Balanchine

[Perfect Performer]

Did anybody read "Balanchines New Complete Stories of the Great Ballets? I Tried too, but I only made it to page 74, It was really hard to read, Because it was so big!

Did you like it?

[Alexandra]

It's one of the books I read when I first discovered ballet, and I did like it, but it may be hard to read all at one sitting -- especially the ballets you haven't seen. Why not try to pick a few ballets that interest you, and read those parts, instead of trying to take it all in at once?

[Steve Keeley]

I've owned a copy of "101 Stories of the Great Ballets," the 1975 update, for several years but I've never read it cover-to-cover. I refer to parts of it quite often, however. There are sections that I've looked over many times and many I've never even glanced at.

Consider it a reference book, like a dictionary or enyclopedia, where you look something up as needed.

~Steve

[stan]

I agree, it's a spectacular reference book but with some odd omissions. For example, why does he not refer to his Sylvia pas de deux which we have talked about elsewhere? Luckily, I also have Nancy Reynolds' Repertory in Review which is another great reference book. If you want something to read cover to cover, I suggest Arlene Croce's collected New Yorker pieces which have just been republished as "Writing in the Dark, Dancing in the New Yorker."