Customer Reviews

Basic Ballet: The Steps Defined (Penguin Handbooks)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

For ballet students, instructors, and performers: Basic Ballet by Joyce Mackie is a must for the studio. The ballet steps are carfully defined and easy to follow through the step by step illistrations. Many of the defined steps are basic, but a good number of them are intermediate to advanced in ballet training. If you're serious about ballet, you want this book

This very complete volume is a lovely gift book as well as a useful reference book. The only weakness is the lack of emphasis on arm positions when doing the steps although they are illustrated in the photographs. I believe dancers who have experienced the following will find it useful too: When I was a student of ballet, I was frustrated by the subtle differences in the standards of different teachers. Sometimes I wondered, "So how EXACTLY am I supposed to do this?" I did not enjoy being corrected for what a prior instructor had taught me and pronounced well-executed. This book would have clarified things for me at the time. Now that I practice alone, I find this book invaluable. Also, I support Christine's review dated May 4, 2001.

"Basic Ballet" by Joyce MaaKie is a great (no-nonsense) reference book for the ballet enthusiast, regardless of age. It explains the positions throughly and with lots of photos. The only thing that would make it better would be to increase the size of the pictures and make it a wire-bound book so it stays open when performing the techniques.

I have many technique books that are on the market,and this book tops them all! Most ballet teaching books relate to little kids only, well, this book grows with the student. What I mean is its not sugar coated with pictures of little kids dressed in pink tutus. It shows a real ballerina deminstraiting technique.
I like this book,and recomend it to you as well as my students.
Kim's school of dance.

This book, which has 66 black and white photographs as illustrations, usually two, three or four on a page and a different number of them, occasionally including one only, on the opposite page, facing, should be helpful to all those who are interested in the ballet, whether children, young people, or adults, whether because they might like to study it, are studying it, or are just interested in learning more about it to increase their own knowledge and enjoyment of it as interested parties at live performances, etc. , for example. It is a nice place to start, and the photographs are very helpful. Basic Ballet would also make a very nice present for a young person who is interested.

Give it a 10 for its target audience of beginners. But it needs a few more intermediate level techniques to rate an unequivical 10

Great reference book, but please be aware that it is a minibook. Great for carrying around in your purse.

This book was everything I needed. A great refresher course on all basic ballet steps and moves. I really am glad I added this book to my collection.

Great little reference book for ballet. Shows "step-by-step" pictures of each position and/or movement. Tells you what the body position should be when executing each movement.

I had this book 30 years ago when I started ballet as an adult. It helped me tremendously as far as learning ballet terminology. If the instructor called out a step that I didn't know, I would come home and look it up and understand what I needed to do to create it. I loaned it out the first time but won't do that again. I hope it helps my grandchildren.