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Ballet Book for girls-- FICTION


Guest DancingQueen

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Guest DancingQueen

There is a book called "Please Please Please" in a series called The Friendship Ring. By Rachel Vail. They are small little chapter books. It's about a girl named CJ who is a really good ballet dancer in the seventh grade and her life. Her mom is kind of controlling but sweet and its just saying how CJ isn't sure if she wants to continue with ballet because of all the things she has to give up. It's also about a typical seventh grader's life with friends and boys and other things. I'm posting in this forum because I know that this book is perfect for young dancers and I suggest you all pick up a copy. It's the most realistic book I've ever read and it's not ABOUT ballet but it does have a lot to do with it. Has anyone read it? I love it!! It's a tiny book and there is the girl on the cover with her pointe shoes on. Every young ballet dancing girl should read it! You won't regret it!

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~*~MEAGHAN~*~

"Whatever you feel, just dance it." -Charlie, Center Stage

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Guest Dancing4Me

Would this book apeal to older students as well or is it aimed at the younger students?? Thanks for the info!

Britt

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Guest DancingQueen

well how old are you??? well no it doesn't matter actually. I think it would be great for any dancer that can read up to the age of 18 maybe even. I mean it's a cute story and I'm 13 and i loved it!!!

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~*~MEAGHAN~*~

"Whatever you feel, just dance it." -Charlie, Center Stage

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Guest Dancing4Me

I'm 14 but I'm sure I would like it! Just asking for others people sakes, *laughing out loud* (are we allowed to put that now??). okie dokie!

Britt

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Guest allegra

IT'S good!!! For all ages.. I read it yesterday (ironic...) and I'm 15. My 12 year old sister read it too... it's good!

allegra

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Then come the lights shining on you from above. You are a performer. You forget all you learned, the process of technique, the fear, the pain, you even forget who you are you become one with the music, the lights, indeed one with the dance.

-Shirley Maclaine

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Britt, certainly you are "allowed" to use LOL, and any other acronyms you wish to use! I have not banned anything, I just simply asked the young dancers to think about using more correct use of proper nouns and sentence structure, and not to abbreviate things like you and you are. Things like starting a sentence with a capital letter, using "I" instead of "i", etc. Mainly the things that make your post easier to understand when being read by our posters from other countries whose native language is not English.

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Guest Dancer_In_OK

I saw that book at a book fair, but I didn't have enough money to buy it and the poster I wanted, so I didn't get it. A few weeks later, I saw it at the library, and I checked it out. It really is good! Everybody should read it!

Dancer_In_OK

Mary biggrin.gif

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Guest jmichael

Hey everyone, just wondering . . . are there any other good fictional books about ballet that you would reccomend??? I love books about ballet! Fiction or autobiographies or anything! smile.gifsmile.gifsmile.gif

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Guest Nydancer86

I read this book that my mom had read...I am pretty sure it was called "granny dan" and it was about a russian dancer and how she danced from what she felt when her only family member left (granny dan) died. There is a couple of versions for different ages and different themes...but apparently they are all good!

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I read a really good book about a year ago that I got from the library. It had maybe 12 or so excerpts from ballet books or short stories about ballet. It also led me to find more books about ballet by reading the full books that many of the excerpts came from. I think it was called "Ballet Stories" or something simple like that, but I am not sure. Does anyone know of the book I am talking about, and what it is called or who compilied it?

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Guest jmichael

NYdancer86~ I just saw that book(Granny Dan) in the store today! I just glanced at it and noticed that it had a ballerina on the front, so I thought that I would look into it later. Thanks for the suggestion smile.gif

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Guest Dancing on Sunshine

Does anyone know who writes the series "Satin Slippers"? I think thats the series. Its about a dance company in SF. I have read one book, but I was stupid enough to forget to write down the author! Thanks for your help!

Madeline

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Guest Dancing on Sunshine

jmichael: it wish I could! I read it about a year ago, and I want to read more, but I have to find the author! Someone will probably post it soon!

Madeline

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"Many other women have kicked higher, balanced longer, or turned faster. These are poor substitutes

for passion." Agnes DeMille

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The Satin Slippers series is by Elizabeth Bernard (I have one or two books from the series). You can find the books by clicking on the amazon link above, for the record. The series reminds me of the Babysitters club, or sweet valley high, in which the dancing takes third or fourth place behind the romances and other silly escapades. but they are a bit of light hearted fun, if you like that sort of thing.

My all time favourite ballet fiction series, is by Jean Ure (it just took me ages to find out her name). I once had the entire series (of about 4 books) but my ballet teacher lost them. I read them when I was about 14-15, and they really encapsulated my experiences at the time (even the books were tinted with rose coloured glasses). She's written a fantastic amount of childrens books, but the ballet series is near impossible to get.

But my other all-time favourite (young) ballet fiction, is the Drina series. Totalling I think six or seven books, these are the sweetest stories about a little english girl called Drina and her quest to become a dancer. It is probably more for those who liked Enid Blyton, with a similar style of writing and peachy-keen-ness. (I, of course, loved Enid Blyton, despite the relative similarity between her series' of school books, and i remain faithful to her to this day). They are, however, out of print and hard to find.

Another, again english series that I enjoyed were the Sadlers Wells Ballet Books by Lorna Hill, although at times it getsa little tooo british for me

On my browse through amazon, I noticed a book called "corpse de Ballet"... what a positively ridiculous title.

[ 07-26-2001: Message edited by: Katharyn ]

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As a librarian, I am so happy to hear you all discussing books!!! (As a costumer, I look forward to your discussing costumes on the Tech Board :) )

We had a discussion of ballet-oriented fiction some time ago....you might want to check in the Archives.

Rumer Godden did, with her other wonderful children's/young adult books three that have ballet as a focus: Listen to the Nightingale, Pippa Passes and Thursday's Children.

Other noteworthy ones are Company of Swans (Ibbotsen), and the classic, Ballet Shoes (Streatfield.) You can check your library's holdings or the Amazon link above to find other fiction titles. There are a number of excellent nonfiction books out now for a younger audience, as well, so everyone ought to find something to enjoy!

Dancers, because of the long wait times in studios and rehearsals, are some of the most well-read people. Keep up the proud tradition!

[ 07-26-2001: Message edited by: Juliet ]

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I just ran across a picture book by Debbie Allen called "Dancing in the Wings" with illustrations by Kadir Nelson, copyright 2000. The books seems to concern a girl who wants to be a "star ballerina," and most of it takes place at a ballet school. I only browsed it, but I was reminded of the thread on black dancers and racism -- it's nice to see that all the characters here are black, although for the sake of encouraging kids (I do know about Dance Theatre of Harlem), it would have been even nicer to find a story of a black girl succeeding in a largely white dance environment.

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There are quite a number of books for children, but of the picture-book genre, which have students of various ethnic backgrounds in the classes and in the companies. Rachel Isadora, who was herself a fine dancer, has written and illustrated a number, for example. There are a variety of others, but I would have to be at work to be more specific, which of course I will be happy to research if anyone has a definite interest.

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Guest lil_dancer

i've read that friendship ring book abotu cj it's a really good book could you tell me more about the satin slippers? does anyone know the author what kind or reading level are is the satin slippers some other really good fictiion ballet books are:

ribbons, angel fish, the amah by laurence yep

there is also pink slippers bar mitza blues by??

i will post more of the books as i rember them any one else konw of any other good books?

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