At The Ballet; On Stage, Backstage (Paperback)

by Sandra Lee (Author), Tom Hunt (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
This elegant look into the life of dance paints a portrait of the unique world of ballet from within America's oldest ballet company, the San Francisco Ballet.

The photographers' stunning imagery gives the reader an inside look into the daily classes, rehearsals, and performances of these remarkable artists by capturing life onstage and backstage. Over a five-year period and with special permission from the San Francisco Ballet, At the Ballet focuses on the inner workings of this world-class company and reveals the efforts that go into every performance.

Candid interviews with the principal dancers and members of the corps reveal their own secrets to the beauty and grace of this classic art form. It takes a highly driven person with the right mix of talent, devotion, character, body type, and luck to make it into a company of this caliber. The dancers--many of whom came to the company from as far away as China, Russia, and Australia--describe their aspirations, fears, strengths, weaknesses, and philosophies in inspirational texts. They share with readers how they prepare for a performance; what they think about onstage; how they survive the grueling schedule of rehearsals, performances and tours; and to what they attribute their success.


About the Author
Sandra Lee, a dancer herself, founded award-winning design firm Momentum Design with Tom Hunt in 1990. They have been photographing the San Francisco Ballet for five years, accompanying them on their tours to New York and Washington, D.C.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Universe Publishing (October 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789302322
• ISBN-13: 978-0789302328
• Product Dimensions: 12 x 9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,123,749 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointed at the limited amount of text, May 21, 1999

By A Customer

This is a coffee table book. The reviews I read did not make this clear. I was expecting a novel-lenght work; the text itself could be read in 2 hours or less. The pictures are beautiful - if you like grainy black and white photos. The book is a fine at what it is, but it is not what I expected. On the whole, I was disappointed.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The most beautiful ballet book I've ever seen., December 31, 1998

By A Customer

This amazing book contains photographs done by photographers who recognize correct ballet form ---the form dancers study ballet for years to perfect. Many fine photographs have previously been taken, but often the dancer's form is not correct. Also they have captured the movement of dance which is difficult to do with still photographs. Because the authors are graphic artists, they not only took the photographs, but also designed the layout of each page, choosing photographs for their artistic merit as well as their proper representation of the world of ballet. And if that weren't enough, they also interviewed members of San Francisco Ballet and from this wrote the text. Bravo Sandra Lee and Thomas Hunt

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful and Excellent Photographs!, January 3, 2000

By	Caroline English (Tx. United States) - See all my reviews

This book is excellent! The photographs are breathtaking! There are quotes from all the dancers, and the photos take you into the ballet and backstage. I love it!