Lisa Harris is known for her musical work in the ballet classroom, both as a pianist and as an artist who releases CDs for ballet class (as well as digital music). “Artistry in Motion” is an excellent example of why she is so well-regarded in the field.

Selections here include favorites such as an adagio from Swan Lake, slow tendu music from Bach and a minuet from Mozart. Harris has a knack for selecting composers that mesh well with a particular exercise, and her command of the piano insures that they are played flawlessly. This makes for a CD that is wonderful for both the teacher and the students in the classroom.

This album has 26 (repeated) tracks for the barre and 16 for the centre. Other composers that are included in the mix here include: Schubert, Beethoven, Vivaldi, Handel, Verdi and Adam.

Interested in this album, or in seeing more of what Lisa Harris has to offer for the ballet classroom? Visit her site. For those who are making the switch to digital music–she has options for you as well.

I’m fascinated by the lives of dancers. Even though I was one, I can never seem to get past the fact that each of us has such a distinctly different path–and a totally unique perspective on what it is like to live this life.

Because of that, I was excited to read Every Step You Take, a memoir written by Jock Soto (with Leslie Marshall). After all, this is a man that I grew up watching in the ballet world. Soto was a principal dancer with NYCB when he retired at the age of 40, and this book begins with the end of his career on stage. A peek inside the thoughts and fears that swirl around one’s head when the final performance looms, I thought it was a great opener.

Where, I thought, will this book go from here?

Interestingly, Soto weaves the story of his life and his heritage together with his career in ballet. We see the influence his family and background had on him, and he is free with his inner thoughts, which was quite refreshing. It is obvious that he spent time thinking through how the person he is inside influenced the person he was on stage–and the man he has become on the other side of his life as a performer. This intimate look at his thoughts and feelings becomes the centerpiece of what draws the reader in to this memoir–an an opinion shared by my friend and colleague, Henrik Lamark in his review of Soto’s book on Tights and Tiaras.

There was a kind of unexpected twist in the book in that Soto includes a variety of recipes throughout. This was such a fun thing to do, and it added another dimension to the book that I really enjoyed. I just might have to try his “Grilled Skirt Steak with Arugula” or the “Paradise Valley Potato Salad”.

I don’t like to give too much away when writing a review of a book, so I won’t spoil the details. Suffice it to say that I enjoyed the memoir, the photos–and the recipes, and think it would make good reading for both ballet dancers and those interested in dance alike. Soto takes us on a rich trip through his career, whirls us back in time to see what shaped him and let’s us tag along with him as he processes those things that helped him find his way once he retired.

It’s a fun ride.

Learn more about Jock Soto’s book or purchase a copy.

Seasons/Elton John

History of Us/Indigo Girls

Save the Best for Last/Waldmen

‘Til There Was You/Willson

The Rose/Midler

Piano Man/Joel

And many others, including classical composers, Tchiakovsky and Delibes. Played expertly by Harris, there are tracks for both barre (19) and centre (20). If you are looking for a ballet class music CD with lots of variety, this is it.

The music here can be used for classes at all levels. I’m sure adults would appreciate the selections, but the music would work for any age group. If you haven’t heard Ms. Harris play before, know that she has plenty of experience–and many other CDs to choose from, as well as digital downloads available. Look for more reviews of her music on 4dancers soon.

Visit her site for more information and for samples of the music.

“Dancing Keys” has 28 tracks–all original works that were played and composed by Civil. I really do love the original ballet class music CDs. I think it adds another level of artistry to the class environment to use compositions that were created with this particular dance form in mind. Adapted pieces are fine–and many people like them. I just prefer original work.

I believe this would be a perfect CD for an adult ballet class or beginner/intermediate class. The music is clear and metered, and the selection is good. The reason I wouldn’t use it for an advanced ballet class is because the barre is on the short side. Other than that, it is appropriate. Tracks are of adequate length–neither too short, nor too long.

The centre music is plentiful, with tracks that include sautes, allegro, waltz, gavotte and adage. I found the music inspiring and beautiful. I think it is such a challenge to come up with tracks that have heart in them, and Civil is able to do so. She has quite a background in the field, having played for schools and companies in New Zealand, Canada and Australia–she’s no newbie to this type of music and it shows.

If you would like to hear samples of the music on “Dancing Keys” or if you want to purchase a CD to use for teaching, visit her website.

Ballet Studio Inspirations, Volume Two is a terrific CD, appropriate for more advanced classes in my opinion. The music is stunning, but a more expert ear is required to find the music here–it is perfect for honing musicality as a dancer at a higher level—something I believe is very important. While not every track is challenging this way, I do think that younger, more inexperienced dancers may find some of the music difficult to follow.

