Ballet Basics [Paperback]

Sandra Noll Hammond (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 15, 1999 | ISBN-10: 0767412028 | ISBN-13: 978-0767412025 | Edition: 4

Written for the adult beginner, Ballet Basics is a well-illustrated introduction to the fundamentals of ballet technique. The text also provides an overview of the history of ballet.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Sandra Noll Hammond trained in ballet in New York at the Juilliard School, the Metropolitan Opera Ballet, and the School of Ballet Repertory. Among her teachers were Antony Tudor, Margaret Craske, Thalia Mara, and Arthur Mahoney. She has performed with the Ballet Repertory Dancers, Connecticut Opera, Arizona Dance Theatre, and Pacific Ballet. She also has worked as a free-lance artist, performing and staging Baroque ballet repertory reconstructed from her own research. A graduate of the University of California, Santa Barbara, Hammond's teaching career has focussed on ballet in higher education. She was instrumental in developing a dance major at the University of Arizona, Tucson, where she served as Coordinator of Dance. Later, she served as Director of Dance in the Theatre and Dance Department of the University of Hawaii. Hammond is recognized internationally for her research, lectures, and publications on the history of ballet technique. In addition to Ballet Basics, her publications include Ballet: Beyond the Basics (also published by McGraw-Hill) and numerous articles in dance journals and in ballet encyclopedias and dictionaries. She is a frequent guest artist on university campuses, where she enjoys introducing students to earlier forms of ballet technique and repertory from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Mayfield Publishing; 4 edition (October 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0767412028
• ISBN-13: 978-0767412025
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #467,458 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #39 in Books > Arts & Photography > Performing Arts > Dance > Reference

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great learning aid for adult beginners, June 1, 2001

By 

The Prof "Jim" (LIVONIA, MI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ballet Basics (Paperback)

I have the 3rd edition of this book, which was required for a college Ballet I class. As a beginning, adult, male student, I found the book to be very detailed - which I like. She gives you illustrations of steps, with the French name & pronunciation, why your doing it (e.g. to stretch certain muscles), a description, etc..

Initially, working at the barre (e.g. how to stand, plie', positions of the feet) Sandra gives correct & incorrect drawings. Of course, no book or video can replace being in class nor should it. With ballet you need a teacher to correct what your doing wrong so you can learn from it. Then having good books, videos, etc. as reference material helps you learn.

The book is written for us beginner adults, not children and not the pro's, which is really nice. Since we don't have nearly the flexibility of them. It also includes some history in the back of the book. Illustrations show men as well as women. Also included is what to wear to class, what to expect in class, how you should act, etc..

Get her other book once you get beyond the basics.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Book for Adult Beginners..., September 29, 2002

By 

artslover "artslover" (Kirkland, WA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ballet Basics (Paperback)

Finally a good ballet instruction book that's encouraging and doesn't talk down to adult beginners. The more ballet classes I take, the more I realize how well this book distills the important aspects of ballet. Sketches and photos showing correct (and incorrect) body positioning are appropriately used. When I started ballet, I picked up a handful of books, and I always reached for this one when I had 10 minutes to learn a new tidbit. The brief history of ballet in the final chapter is added bonus. If you're an adult beginner, start with this book and the David Howard videos, plus a good teacher once or twice a week. You won't be auditioning for the American Ballet Theatre, but you'll become a proficient dancer pretty quickly.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent basic technique manual, July 24, 2000

By 

TigerlilyM (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ballet Basics (Paperback)

This book provides a good solid basic technique overview. It has been used as a textbook at some colleges, and was highly reccomended by my former headmistress. I found the text interesting and helpful, and the illustrations sufficient. Of course, no book can replace a talented instructor, but as a supplement to a dance program, this book is superior.