Guest Angel2Be Posted January 2, 2003 Share Posted January 2, 2003 I have only read Suzanne Farrell's Holding on to the Air, but immediately liked it and her. She was very honest with a "no regrets" attitude and you could tell how much she cherished dancing ballet (especially for Balanchine.) Also, she went into a lot of detail about her relationship with him, which of course I found fascinating. I believe Toni Bentley wrote it with her. It is very well written. Link to comment
Guest Angel2Be Posted January 2, 2003 Share Posted January 2, 2003 Scratch that, I have also read Allegra Kent's Once a Dancer. But it didn't make such a great impression on me. (Obviously - since I forgot about it!) As I now recall, she seemed to have had a difficult time in the ballet world and was a tad self-pitying about it all. The parts that stick out to me the most are actually semi-unrelated to dance: her belief in Christian Science and getting cosmetic surgery. "Wry" is actually the perfect word to describe her book! Link to comment
Fraildove Posted January 2, 2003 Share Posted January 2, 2003 i don't know if anyone has ead a book called "An Unmaking of a Dancer" but i loved it. i don't really know why either, as it is not by a famous dancer, just a dancer who was almost good enough but found she didn't want it that much. she later went and danced in France. Fascinating. I loved Kirkland's books, both of them. i know she gets a lot of heat about what she wrote, but i think she was writing how she felt, right or wrong, good or bad. i don't agree with much of what she says, but i don't thnk that was the point. i figure that by writing what she did, it helped her heal a little more. she is an incredible artist whom i respect for her efforts Link to comment
Katharyn Posted January 13, 2003 Share Posted January 13, 2003 A good autobiography is hard to find - so many slip into self indulgent whining/bitchery/*insert word of choice*. And yet I read them with an insatiable appetite - my dad is a rampant second hand book collector and so I end up with a lot of out of print books (like I remember balanchine). I read Joan Brady's The Unmaking of Dancer (now titled 'Prologue') and for all her bitterness about the dance world, I found it closer to the experience that a lot of dancers have than a rose glasses view Suzanne Farrell had in Holding Onto the Air and quite enjoyed the strangeness of it all, despite my usual frustration with anyone who holds onto the victim attitude. More one to read when you're feeling jaded because its sure to ruin the best of moods... Gelsey Kirklands book was, I think, her exorcising a few demons, and I allow her that luxury only because she was such a talented dancer. Her second book, The Shape of Love was a much more fulfilling as it delved into the issues i was more interested in - ie how a dancer prepares for a performance. Allegra Kents book was - well, largely forgettable apparently as I can't think of much to say. Robert La Fosse's book "Nothing to Hide" was somewhat interesting, a bit wide eyed as I remember it, though he would probably not appreciate that description. its the typical 'battle against mr b' thats a familiar story from NYCB dancers! Edward Villellas book "prodigal son" was a bit more worthwhile and though I would never see him dance, I wished I could... he seems like such a lovely guy and passionate about dance. Darcey Bussell also wrote a book, "Life As Dance" and I was thoroughly disappointed in this wholesome bit of fluff. A documentary about her was released around the same time, and they largely mirror each other - only in the documentary you get to appreciate what a lovely dancer she is. Twyla Tharp has quite a lively book - I should give that one a read again I think - its called push comes to shove... Thankyou all for reigniting my interest, i'm off to read them all again.. Link to comment
grace Posted January 13, 2003 Share Posted January 13, 2003 lil_dancer: i guess your teacher knows you far better than we do, but my advice re 'dancing on my grave' would be to NOT be in any hurry to read it - certainly not for under-17's, in my view. Link to comment
grace Posted January 13, 2003 Share Posted January 13, 2003 woops! - just discovered this page 2, so my post (above) is now irrelevant. however, i am pleased to see that alexandra agrees with me - and touched by the story, alexandra. Link to comment
Petra Posted January 15, 2003 Share Posted January 15, 2003 Perhaps teenagers in America are very protected:) but I read 'Dancing on my Grave' when I was about 15 or 16 and I didn't find it as disturbing as some of you did. I think most intelligent and literate teenagers realise that Kirkland is not coming from a very stable mental place. In fact, in some ways I found 'Once a Dancer' more disturbing than 'Dancing on my Grave' because Kent was much more accepting of the way she had been manipulated as a young girl and woman. Link to comment
grace Posted January 17, 2003 Share Posted January 17, 2003 GWTW - re "intelligent and literate teenagers "...i wish i knew any. they are an almost extinct breed these days, IMO. Link to comment
dancingfan Posted January 17, 2003 Share Posted January 17, 2003 i read dancing on my grave when i was very young, probably about 11 or 12. it did not turn me off from gelsey or ballet in any way. in fact, i thought it was extremely well written and that she tried to be as honest as possible with her audience and herself, though some may disagree with a great deal of what was written. i also thought she was very brave in doing so. every few years i re-read the book because i love it so much. however, i do agree that not all young dancers should read this book, but i also believe that some will benefit greatly and that it is a worthwhile read for a mature teenage dancer. Link to comment