The other reason I would recommend this CD for higher level classes is the fact that there are plenty of choices for the instructor. There are 45 original compositions for barre and centre here, with some designed specifically with pointe in mind–although they can be used for other exercises as well.

There are 12 tracks for the regular barre and six more for the pointe barre. The centre features music for port de bras, petit allegro, grand allegro and more. The pointe section of the centre has an additional eight tracks.

This CD would make a fine addition to any ballet teacher/studio’s collection. Hear samples and more at Maddock’s website–and if you need digital downloads, he offers those as well.

by Catherine L. Tully

Better late than never–right?

It has taken me a long while to get around to doing this review. I was hesitant about watching this movie–not sure if I wanted to see what the depiction was of the ballet world. Somehow I knew it would fall short, and for me it did.

As I had heard, the movie rang true to overarching stereotypes of ballet dancers and what goes on behind the scenes, and I found myself disappointed that it didn’t try a little harder to stretch beyond the typical. After all, not every director is “grabby”, not every retiring ballerina is morose and suicidal, and not every dance mom is overbearing. It would have been nice to depart a bit from these images and strive to create real characters with dimension rather than falling back on old, tired images of these roles. Here, the director played it safe, but, admittedly, it is difficult subject matter to tackle. Still, it would have been nice to have had more range.

The behind-the-scenes look into the ballet world was again somewhat typical, but served as a decent bit of background for those who may not be aware of what goes on in a dance company. Many dancers can relate to things such as the cramped physical therapy office, the nerves as everyone checks the board for their name when ballets are posted and the hush that comes over a room when the director appears.

I loved the scene where you get to see how pointe shoes are “worked” and broken in and the realism of the dancers sitting around in the hallway with their ballet bags. How true, how true. Still, it would have been wonderful to have a little more of that–I think it would have helped explain dancers in a way that would have helped make sense of things better in the movie. After all, there is a lot more to the life of a ballet dancer than people may realize.

Nina, the main character, is driven in a way that pretty much drives her mad. I get that. But her character is also very fragile–I would argue too fragile to be at that level in ballet. There is an inner strength one needs to have to dance that type of role which was simply missing. To me, it made for a mix that just didn’t make sense. Perhaps this pairing is needed to make for a character that we see losing touch with reality, but it was hard for me to buy into.

I will say that Natalie Portman did manage to convince me that she was indeed frigid and naieve, but the push/pull in her dancing white swan and black swan was something I was not able to hone in on–until the scene where she takes the stage as the black swan.

To me, this scene was the movie’s triumph by far. The camera work, the facial expressions – even the choreography – all came together seamlessly. The transformation was at once powerful and intense, especially as she came offstage and circled around for her next entrance – I was spellbound for this one brief time in the movie, and from here out I thought it worked quite well. Portman did a lovely job of portraying a ballerina I thought–and although it was obvious this was from the waist up, it still worked for me. Pretty arms and lovely épaulement, which is an enormous challenge.

I have to say that I’m glad I finally did see the movie. While I can’t give it two thumbs up in terms of a dance movie, I do think that the conversation and controversy that it has caused in its wake are a good thing. At least people are talking about dance–and having some pretty intelligent conversations about it. And that’s something I like to see.

For other perspectives, read what Henrik had to say about this movie on Tights and Tiaras and see Rebecca King’s thoughts on Tendus Under A Palm Tree.

What did you think about this movie?

There is almost nothing I enjoy more than pointing out that the qualities that make a great ballet dancer can be harnessed for other things—and this book is a perfect example. Sophie Flack was a dancer with New York City Ballet from 2000 to 2009, and after leaving the company she is now studying English at Columbia University. She is also the author of Bunheads – a thoughtfully crafted novel about life in the world of ballet.

Written with an authenticity that can only be garnered by experience, Ms. Flack creates an inviting cast of characters that draws the reader in right away. The main character, Hannah Ward, is a corps de ballet dancer with the Manhattan Ballet, and the story is told through her eyes. We follow her through the ups and downs of her career as she competes for roles, pushes to improve her dancing and sacrifices much of what a “normal” life would otherwise be for her first love—ballet.

As the story evolves, conflict arises within Hannah when she meets a handsome musician named Jacob. The connection between the two of them is strong, but having a relationship with someone outside of the ballet world proves to be incredibly difficult—a fact she struggles with. Hannah begins to compare her life in dance to the idea of living life without the demands of being with the company, and knows she must eventually choose which path she will take.

Ms. Flack is a skilled writer and it’s easy to disappear into the pages of this book because she has built a solid story that rings of truth and passion. By having been an insider in this typically closed world, she is able to show both the beauty of it–and the strain. Those who have experienced life in a ballet class or company are sure to find themselves nodding in recognition with the trials and triumphs Hannah faces along the way. That said, I think that Bunheads would also appeal to those outside the ballet arena. The book provides a rare peek behind the scenes into the day-to-day life of a dancer, but not in a way that would leave other readers behind.

