Dancershoes

[perky]

Published in 1979, this slim dance book is one of my favorites, an oldie but a goodie. It contains pictures of the leading ballet dancers of that time and their sometimes love/hate comments on their pointe shoes/ballet slippers. Some facinating comments:

Natalia Makarova: Wore Freeds during her dance career and out of 10 pairs she could only find perhaps 1 that would be suitable for a performance.

Merrill Ashley: Comments on the shape of her foot with regards to pointe work. Her big toe is.... well.....BIG! Which meant when she was on pointe she basically balanced on just that big toe only.

Cynthia Gregory: Started dancing on pointe at age 7! Yikes!

Gary Chryst: While dancing Botton in Ashton's The Dream all the pointework left him out for a week with a dislocated back.

Sean Lavery and Daniel Duell: Both comment on the fact that Balanchine disliked canvas ballet slippers for the men. He thought they looked too shabby and dirty when they got old. He in fact banned them from the State Theatre stage.

It's not an earthshattering groundbreaking book about dancers but I've always loved it. I also think an update with the dancers of today would be a good idea

[dido]

I adore this book. I think it may have been what really got me interested in ballet. Here's my favorite quote from the book.

"Thank God I don't remember what I thought when I put on my first pair of ballet slippers as a young boy. I don't want to remember. There is a Russian saying for such situations: it was a long time ago and not true."

Mikhail Baryshnikov.

[Dale]

I remember this very interesting book. Was this the book in which Kirkland talks about her shoes. She said something about always wanting to wear a tiny shoe to conform with what she thought a dainty ballerina would wear. Thus, she was in pain all the time. Then she saw McBride's shoes, which were larger than Kirkland thought the prima would wear. Eventually, Kirkland was convinced that it was better to wear a shoe that fits. Considering Kirkland's personality at the time, this was a major discovery.

[perky]

I remember this very interesting book. Was this the book in which Kirkland talks about her shoes. She said something about always wanting to wear a tiny shoe to conform with what she thought a dainty ballerina would wear. Thus, she was in pain all the time. Then she saw McBride's shoes, which were larger than Kirkland thought the prima would wear. Eventually, Kirkland was convinced that it was better to wear a shoe that fits. Considering Kirkland's personality at the time, this was a major discovery.

Yep, this is the book.