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Ballet For Dummies
 
 
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Ballet For Dummies [Paperback]

Scott Speck (Author), Evelyn Cisneros (Author)
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)

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Book Description

October 3, 2003
Whether you want to participate in ballet or just watch it, the ballet experience can excite and inspire you. Ballet is among the most beautiful forms of expression ever devised: an exquisite mix of sight and sound, stunning, aesthetics, and awesome technique.

Ballet For Dummies is for anyone who wants to enjoy all that the dance forms offers – as an onlooker who wants to get a leg up on the forms you're likely to see or as an exercise enthusiast who understands that the practice of ballet can help you gain

  • More strength
  • Greater flexibility
  • Better body alignment
  • Confidence in movement
  • Comfort through stress reduction
  • Infinite grace – for life

From covering the basics of classical ballet to sharing safe and sensible ways to try your hand (and toes) at moving through the actual dance steps, this expert reference shows you how to

  • Build your appreciation for ballet from the ground up.
  • Choose the best practice space and equipment.
  • Warm up to your leap into the movements.
  • Locate musical options for each exercise.
  • Look for certain lifts in a stage performance.
  • Tell a story with gestures.
  • Picture a day in the life of a professional ballet dancer.
  • Identify best-loved classic and contemporary ballets.
  • Speak the language of ballet.

Today you can find a ballet company in almost every major city on earth. Many companies have their own ballet schools – some for training future professionals, and others for interested amateurs. As you fine-tune your classical ballet technique – or even if you just like to read about it – you'll become better equipped to fully appreciate the great choreography and many styles of the dance. Ballet For Dummies raises the curtain on a world of beauty, grace, poise, and possibility!


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Ballet For Dummies + Basic Ballet: The Steps Defined (Penguin Handbooks) + Technical Manual and Dictionary of Classical Ballet
Price For All Three: $32.94

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  • Basic Ballet: The Steps Defined (Penguin Handbooks) $9.50

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Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

"Cuts through the thicket of ballet terminology and practice to reveal the fun."
—Virginia Johnson, Editor in Chief, Pointe magazine & former Dance Theatre of Harlem Principal

Professional dancers demonstrate correct form in over 100 photos

Build poise, balance, and grace – and leap into the world of dance

Don’t know your plié from your relevé? This guide shows you the fun and easy way to practice ballet, from basic and intermediate positions to barre exercises, steps, jumps, and turns. Step-by-step instructions explain how to warm up, choose the proper equipment, and incorporate ballet into your exercise routine – no matter your age or fitness level.

The Dummies Way

  • Explanations in plain English
  • "Get in, get out" information
  • Icons and other navigational aids
  • Tear-out cheat sheet
  • Top ten lists
  • A dash of humor and fun

About the Author

Scott Speck has conducted the San Francisco Ballet in hundreds of performances at San Francisco Opera House and Washington’s Kennedy Center.

Evelyn Cisneros is Ballet Education Coordinator for the San Francisco Ballet Center for Dance Education.


Product Details

  • Paperback: 384 pages
  • Publisher: For Dummies; Revised edition (October 3, 2003)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0764525689
  • ISBN-13: 978-0764525681
  • Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.4 x 0.8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #292,302 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

7 Reviews
5 star:
 (4)
4 star:
 (2)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:
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Average Customer Review
4.3 out of 5 stars (7 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

74 of 77 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The perfect introduction I have been looking for., October 26, 2003
By A Customer
This review is from: Ballet For Dummies (Paperback)
This is absolutely the perfect book for someone wanting to learn (or learn about) ballet. I have seen the other ballet books out there. Most of them are either too simplistic (showing pictures of various pretty moves without telling you how to do them) or too abstract. This book strikes the ideal balance. It is practical and thorough. It doesn't assume any prior experience in ballet, but goes from square 1 to a quite advanced level. It takes you through the same logical sequence of moves that all dancers learn. It offers tons of tips and inside information that only ballet dancers know. It's very well written and easy to read. The expert authors are knowledgeable, patient, and VERY FUNNY. (A laugh on every page -- I didn't expect that added bonus.). And it has what seems like about a million beautiful photographs illustrating each move in great detail. I can't say enough great things about this book. It's the book I've been waiting for. Buy it!
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Great for beginners!!, January 4, 2008
This review is from: Ballet For Dummies (Paperback)
I like this book.This book is what I was looking for.It covers all basics with a very simple description and you don`t have to dig for the further explanation somwhere else.Author do not assume that every person in the world knows at least 1% of ballet terminology.
Thanks a lot for this book!This is what I was looking for
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for a nebie to ballet, October 1, 2008
By 
This review is from: Ballet For Dummies (Paperback)
I have just recently started to watch ballet, so I thought I would pick up a book so I understand it better. This book does that with vigour and great explanation. From the moves to the history and everything else you would need to get started in ballet or just appreciate it more like me.

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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
Welcome to world of ballet-a universe of beauty and grace, aerial pyrotechnics, heroes, villains, and a fairy or two. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
low fifth position, middle fifth position, high fifth position, high fourth position, lift your right arm overhead, brush your right foot, dégagé position, battement tendu, lower your right heel, sissonne fermée, close your right foot, petit échappé, tendu position, demi plié, écarté derrière, position arabesque, sissonne ouverte, croisé derrière, croisé devant, point your right foot, entrechat trois, lower your right arm, coude pied, demi rond, face the barre
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Swan Lake, George Balanchine, Sleeping Beauty, Mark Morris, New York City, Evelyn Cisneros, Marius Petipa, Peter Tchaikovsky, Black Swan, Lloyd Englert, San Francisco Ballet, Mouse King, Sugar Plum Fairy, Swan Queen, The Rite of Spring, Don Quixote, Jerome Robbins, Jiri Kylian, Prince Siegfried, Friar Laurence, Igor Stravinsky, Marie Taglioni, Metropolitan Opera House, Sergei Prokofiev, Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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