The Joffrey Ballet School's Ballet-Fit

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 272 pages
• Published by: St. Martin's Griffin February 15, 1999
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0312194706
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0312194703
• Book Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.9 x 0.7 inches
• Weighs: 1.5 pounds

Product Review
Ballet-Fit is for the adult beginner ballet student, "whether 17 or 70." The authors admit the atmosphere in most ballet studios can be a bit intimidating, but say it needn't be.

We concede that if you hang around your local ballet school or dance studio, at first glance, it probably will seem to be filled with long-legged, lean-limbed adolescents, with tight little hair buns, stern little faces, and rumpled leg warmers around their ankles. But chances are the 23-year-old stretching on the floor isn't a budding ballerina but a law student who finds beginning ballet a relaxing break from her books. As for the thirty-something lady at the barre, very likely she's a new mother who's thrilled with the stronger, firmer, more flexible body she has developed since she began classes.

A combination of confidence-boosting ballet instruction and fitness facts, with plenty of photographs (although all in black and white), Ballet-Fit offers a multitude of tips for beginners. You'll learn what to wear to class, the best way to break in a new pair of pointe shoes, and how to prevent injuries. And you'll even learn the proper pronunciation of the French dance terms, from arabesque to temps de flèche. For folks who don't live near a ballet studio or dancewear store, there's a helpful directory of magazines, catalogs, videos, audiotapes, and Web sites.

Ballerinas, as dancer Allegra Kent put it, "have the strongest, most gorgeous, and very probably the most envied bodies in the world." With Ballet-Fit and some dedication, you can work your way toward becoming a toned, flexible balletomane, too. --Erica Jorgensen

From Library Journal
Ballet dancers are different from you and me. They start taking class in childhood and continue throughout their professional careers and often into retirement. They devote years to study, rehearsal, and practice. This book is for the rest of us. The authors, a Joffrey Ballet School instructor and a magazine editor who is a ballet student, have designed it for those "not heading for a performing career butpursuing ballet with thegoals of fitness, relaxation, and pleasure in mind." Aimed at the adult beginner, it provides sensible advice and clear explanations of what to expect in and from a ballet class. The language of ballet is translated into lay terms and the movements are described in words and photographs. There is a step-by-step outline of a home ballet workout, a discussion of pointe work, and a chapter of frequently asked adult ballet questions. A "Ballet Fitness Source Directory" highlights publications, audiovisual materials, dancewear and footwear suppliers, schools receptive to adult students, and more. Highly recommended for all public libraries.?Carolyn M. Mulac, Chicago P.L.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Reader Reviews
I thought that wanting to take ballet lessons at my age put me in a very small minority. But this book proved me wrong and also managed to put aside any concerns that I would have in doing so. First, this book makes the adult "wanna-be" ballerina realize that it in not a pipe dream to dance ballet. It answers almost every concern anyone could come up with and encourages you every step of the way. From what to wear to class, where to take class and what to expect once you've started. In addition to that, it defines those sometimes mystifying French terms used in dance, as well as showing you how to do them. One other great thing is a directory of schools that offer adult classes. But what I liked best is that this book gives no illusions. It doesn't promise that you will be dancing point for the New York City Ballet or that your technique will be perfect. It's honest, which is what makes it the most helpful. If you ever thought of dancing ballet but think "yeah right", read this book. It can only help.