Summer Reading: Books By Dancers
Summer is here! Whether you’re hanging out under a beach umbrella or passing the time between rehearsals, it’ll be more fun with a book in hand. Check out these ballet page-turners—all written by dancers themselves.
By Sophie Flack
This novel follows devoted Manhattan Ballet Company corps member Hannah Ward as she navigates company life. For the most part, things are going smooth, until she meets a college-student musician, Jacob. When sparks fly, Hannah’s life gets shaken up a bit. Although fictional, the novel lends tons of insight to the life of a professional dancer—its author, Sophie Flack, danced with the New York City Ballet for nine years!
By Jacques d’Amboise
As Balanchine’s protégé, d’Amboise certainly has a compelling story. He begins by recounting his childhood in Washington Heights and training that the School of American Ballet. We hear about his experiences dancing with Balanchine’s famous muses, as well as the life and death of Balanchine himself.
Daria Klimentova: Agony and Ecstasy: My Life in Dance
By Daria Klimentova
This autobiography by English National Ballet’s Daria Klimentova offers an easy-to-read look into the life of the Czech born ballerina. Klimentova begins her story by talking about her upbringing under Soviet rule, and continues right on up to her legendary partnership with Vadim Muntagirov.
