BALLET INSPIRATION & CHOREOGRAPHY CONCEPTS FOR YOUNG DANCER

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Mother-daughter writing duo Once Upon a Dance (Danika’s Dancing Day) is back with the first in a new series, Ballet Inspiration and Choreography Concepts for Young Dancers, offering a detailed introduction to posture for ballet dancers. Likening ballet to a “gorgeous muti-layered cake,” the authors dedicate this title to that cake’s first layer—the basic dance stance that underpins more elaborate ballet techniques—and teach readers the skills necessary to master posture fundamentals. Inspired to demonstrate that ballet is equal parts challenging and rewarding, the authors combine step-by-step guidance with playful metaphors to deliver a beautifully crafted handbook for beginning and more advanced dancers.  

Readers will gain serious know-how in this energetic guide. From the steps required to execute a perfect relevé to getting the hang of proper leg rotation during turnout, ballet posture is analyzed from every angle. To help speed up the learning process, and to give readers a slice of entertainment while presenting what the authors acknowledge are challenging skills, the authors present each move with engaging metaphor. Rising to toes from flat feet is compared to “leaning forward to smell a gigantic pot of your favorite food,” and the secret to widening shoulders when practicing posture is to imagine “a cobra snake stretching [its] hood sideways.” Whimsical watercolor illustrations by Stella Maris Mongodi bring the mechanics to life. 

The icing on the cake is Ballerina Konora’s personal dance notes, such as how to capture the attention of an audience through minimal movement and the positive physical effects of learning good posture through structured dance. Also significant is her down-to-earth treatment of the pressures that accompany ballet. She encourages beginners that “hardly anyone likes ballet during their first year” and urges breaks, when needed, to explore other interests. This story is an aesthetic reminder of ballet’s technical skills that will motivate dancers to “find joy in [their] learning.” 

Takeaway: A step-by-step guide to ballet posture that offers inspiring commentary and professional tricks of the trade.

Great for fans of: Rachel Isadora’s Lili at Ballet, Darcey Bussell’s The Ballet Book.

Production grades:

Cover: A Design and typography: A Illustrations: A 

Editing: A Marketing copy: A 

—BookLife

...This is one of the cutest and most simplified “how to” books for children.   

This book is for all those who are interested in ballet ...  like their own private tutor at home.    

...Despite being a book on ballet postures, the book also spreads the important message of enjoying other things in life and never going all or nothing for anything.    

The book also asserts how important it is to have a strong foundation of movements and stillness when it comes to any desirable advancement in the art of dance in general and ballet in particular. It also encourages self - expression and normalizes having different opinions even in something as structural as ballet and performances.    

Kids will find the art work that accompanies the instructions quite appealing as it compares certain movements to those of animals (and what kids don’t absolutely love animals?)    

Dance Stance by Once Upon a Dance is written by a professional ballerina who shares advice from her own experiences and encourages children (or adults) to just have fun and move their bodies, because that is what ballet is truly all about!

—Fatima Aladdin on Reedsy

A superb tool for ballet beginners focusing on the importance of posture and balance. Highly recommended!

I must begin by saying what a truly excellent book this is for children (and possibly even adults) who plan on beginning ballet and need an accessible way of understanding the basics of posture, balance - and even stillness! In this superbly illustrated book - with a very sweet cat on every page - the authors help the reader to understand the importance of placing feet, connecting to the floor, and keeping balance so they can spin and jump. ...

—The Wishing Shelf 

BOOK WORM FOR KIDS REVIEW

Posture and position with encouraging words and a personal touch are only a few nuggets of goodness inside these pages.

This book is all about dance stance, and while that might sound simple, there's quite a bit to it. Starting with a few, personal thoughts to the reader, the chapters then dive into the various aspects and hints to create the basic stance for ballet. ...

The illustrations are full of positive vibes, add a touch of humor, and keep a perfect-ballet-feel thanks to the pastels and soft lines. These are fun to flip through, and they do offer assistance in understanding the positions described in the text, when necessary.

—Tonja D at www.bookwormforkids.com