A Young Dancer: The Life of an Ailey Student »

VALERIE GLADSTONE is a biographer of George Balanchine, and has been writing about the arts for twenty years. She has published articles on dance in The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Washington Post, Travel & Leisure, and Dance magazine. She lives in New York City.

JOSÉ IVEY has been a professional photographer for more than fifteen years. His work has been published in The New York Times and the Los Angeles Times. He lives in New York City.

Meet Iman Bright, a thirteen-year-old student at the prestigious Ailey School in New York City. Iman is passionate about dance, but she also enjoys drawing, playing music, and of course, hanging out with her friends. Follow Iman as she warms up at the barre, practices violin, and gets ready for a performance with her fellow students.

In descriptive words and striking photographs, this informative picture book provides fascinating insight into the world of dance through the voice of one very talented young performer.

Children's Literature

Iman Bright is an attractive, leggy, thirteen year old who studies dance at the Ailey School in New York, attends a private school in the Bronx, and takes violin lessons on Saturday. This is her story. Iman loves to dance; at the Ailey school she studies ballet as well as jazz, West African, and the modern styles of Lester Horton and Jose Limon. She likes to hang out with her friends, swim, and practice her violin. As Iman and classmates in Level 5 warm up, stretch, and go to class in their distinctive burgundy leotards, Ivey's lush color photos let aspiring dancers and musicians follow her schedule. Readers can also catch glimpses of famed Ailey dancer Judith Jamison, who now heads the school, two of Iman's dance teachers, and her violin teacher. Classmates at the academic Riverdale School seem in a different world, but Iman says she is comfortable and happy in both. The year in level 5 will end with a performance of a Limon dance about a Jewish wedding with the students as happy guests. Blossoming in long, colorful skirts of orange, red, and hot pink, the girls rehearse and get used to being lifted by their partners, while Ivey's striking photos follow the preparations for going onstage and the exhilaration of performance. Iman loves it: she looks forward to Level 6 and more hard work. Dance lovers will pore over the pictured details, warmed by Iman's glowing smile, and learn more about the Ailey School from an informative "Author's Note." Reviewer: Barbara L. Talcroft