Books: Ballet to the Corps

[Victoria Leigh]

Ballet to the Corps is a delightful and engrossing book written by a lovely dancer who danced with Joffrey, ABT, and the Metropolitan Opera Ballet. She talks realistically and passionately about life in the corps de ballet, and especially about the early years of the Joffrey. There are some fun photos from the late 50's and early 60s. It is not a large expensive book, and is in paperback. I highly recommend it for our young dancers and the parents of young dancers, and anyone interested in life in a ballet company in the golden years of the 50's and 60's!! Available through Amazon, so click on the link above.

[Clara 76]

Thank you, Victoria!!!!! Sounds great!!!

[Mrs. Stahlbaum]

I just finished reading this book and enjoyed it very much. There's something very personal about it. I'm guessing it's self-published. It doesn't have the sterility of an over-edited book, but rather it feels like a conversation with someone who is telling you about an interesting time in her life.

 

Her career took place during the mid-fifties to the sixties and one can see that there have been changes in ballet since then and yet the dreams and hopes of a budding ballerina have not changed. It discusses the beginnings of the Joffrey Ballet and touring in small-town America, the Soviet Union and the Middle East, but the style is more of a "let me tell you about the time when....." than a dry history of ballet.

 

Available at Amazon for about $15.