Human Kinetics Book

My absolute favorite part of this book is the way Ms. Flack crafted the circle of friends that Hannah hangs around with in the company. The dancers that she spends every day with are at the same time her closest pals—and her toughest rivals. It makes for an unusual situation, that in ballet is actually very common. Somehow you have to learn to walk the fine line between being a competitor and a confidant. It certainly isn’t easy, and here it is captured so very well.

This is undoubtedly the best fiction book on the life of a ballet dancer that I have read in a long time and I highly recommend it. Younger dancers will find a great story that they can relate to and older dancers will be transported back in time for a bit of reminiscing. This would make a perfect gift for someone who loves dance.

Hats off to Sophie Flack for taking the creativity, determination and attention to detail it takes to be a ballet dancer and writing her first novel. I look forward to the next one.

Read more about the author on the 4dancers feature – 10 Questions With…Sophie Flack

Purchase Bunheads Here

I always “test” CDs out on my adult ballet class. They are an eclectic group of students, and I received some nice comments on the music. The tracks were arranged well, and best of all, labeled well. As an instructor, I found the way he used the liner notes to be very helpful. They were broken down into categories that made sense for the way I teach: at the barre, centre practice, pirouettes, adage, petit allegro, batterie and grand allegro. It made it very easy to arrange my class, and it was a detail that was much appreciated.

The music itself is passionate and pretty, and there are plenty of tracks to choose from since the CD offers many selections. Since I have a fairly large class, some of the tracks in the centre were a bit short for my purposes, but I doubt that would be true for all teachers. There are 48 original selections in all for barre and centre practice. I listened to everything here and found each track to be well-suited to ballet class exercises.

It is obvious that Mr. Long has been involved with the dance community for a long time–his intuitive sense of planning the CD and its selections showcases this fact quite well. I’m looking forward to hearing more from him and using his music for class well into the future.

It’s worth noting that Mr. Long offers music on iTunes and Amazon as well, for those who prefer that format.

Visit Robert Long’s site for more information about him and his music.

Read more about this artist in the 4dancers “10 Questions With…” interview.

The author, Ann-Marie Williams speaks with serious authority. She is the director of the Movement Lab, a dance school for kids, and she is also a certified RAD (Royal Academy of Dance) instructor–and she has also written for The Dance Current. Williams has a knack for simplifying the information she shares about dance while still being interesting–a tough combination that she pulls off with considerable skill.

Some of the topics covered in this book include: what dance is, how to make dances, performing, promoting a show, making costumes and dance videos and information about several styles of dance, including ballet, contemporary dance and flamenco. Peppered throughout are a bunch of quotes from professionals in a variety of fields, which is a cool way to add interest to the book for kids of this age. It’s educational–but it’s fun too.

The language is right–hip and cool without trying too hard, and I think it addresses a lot of the questions that children this age may have about dance–especially if they don’t have a lot of prior experience or aren’t sure how to get started. The book helps to make dance accessible rather than mysterious, which I loved. It really was written in an encouraging tone.

The illustrations by Jeff Kulak were a nice touch as well. Visuals definitely help bring concepts to life, and the imagery worked very well here.

All in all I think this is a great book with mass appeal for the age group it was intended to serve. There’s a lot of information packed into the pages, and I think it is quite readable. A great resource for the dance community–and for parents.

Learn more about the book or purchase it for your child.

If you’ve read it–I’d love to hear what you think!

Richard Maddock has created an original album of dance music for children ages 3 and up, and it would be a great addition to any ballet teacher’s collection. Right away from the first track I knew this was going to be a collection of music that I loved. It’s just so pretty!

Music for Movement and Imaginations lives up to its name. The tracks here range from dreamy to daring, and there are 43 of them to choose from, giving dance teachers plenty of raw material to work with when it comes to dance making. Maddock has labeled these well too–including some hints for usage in the titles, such as “run and freeze”, “skips”, “gallops” and “run like the wind”. Ballet terminology is present here too, and some tracks are labeled with “port de bras” or “jumps and allegro” accordingly. Very helpful.

I was actually taken aback at how beautiful this CD is. Maddock has a talent that shines through, and it is kind of nice to have a collection of dance music for children that doesn’t include all the “typical” fare. Rather than go the traditional route with kids dance music, Maddock has chosen to push the envelope and create tracks specifically with them in mind. I love it!

That said, I do think that this CD could be used for other ballet classes as well, and quite frankly, the music is so pretty that I have put it on in the background when I want something on that is soothing. While not every track is quiet or low-key, the overall album is very nice to listen to.

To learn more about Richard Maddock, or to purchase one of his CDs, please visit his website.