Ballet Stories - Softcover

Rezensionen

Grade 4-6?In addition to short stories, this collection includes chapters taken from novels and autobiographies. Although they are introduced with a short synopsis of the complete story, the context is not always clear and the endings sometimes seem abrupt. The selections examine the self-doubt and struggles inherent in the choice of dance as a career and present a balanced look at successes and failures. "Pulling Up the Old Socks," a chapter from Lynn Seymour's autobiography, describes the dancer's loneliness as a gifted 15-year-old Canadian studying ballet in London. Told through her letters, her sacrifices, dedication, and hard work are compellingly communicated. In contrast, "Wartime Ballet," from Margot Fonteyn's autobiography, is disappointingly scattered and flat. In "Ugly Feet Are Beautiful," a girl idolizes her older sister, down to her misshapen, tortured feet. Cynthia Voigt goes inside the isolation of failure as seen through the eyes of a black girl alone among white teachers and students in a "Summer Camp" for dancers. Most of the selections feature girls as the main characters. Unfortunately, the point of the story is too often hammered home. Sam is her best friend's understudy in "Samantha and Lizinka," which makes her work harder than ever. "Pauline Learns a Lesson" for putting on airs by having to yield a performance to her understudy. Average fare for lovers of dance.?Frances E. Millhouser, Chantilly Regional Library, VA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Gr. 4^-6. Serious ballet students as well as those who simply love to read about the dancer's art will enjoy this 15-story anthology featuring young people who are learning to dance or beginning their careers. Although two of the selections are drawn from autobiographies (Margot Fonteyn and Lynn Seymour), most are chapters from novels. These stand pretty well on their own, but sometimes they come to a stop without quite ending. Many of the sourcebooks are British and may not be available in library collections here, but American writers such as Amy Hest and Cynthia Voigt are included. Simple line drawings appear every few pages, providing pleasant illustrations as well as making the stories look more accessible. A nice addition to larger collections. Carolyn Phelan