vagansmom Posted January 18, 2003 Share Posted January 18, 2003 Grace, you and I must move in entirely different circles. I regularly work with many articulate, intelligent, sensible teens on a daily basis. I marvel at how much more mature and responsible they are than I was at the same age. But getting back to the Kirkland autobiography, I do think that there are a fair number of teens so enamored with Ms. Kirkland that they're not yet able to read her autobiography objectively. There are certainly many who CAN (my own daughter among them) but that's not the group I'm concerned with. But judging from the many gushing, admiring posts I've read on ballet boards over the years, it seems that an awful lot of young dancers think that she was writing that book from a position of health. That's what bothers me. Link to comment
Watermill Posted January 18, 2003 Share Posted January 18, 2003 Yikes, Grace...I feel I need to respond to your comment because it sounds like your evaluation of a few bad apples is spoiling the whole bunch. I also happen to know that a lot of teens read this forum, and want to throw my vote in with vagansmom's. With all due respect, there are many ballet parents who frequent this forum who are carefully guiding their intelligent literate teenagers through the trashy cultural wasteland Modern America is becoming. I'm sure there are many in Australia doing the same. Sorry you haven't met them. Try not to let some negative experiences you must have had stain your perception of all teens. And please try to remember that if parents don't parent, and schools don't teach, it's hardly the teen's fault. Link to comment
Pas Posted January 18, 2003 Share Posted January 18, 2003 It can be difficult to find books on ballet and dancers for the general market. Is it because the topic is so specialized? Could it also be that many dancers, being in a tough and competitive world, are reluctant to write about themselves and their companies? There are some fantastic dancers out there today who have almost nothing written on them beyond a resume of their experience. A google search on dancers who have been with ballet companies for 10 or 15 years often only results in a few hits that again recite their resumes. It concerns me, from a historical point, that many stories of dancers and companies may be lost as it seems there isn't a lot of writing and publishing going on in the field, especially when it comes to biographies. Speaking of Edward Villella's Prodigal Son, that book is a great script for a major movie. I did not want to put it down. It would be wonderful to see Villella's story on the screen, which would intersect with the lives of Ballanchine and many others, while telling the human story of Villella himself--his family struggles, his near-death, his feelings of being an outsider coming from a working-class world. Great stuff for a screenwriter to work with. Link to comment
grace Posted January 19, 2003 Share Posted January 19, 2003 just to clarify: i don't regard any of the teens i have taught as 'bad apples', or, as unusual, at all (except unusual in their level of dedication to a discipline like ballet) - but it is extremely rare or almost nonexistent, in my experience today, to meet one who knows anything about ballet history, apart from the name of fonteyn, and similar items of trivia. (to explain THAT phrase: not having seen her, or been alive in her lifetime, or read her autobiography, or even seen film of her, they have merely heard of the legend, and accept it as gospel - a fact of trivia, rather than something they actually know anything about, or have an opinion about.) as (amongst other things) a teacher of ballet history, to some of the countries most talented dancers and young ballet teachers, this has stunned me - and yet i know that my experience is not unique among my peers in australia. not at all. it is common. this doesn't mean there is anything wrong with them as people - or that they have bad parents - or bad ballet teachers - they DON'T! but life today just doesn't seem conducive to the kind of rapt focused concentrated LOVE of an artform, in one's childhood and teen years, as was the case when i was growing up - but then again, i was 'wierd' even then! i am happily accepting that my 'wierdness' had a purpose - but i miss coming across such love today - even though the teens i speak of are far better dancers than i ever was. the one example i can think of, of a teen who was so darned clever and in love with with the artform that i felt a great kinship, was the famed/notorious intuviel (long time balletalert members will know who i speak of). i completely accept that you, as parents, or teachers, may well have a different experience in america - but this is my experience. not a 'bad' one, but a disappointing one, nevertheless. Link to comment
Watermill Posted January 19, 2003 Share Posted January 19, 2003 Thanks for the clarification, Grace. It's difficult to make a point (and yours is very well taken) without generalizing, but therein lies the danger of stereotyping (in this case) an entire age group based on anecdotal evidence. Your "IMO" was respectfully noted. While studies have shown that literacy is on the upswing, no one has conducted a similar study on being "literate". I refer you to Allan Bloom's The Closing of the American Mind for a brilliant evaluation of the decline of American intellect and consequently culture. He lays much of the blame at the feet of high school and university educators. In terms of intelligence, it comes in all forms. That scowling teenager grunting through a class on Shakespeare might be able to take apart the engine of your car. He just leads with another part of his brain. And what about the 10 year old tutoring her/his college educated parents in computer usage? And then there is "Dance Intelligence". Truly a rare wonder to behold: a soulful "thinking with the body" that confounds and defies any rational explanation. But astounding to witness at work. And definitely a form of intelligence. All that being said, I must admit that I, as a teacher (of Dramatic Arts) share your disappointment. All we can do, I suspect, is focus on what gifts we can pass on to the dwindling numbers of those willing to receive them. Remember: the Renaissance came after the Dark Ages! Watermill Link to comment
