Customer Reviews

Dance!

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

 

 

Elisha Cooper's book Dance! is wonderful for what it says and shows but also for what it does not spell out. He shows us some of the exquisite details in the daily lives of the dancers, in the practice studios, posing and touching and relating to each other..walking on your partners back for example. But I'm pleased to say he stops before you get the big show, just when the curtain is about to go up. Now young and old a like will stretch their creative imagination to envision the performance. Almost like the good old days of radio shows when you listened carefully and visualized what was going on. Maybe Elisha Copper will someday give us Act I so we can compare it to ours. He gets better with each book.

Every child who ever liked to watch dance performances will love this portrayal of the work and fun that happens behind the scenes before the curtain goes up. Cooper's energetic and ethereal illustrations capture the airy movement of the dancers, and his prose is evocative and sometimes wonderfully quirky and entertaining. I disagree with the former reviewer's complaints about the illustrations, which I found charming, and productive of endless fun with children picking out specific little figures. I particularly like the tiny handwritten notes in the paintings themselves, which lend an air of spontaneity and a playful view into the mind of the artist at work, and which do not need to be clearly legible to have this effect. I also loved the ending, which I found entirely appropriate to a book so specifically about what happens on the other side of the curtain.

As a former dancer myself, I was astounded by how perfectly the author captured the lightness, flexibility, and movement of the dancers in this book. This book guides the adult and child reader through the backstage life of a professional dancer -- through the sweat and pain, the music and laughter, the choreography and lighting, the nerves and excitement. The swirling words, the simple colors, and the memorable observations are both entertaining and educational. Any child (or adult) who likes to dance -- or simply likes to ask questions about how things happen -- will love this book!

Join author, Elisha Cooper, as he pays tribute to the marvelous world of dance. This is a unique book about the process, not the performance. Arrive at the studio and warm up with the troupe, stretching and working at the barre. Meet the choreographer and watch as he demonstrates steps and teaches the new dance, bending bodies and correcting positions "as if he were molding clay." Then practice, practice, practice. "The dancers rehearse until their arms and legs remember the steps." There are costumes to fit, tickets to sell, programs to print, and advertisements to write. Lights, music, and scenery need to be coordinated with the dance and dancers, and even flowers need to be bought to give to the dancers after the performance. So much to do in only four short weeks... Mr Cooper's lyrical text is filled with imagery, magic, and passion as it creatively mimics its subject and dances across the pages. His simple pencil and watercolor artwork dazzles, complementing the prose beautifully, and captivates with grace, energy, and motion. Perfect for youngsters 8-12, or as a read aloud for younger children, Dance is an evocative and exciting experience that builds with each page turn. "Opening night. A crowd forms outside the theater, bustling for tickets. The dancers gather backstage. They can hear the buzz of the audience finding seats, the beating of their own hearts. They hug. The choreographer tells them they are wonderful. The lights go down. The curtain goes up."

"Dance" by Elisha Cooper is a triumph. The illustrations have a wonderful grace and style sure to delight children of all ages. I treasure my copy.

I LOVED this book! I have ten kids to give holiday presents to this year and I'm getting Dance! for all of them. It's the best of what a kid's book should be -- mind-expanding and entertaining for the child, and just as entertaining for the adult who has to read it to them every night!

Thank goodness for Elisha Cooper's DANCE! I'm so glad there's such a talented young author who chose to investigate the work behind the stage in a style that was unpretentious, kid-friendly, and didn't copy Degas all over again! A light-hearted yet insightful look behind the hard work of the performance, the story's watercolor studies and verbal vignettes capture moments of sweet and bittersweet perfection. Like other strong children's books, and unlike Hollywood, leaving the end open to imagination is a jarring but ultimately satisfying close, leaving us thirsty to sally forth and see the shows this book celebrates! Thank you!!

What a wonderful look behind the scenes of, not only a dance production, but any dramatic presentation! I am an elementary teacher and we are about to embark on a third grade play of our own. Sharing with kids that most of the work is in the preparation - an important lesson. The finale is a small part of the whole. I value Mr. Cooper's book immensely.

Everyone knows some one who dances, used to dance, dreams of dancing, or whose daughter or son dances, used to dance, or dreams of dancing. This is the book for them, a perfect gift. The drawings are neat and evocative. The text is matter-of-fact and practical, without a touch of sentimentality, cuteseyness, or fake artiness. Yet precisely because of its cool narrative, both visually and in text, Dance! captures more of the reality of dancing, and also the excitement that arises from that sweaty reality, than any other children's book I have seen. Bravo for Dance! Sybil Schwartz, PhD

Outlining what it takes to create a dance performance, from the gathering of the dancers, to the creation of the choreography, to the sewing of costumes, this book uses very visual language to convey the amount of work it takes to produce a show. With phrases such as, "Their feet squeak on the floor, and it sounds as if they are scrubbing it clean," the reader can almost hear the dancers crossing the room. What the words convey, though, the illustrations do not. Although the pictures of the dancers are very fluid and expressive, they are also very small and somewhat abstract. Side comments are painted in tiny lettering next to some of the pictures that are difficult, if not impossible, to read. Worse, as the tension leading up to opening night grows with each turn of the page, the disappointment one feels when the book ends before the curtain is raised is crushing. This book is written for the child who has been to the theater and is curious about the ins-and-outs of production, but will leave the average reader feeling frustrated. Ages 4-6