Prodigal Son [Paperback]

Edward Villella (Author), Larry Kaplan (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2, 1998

A leading advocate for the arts in America and recent recipient of the 1997 National Medal of the Arts, the 1997 Kennedy Center Honors, and the George Abbott Carbonell Award for Achievement, Edward Villella was recently inducted into the State of Florida Artist Hall of Fame.  Villella also received the Frances Holleman Breathitt Award for Excellence for his contributions to the arts and to education, the thirty-eighth annual Capezio Dance Award, and Award for Lifetime Achievement, becoming only the fourth dance personality to receive National Endowment for the Arts advisory artistic director of the Miami City Ballet, which has won worldwide acclaim under his direction.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

An acclaimed New York City Ballet dancer of the 1960s and '70s, Miami City Ballet founding artistic director Villella has always labored in the shadow of two stern fathers--his own and choreographer George Balanchine. His autobiography, coauthored with Kaplan (collaborator with Merrill Ashley on Dancing For Balanchine ), offers a welcome addition to Balanchine chronicles; it could also be considered a dual biography of the dancer and his difficult mentor. Growing up in working-class Queens, New York, the young Villella played sandlot baseball, brawled and boxed, finding his vocation in dance only by chance. He trained at the School of American Ballet, then spent most of his NYCB career "on the outs with Mr. B."306 Yet their perennial conflicts somehow won Villella's enduring loyalty to the choreographer. And although the narrative is frank, fair, earthy, direct, its peculiar perspective of the dancer as a forgiving underdog superstar gives the story needed bite. Most valuable are Villella's reflections on the ballets Balanchine created on him.stet/MM A true prodigal, Villella emerges triumphant from Balanchine's unique academy of hard knocks. Photos not seen by PW. Author tour.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews

Villella was a star among stars, the athletic all-American boy of the New York City Ballet from the late 1950's through the 70's. His career spanned ``a golden age of ballet, an amazing era in which George Balanchine single-handedly transformed the art. I watched him do it. I was part of it all.'' Villella's account of those years is as straightforward and forthright as this dancer himself. Villella followed his sister into ballet classes at age nine- -risky business for a boy in Bayside, Queens. A year later, he was accepted into the School of American Ballet, NYCB's training ground. Villella went on to spend his entire performing career with NYCB and Balanchine. At his parents' insistence, he left dance for four years to complete a bachelor's degree--a hiatus that had physical ramifications for the rest of his career. However, those years ``gave me another perspective on dancing and kept me from becoming too ascetic and pretentious.'' And certainly Villella held himself apart from most of the company; without rancor, he additionally attributes this to his short stature (5`8'') and consequent need to fight for new roles, his heterosexuality, and his eternally difficult relationship with Balanchine. The two never had an open, relaxed relationship: ``I was unusually tongue-tied around him....He made me uncomfortable because he was so sure of himself and his art.'' Villella's decision not to take Balanchine's famous--and peculiar--classes because he found them physically destructive further distanced him: ``Until his dying day I don't think he forgave me for not praying at his altar.'' There are plenty of sidelights here as well: tales of tours, other dancers, company intrigues. And Villella gives a complete account of his devastating, career-ending injuries, as well as of how he found his way to be the phenomenally successful artistic director of the Miami City Ballet. Throughout, Villella appears as his immensely talented, intelligent, self-absorbed, and opinionated self: a cleareyed account of a most remarkable career in a remarkable time. (Thirty- two pages of b&w photographs--not seen.) -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Press (April 2, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0822956667
• ISBN-13: 978-0822956662
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #997,634 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspirational and honest, March 18, 2000

By 

miteki "miteki" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Prodigal Son (Paperback)

Edward Villella's passion for dance jumps off the pages.Diplomatic but honest, this is one of my favorite autobiographies by a former Balanchine dancer (or dancer period).It is a book where as I approached the end I felt sad...I didn't want it to end! If Mr. Villella ever reads this commentary I have a request: PLEASE write a book regarding all you have learned regarding technique.Your passion and detail moved and inspired me!

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent read, January 1, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Prodigal Son (Paperback)

I am a dancer in Edward Villella's acclaimed Miami City Ballet and I would like to say (as biased as it may seem) that this is a must read. If you are a ballet dancer, or even a ballet fan, please purchase this book. It is a unique look at how men thrive in this dance world and still come out looking like men. It takes you deep into the world of ballet..the parts that most people don't see. Edward explains all of the secrets past the pink tutus and pointe shoes and shows what it's really like the be a part of our world. He is an amazing man with a facinating career and I urge you to buy this book because of that. You won't regret it!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating!, February 26, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Prodigal Son (Paperback)

I was so enchanted with the story of Edward Villella's life that I found it impossible to put the book down and it prompted me to write my first review! He not only tells you about an exciting time in ballet of which he was a part of - you also feel each moment with him. His hard work, the competitiveness, the disappointments, his success all flows into a story that leaves you no doubt of the love and passion that he has for dance. It's a fitting ending to know that he's now passing this on to other dancers. I'm just sorry I never saw him dance...