Recommended: 4 Editor's Picks
May 1, 2016

Ballerina Gets Ready

By Allegra Kent; illustrated by Catherine Stock

Holiday House; 32 pages; $16.95

In this new children’s book by former New York City Ballet principal Allegra Kent, beautiful watercolor illustrations take readers step by step through the day of a professional ballerina—from her first stretch in the morning to the moment the lights go down and the curtain goes up.

Ballet Barre Etudes: 125 Lesson Plans to Inspire Dance Teachers

By Connie Bellinghausen

Mira Digital Publishing; 258 pages; $31.95

For ballet teachers stuck in a choreographic rut, Connie Bellinghausen has provided ample material to get your gears turning. Ballet Barre Etudes is a compilation of 125 barre sequences, including combinations for plié, tendu, dégagé, frappé, rond de jambe, grand battement, allégro and many more.

Beginning Musical Theatre Dance

By Diana Dart Harris

Human Kinetics;

128 pages; $39

In this introductory guide, students will learn about basic musical theater dance techniques, history, auditioning, classroom conduct and what they will encounter in the theater. The book comes with a web resource featuring video clips, a glossary of terms, prompts for journaling and links for additional study.

Girl Through Glass

By Sari Wilson

Harper Collins Publishers; 304 pages; $25.99

Author Sari Wilson draws from her dancing days at Harkness Ballet and Eliot Feld’s New Ballet School (now Ballet Tech) in this new novel with two interwoven plotlines. An aspiring New York City Ballet dancer in the 1970s wins the approval of George Balanchine, while in the present day a dance professor is forced to confront her past.