (a pianist who also used a keyboard and a drum) which was a wonderful new thing for me. And my big worry was that I would really be able to manage a formal dance class--Lynne's are pretty casual. And I can. I'm already noticing that some of the students who keep up well are not able to keep in time with the music. And that's something that's easy for me. Once I get used to the new patterns, I'll do a whole lot better.
My biggest complaint are that it was HOT in the studio, and that I have the wrong sort of hair for ballet. I don't have to look at myself in Lynne's class, but this is a REAL dance studio with mirrors and I look like a blob with my hair up!
But I'm getting a really good workout. And Lynne's class will be a good way to start my week--a warm up for Fridays.
Since I'm talking about ballet today, there are some wonderful books out there on dance for kids. There's Angelina Ballerina, of course, but here are some other books--old and new--that any little ballerina will adore:
Or any little "ballerino". I'd never heard that term before, but I really like
Ballerino Nate by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
Nate sees ballet at school and is entranced. He wants to learn ballet. Big brother Ben tells Nate he will have to wear pink shoes and a dress. Nate is undaunted, but when he gets to ballet school and it's ALL girls, he begins to worry. Until Mom takes him to a REAL ballet and he meets a "ballerino".I wish the characters were people, not dogs, but it's sweet anyway. Inner jackets show tiny sketches of Nate demonstrating 5 ballet positions while his big brother Ben shows 5 different poses from sports.
Rachel Isadora, author and illustrator of many lovely picture books, is a former ballerina and many of her books are about dancing and dancers. On Your Toes is, as the subtitle says: "A Ballet ABC". Children will learn many terms used in ballet and the glossary that ends the book explains terms in depth. Isadora's other books about ballet include My Ballet Class, Max (another ballerino story!) and her series of books about Lili. All are worth looking for.
Alexa Brandenberg is the daughter of beloved children's authors Franz Branderberg and "Aliki", and Ballerina Flying shows the next generation of the family will continue to produce books to delight young readers.
The narrator, Mina says that she loves to dance all sorts of dance, but she loves ballet best of all because "ballet dance is like flying". She takes us to ballet class where she dressed in tights, leotard and shoes. No tutu, because as her teacher says--"tutus are just for special days". Mina watches the older children dance, and then takes us with her to her class where she and a multiracial group of boys and girls demonstrate what they do in ballet class. They finish with a "reverence" and Mina says "I am one step closer to flying". Children who already dance will love seeing other children in a class like theirs, and this would be a good introduction for any child about to start ballet.
Dance, Tanya by Patricia Lee Gauch, is a story many younger siblings will understand. Little sister Tanya is too young to go to ballet school like her sister Elise. But she watches Elise and practices the steps. She makes up her own dances. Finally, after attending a performance of Swan Lake , Tanya gives a performance of her own for her family. And her parents are delighted to discover that they have TWO dancers in the family. Tanya goes on to ballet class, and there are several more books in this charming series.
And having long, narrow feet myself, I am a major fan of Belinda the Ballerina by Amy Young.
For despite having incredibly looooong feet, Belinda is the prima ballerina's prima ballerina. Nothing stops her from dancing and wowing the crowds. This is the first book about Belinda, two more have followed.
There are a number of wonderful ballet novels for older girls and teens, and I will write an entry about them some other time. In the meantime, I am going to take some ibuprofen for my aching muscles, and until we meet again, do my best reverence (courtsey) and say "Au Revoir!"
