Meet the Dancers: From Ballet, Broadway, and Beyond » (First Edition)

AMY NATHAN is the award-winning author of several books for young people, including Meet the Musicians, The Young Musician’s Survival Guide, and Yankee Doodle Gals. She lives in upstate New York.

WWW.AMYNATHANBOOKS.COM

Dancers from all kinds of backgrounds talk about their different paths to success as ballerinas, modern dancers, music video performers, and Broadway showstoppers.

Children's Literature

This absorbing book will appeal to all kids who love dance, especially those who are taking classes and considering dance as a career. Nathan interviews sixteen successful dancers, who share their unique experiences and insights with aspiring performers. Each tells about discovering dance and starting lessons, struggles with technique, discipline necessary for improvement, and choices to be made in a professional career. From the world of ballet, Nathan talks with Gillian Murphy of ABT, Lauren Anderson from Houston Ballet, Teresa Reichlen and Amar Rascar of New York City Ballet, and Aesha Ash of Morphoses, among others. Modern dance is represented by Clifton Brown from Alvin Ailey, Lauren Grant and David Leventhal of Mark Morris, and Jamal Story, who started with modern and ended up on Broadway, as did Nancy Lemenager, Broadway star. Judiciously placed sidebars shed light on issues like warming up, accepting corrections, finessing auditions, coming to terms with your own body and style, working in a professional company, and life after dance. From schedules of each dancer's typical day, readers will discover that dancing is a demanding, full-time job that often means sacrificing other interests, but brings much joy along with personal and artistic fulfillment. Abundant photos show the dancers in action, including each as a child or teen; another fun feature is "Sugar Plum Sightings," revealing that all but four appeared at least once in some production of the ubiquitous Nutcracker. Well researched and neatly produced, this survey makes irresistible reading for dance-lovers of any age. Reviewer: Barbara L. Talcroft

Introduction: Dance On     3
Ballet Dancer, American Ballet Theatre   Gillian Murphy     9
Modern Dancer, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater   Clifton Brown     23
Ballet Dancer, Houston Ballet   Lauren Anderson     35
From Breakdancing to Ballet to Broadway   John Selya     47
Ballet Dancer, New York City Ballet   Teresa Reichlen     59
Ballet Dancer, New York City Ballet   Amar Ramasar     71
Modern Dancer, Mark Morris Dance Group   Lauren Grant     83
Modern Dancer, Mark Morris Dance Group   David Leventhal     95
Modern Dancer, Paul Taylor Dance Company   Julie Tice     107
Modern Dancer, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater   Glenn Allen Sims     119
From Ballet to Modern to Broadway   Elizabeth Parkinson     129
From Jazz to Ballet ... and Back   Aesha Ash     141
From Modern to Broadway, by Way of the Stars   Jamal Story     153
Ballet Dancer, Boston Ballet   Sarah Wroth     165
L.A. Dancer   Nick Florez     175
Broadway Dancer   Nancy Lemenager     189
Glossary     201
Resources     211
Acknowledgments     217
Index     221