Martha Graham Center of Contemporary Dance App
By Google Cultural Institute in collaboration with Martha Graham Dance Company • Compatible with iPhone, iPad and Android; free
This app contains photos, musical scores, videos, facts and anecdotes to familiarize viewers with Martha Graham’s legacy: her early life and work, her iconic choreography and the defining principles of her choreographic style, like contraction and release.
Swan: The Life and Dance of Anna Pavlova
By Laurel Snyder; Illustrated by Julie Morstad • Chronicle Books; 52 pages; $17.99
From humble beginnings, Anna Pavlova became one of dance history’s most revered ballerinas, becoming famous for her heartbreaking rendition of The Dying Swan. Her story unfolds through the brightly illustrated pages of this book for children ages 5 to 8.
Raising the Barre: Big Dreams, False Starts, & My Midlife Quest to Dance The Nutcracker
By Lauren Kessler • Da Capo Press; 272 pages; $24.99
In this humorous memoir, journalist Lauren Kessler tells how she set out to recapture a childhood dream by doing the seemingly impossible: perform The Nutcracker with a professional company after not dancing since she was 12.
Moving Field Guide: A Teacher Training Toolkit for Grades 3–5
By Cassie Meador • Dance Exchange; 43 pages; $20
To create this guidebook for third- through fifth-grade educators, Cassie Meador, artistic director of the Washington, DC–based Dance Exchange, collaborated with environmental educators, artists and the U.S. Forest Service to use outdoor movement activities as a way for children to connect with their environment.