Alexandra Posted January 19, 2003 Share Posted January 19, 2003 I'm beginning to feel nostalgic for the Dark Ages actually. There was something honest about them. The 1% of the population who cared about art and thought lived together studying and making illuminated manuscripts, while the other 99% went about pillaging or having wild parties with lots of dancing and beer I can sympathize with grace's perceptions. Of course there are exceptions, and we have many of those exceptions on these boards. But there are also those stories of the 14 year old who stormed out of Suzanne Farrell's class when she was teaching at SAB, so that is now some time ago, muttering, "Did she ever, like, dance?" -- genuinely not realizing that Farrell had been a ballerina with the company. To be fair, we can't know what we aren't taught, and if anyone is teaching dance history, or even arts awareness, to teens in general education, I'd love to know about it. It might be a good idea for ballet teachers to mention dancers of the past when they teach. They do in the old academies; combinations are given nicknames of the dancers who were noted for those particular combinations, for example, or old teachers might shout out, "Good grief, not another Kant-turnova!!" during class, which would prompt the bright student to find out whether this was a good or a bad thing. Link to comment
grace Posted January 21, 2003 Share Posted January 21, 2003 watermill - not to derail this thread topic, but just to explain: i actually read the phrase about 'intelligent and literate' teens, in this context, as meaning teen dance students being intelligent and literate ABOUT DANCE. i may have misinterpreted, in that way, as i can see it the original post doesn't actually say that, and you read it differently. ...just to explain. Link to comment
fendrock Posted January 29, 2003 Author Share Posted January 29, 2003 I just purchased Following Balanchine by Robert Garis at www.salebooks.com for $5.98. They also have an autobiography by Jose Limon, as well as some other dance books at bargain prices. Link to comment
Guest Peregrin Took Posted February 2, 2003 Share Posted February 2, 2003 Do you think I would be able to get Gelsey Kirkland and/or Darcey Bussell's biographies here in Australia? They never seem to be in the stores I check. Link to comment
Alexandra Posted February 2, 2003 Share Posted February 2, 2003 Hello, Peregrine -- welcome! Have you tried searching Amazon in Australia? Or another on line service? Link to comment
cygneblanc Posted February 2, 2003 Share Posted February 2, 2003 This may be a little of the subject, Alexandra, but if someone can respond me, it will be helpful for me. Why are you speaking of the Dark Ages instead of the Middle Ages ? When you're refering to that expression, are you speaking of the whole period of the Middle Ages or just about the 10th, 11th and 12 th centuries ? Thank you very much in advance Link to comment
dirac Posted February 3, 2003 Share Posted February 3, 2003 The Dark Ages generally refers to the early Middle Ages – about 500 A.D. to 1000 A.D. (I am not good with dates, these may be slightly off!) – the period immediately following the fall of the Roman Empire, when the Vandals overran Europe and things were, well, confused. As one who would have ranked socially with the 99%, I cannot say that I feel much nostalgia for the period. However, I can see how illiteracy, punishing manual labor, drinking bad water, living in distressed circumstances, and dying at a young age of disease or complications of childbirth might conceivably lessen one's interest in illuminated manuscripts. Back to the topic, more or less -- has anyone read Frank Augustyn's book? He wrote one a year or two ago, but I never came across much about it. Link to comment
cygneblanc Posted February 4, 2003 Share Posted February 4, 2003 Thank you very much for the explanation Dirac ! Link to comment
grace Posted February 4, 2003 Share Posted February 4, 2003 dear Peregrin Took - what a great name! i am also in australia - so i sympathise. the answer to your question depends on which state you are in - if you have access to sydney, then the performing arts bookshop (assuming it still exists!) should be able to help you. if in melbourne, i seem to recall that the giftshop in the south yarra arts centre had a few ballet books which you wouldn't get at Angus & Robertson or Dymocks - but still not many. i am in perth, so i find that such specialised books really DO have to be ordered - usually via specialist bookstores. OR - if out of print - hunted down via 2nd hand bookshops. alexandra's suggestion of AMAZON.COM is probably the most efficient, if you can buy anything online (i.e. if you have a credit card, and don't mind using it online, etc). good luck to you! Link to comment
Marenetha Posted December 31, 2003 Share Posted December 31, 2003 All right, this is rather digging up an old post, and I should be going to sleep now ( ) but, regarding Dancing on my Grave... I'm 14 now, and I read it when I was almost about to turn 14, and really - It's not that disturbing, and I don't think in anyway it would encourage you to emulate her in any fashion. After I read her book, I did a search on Kazaa, and while I could only find a minute-and-a-half long snippet of her dancing from Wolftrap, I think it was, and about two minutes of something else, really, the only thing I thought about her was that it was sad. She looked like she could have been absolutely INCREDIBLE if only she'd frankly, had a decent psychotherapist from about the age of eight. I wouldn't describe it as a '17-and-above' book, because there's nothing really that horrible and shocking about it. All I think is that ... well, it was so sad that she wound up losing that further possibility, which from seeing her dance. I suppose it could be disturbing to some, but really ... I think it's just the maturity of the person reading it. It didn't frighten me at all at the age of 12 - I just thought that she was apparently a famous, so presumably at least very good, artist, who started out with several cards missing from her deck and went significantly downhill from their before she went up. That's all. Link to comment
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