Books with title Ballet Boy

Jordan Howe, a lanky, black sixteen-year-old living on a council estate with his grandparents, has no idea where hismother is or who his father was. Last summer, Jordan had to leave school and start work as a garage mechanic, buthe dreams of a career in professional basketball.One Sunday afternoon, he reluctantly accompanies his sister, Grace, to his old school gym. There he sees his rowdyand disaffected friends refusing to co-operate at the first session of a dance project for disadvantaged young people,launched by former ballerina Alicia Page. But the breakdown of the first lesson leaves everyone feeling depressed.The only bright spot is the enthusiasm of twelve-year-old Grace, who has confided her interest in textiles to Aliciaand been promised a visit to the company wardrobe department. Jordan, press-ganged into accompanying Grace tothe ballet studios, happens to see a young male dancer rehearsing. Bored by ‘girl talk’ about sequins and tutus, hereturns to the empty studio to try out a few steps and fails to notice Roy, Alicia’s husband and ex-principal of theMidland Dance Company, watching with interest from the doorway.Inspired by Roy’s encouragement, Jordan and Grace galvanise the rest of the gang into showing up to the danceproject classes and Jordan starts working towards a ballet examination. Roy decides to mount a few scenes fromRomeo and Juliet for families and friends, which soon escalates into a full-blown production...Ballet Boy is a moving and inspiring tale that is suitable for teenagers aged 16+.

Written by a former member of The Royal Ballet company, this book offers a true insider's view of absolutely everything a budding balletomane wants to know about dance from the costumes, the steps, the choreographers, and the dance companies to what it's like in a class, a rehearsal and a performance. The illustrations --luscious and atmospheric -- thrill and inspire. Also a terrific reference, this book provides detailed coverage of the history of ballet, retellings of favorite ballet stories, and a glossary of dancers, choreographers, companies and technical terms, as well as a timeline of performances. A beautiful gift book as exciting as opening night!

Jordan Howe, a lanky, black sixteen-year-old living on a council estate with his grandparents, has no idea where his mother is or who his father was. Last summer, Jordan had to leave school and start work as a garage mechanic, but he dreams of a career in professional basketball. One Sunday afternoon, he reluctantly accompanies his sister, Grace, to his old school gym. There he sees his rowdy and disaffected friends refusing to co-operate at the first session of a dance project for disadvantaged young people, launched by former ballerina Alicia Page. But the breakdown of the first lesson leaves everyone feeling depressed. The only bright spot is the enthusiasm of twelve-year-old Grace, who has confided her interest in textiles to Alicia and been promised a visit to the company wardrobe department. Jordan, press-ganged into accompanying Grace to the ballet studios, happens to see a young male dancer rehearsing. Bored by 'girl talk' about sequins and tutus, he returns to the empty studio to try out a few steps and fails to notice Roy, Alicia's husband and ex-principal of the Midland Dance Company, watching with interest from the doorway. Inspired by Roy's encouragement, Jordan and Grace galvanise the rest of the gang into showing up to the dance project classes and Jordan starts working towards a ballet examination. Roy decides to mount a few scenes from Romeo and Juliet for families and friends, which soon escalates into a full-blown production...

One of the most formal and demanding genres of dance, ballet has enthralled audiences with its grace, precision, and remarkable feats of dexterity. Its early roots can be traced back to the 16th century, when court dances were performed for Italian and French royalty. After spreading throughout Europe, ballet flourished in 19th-century Russia, the home of some of the world's greatest dancers and choreographers. Once these dancers traveled to America in the 20th century, ballet began to evolve as the style came in contact with the burgeoning modern dance movement. In this revised edition of Ballet, readers will learn how this precise dance form has evolved throughout the centuries through colorful photographs and illustrations and engaging text.