Share <Embed>

Buy Used

$4.08

FREE Shipping on orders over $25.

Used: Good | Details

Sold by Jenson Books Inc

Condition: Used: Good

Comment: This book has already been loved by someone else. It MIGHT have some wear and tear on the edges, have some markings in it, or be an ex-library book. Over-all it is still a good book at a great price! (if it is supposed to contain a CD or access code, that may be missing)

Turn on 1-Click ordering for this browser

33 used & new from $0.01

See All Buying Options

Have one to sell? Sell on Amazon

Flip to back Flip to front

Listen Playing... Paused You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition.
Learn more

See this image

Every Step You Take: A Memoir Hardcover – October 4, 2011

by Jock Soto (Author)

27 customer reviews

See all 4 formats and editions Hide other formats and editions

Price

New from

Used from

Kindle

"Please retry"

$10.26

—

Hardcover

"Please retry"

—

$2.48

$0.01

Paperback

"Please retry"

—

$500.00

Jock Soto, one of the greatest ballet dancers of our time chronicles the unique circumstances of his extraordinary career, his life among other legends of dance, and his background as a half-Navajo, half-Puerto Rican gay man struggling to succeed in the straight white world of the arts. Regarded as the greatest ballet dancer since Baryshnikov, Soto has achieved a level of success and fame enjoyed by few. Ballet aficionados will be familiar with Soto from the award-winning PBS documentary, Water Flowing Together, which chronicled his life and career. Now, lifelong dance adherents and causal fans alike will have the chance to hear the captivating story of one of the world’s greatest living performers.

Every Step You Take: A Memoir

Available from these sellers.

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

This shopping feature will continue to load items. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading.

Jacques D'Amboise

35

Hardcover
Merrill Ashley

6

Hardcover
Suzanne Farrell

23

Paperback
$18.08
Edward Villella

12

Hardcover
Barbara Fisher

7

Hardcover
$22.13
Bernard Taper

4

Paperback
$33.21

Customers Viewing This Page May Be Interested In These Sponsored Links

(What's this?)

NO_CONTENT_IN_FEATURE

Product Details

Hardcover: 288 pages
Publisher: Harper; First Edition, First Printing edition (November 5, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0061732389
ISBN-13: 978-0061732386
Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 1 x 8.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,103,542 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #229 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Arts & Literature > Dancers
- #312 in Books > Arts & Photography > Performing Arts > Dance > Classical
- #7371 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Ethnic & National

Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Customers Viewing This Page May Be Interested In These Sponsored Links

(What's this?)

Customer Reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars

5 star		56%
4 star		18%
3 star		22%
2 star		4%
1 star		0%

See all 27 customer reviews

Share your thoughts with other customers

Write a customer review

Top Customer Reviews

By Jody TOP 500 REVIEWER on August 5, 2011

Format: Hardcover Vine Customer Review of Free Product ( What's this? )

I've been haunted by Jock Soto's memoir since I finished it several days ago. The dancer's incredible determination and self-discipline, the loneliness of the separation from his family at a very young age, the pop culture glitterati who surrounded him as he began to achieve a measure of fame, the stunning successes are perhaps a bit predictable (no one wants to read the story of an unemployed Snowflake), though the professional's relentless and unforgiving training and performance schedule is always amazing and humbling to read about.

Dance is arguably the most demanding of all the arts. It requires musicality, intelligence, acting ability, strength, grace and beauty. It's also the most short-lived and the cruelest. It takes a terrible toll on the dancer's body, family and formal education. A bad landing can be a career ender as can ten extra pounds. A dance career peaks when most other artists are just getting started, and it's over when others are still finding their professional legs.

Think about this:
Claude Monet was almost totally blind, but still painting water lilies when he died at 86. Picasso discovered neo-expressionism in his late 80s. Aaron Copland finished his last composition at 82 and Leonard Bernstein conducted at Tanglewood two months before his death at 72. Frank Lloyd Wright designed buildings into his 90s. At 82, Alfred, Lord Tennyson collaborated with Sir Arthur Sullivan on The Foresters, and William Wordsworth became Poet Laureate of England at 73. Vanessa Redgrave still lights up stages in her mid-70s as did Sarah Bernhardt, and Bernhardt did it with only one leg. Jock Soto retired from performing at 40.

Was such a short career worth it?Read more ›

Comment 8 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...

Thank you for your feedback.

Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again

Report abuse

A generous and vulnerable offering

By Cedric's Mom VINE VOICE on October 7, 2011

Format: Hardcover Vine Customer Review of Free Product ( What's this? )

Jock Soto had a long and storied career at the New York City Ballet: he was a corps de ballet dancer in 1981 at the tender age of 16 and a principal by 1984, a ranking he held until his retirement 20 years later in 2005. He partnered famous NYCB ballerinas Heather Watts, Darci Kistler, Patricia McBride, Wendy Whelan and more. He was there when Mr. Balanchine passed away, and he was there on 9-11 when the Twin Towers were brought down.

As if being a star dancer for one of the world's greatest geniuses isn't enough, Jock has a unique back story, beginning with his ethnicity. He's half Navajo and half Puerto Rican. Talk about exotic! Rumor has it "the boy is gorgeous" in real life.

The passing of Jock's beloved mother from colon cancer in 2008 prompted him to do something he'd never done: take a long look at his roots and his relationship with his family of origin. The sensitive nature of this artistic introvert is evident throughout the book, and while this quality no doubt inspired his dancing, we see its down side when he beats up on himself about his absence from family during his NYCB years.

But the shy "Navajo brave" definitely found his voice in Every Step You Take. It has wide audience appeal, whether you're a ballet lover, mixed kid, aspiring chef (he loves to cook), or a bunch of other stuff.

One of my favorites: When Stanley Williams was alive and teaching at the School of American Ballet, famous dancers came from all over the world to take class with him. Jock says you could always tell when Nureyev was in the building ("I nearly fainted...") because the dressing rooms would clear out quickly. "Rudy had quite a foul mouth and a creative and seemingly endless supply of lewd comments." Nobody wanted to be on the receiving end of that!Read more ›

Comment 2 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...

Thank you for your feedback.

Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again

Report abuse

4.5 Stars

By Jessie Potts VINE VOICE on September 15, 2011

Format: Hardcover Vine Customer Review of Free Product ( What's this? )

Both my mother and I are ballet dancers, and loved The Sugarless Plum when it was offered on the Vine, I asked her if she wanted to read about Jock Soto and she happily said yes.

Soto is highly, highly, highly motivated. He wants to achieve great things with his life, and never gives up. From a young age he wanted to dance, he worked hard and moved up the ballet ranks to become a fantastic dancer. He even became a Balanchine dancer, and learned from some of best choreographers in Ballet history. After he retired, he became certified in restaurant management. This man knows what he wants and where he wants to go. The book focuses on his retirement, his early years, and all the friends and mentors he became close to.

Soto faced things many people still face today. He was half Navajo and half Puerto Rican, so he felt like he never fully belonged in one world. His father was uncomfortable with his sexuality, and Soto ended up living far away from his family while he trained to be a dancer. I feel though that he was also lucky because his father still played a large role in his early life (taking him to and from practice and the dance stores) as well as later on in his adult life. Not to mention the sharp critiques and ugly competition in the ballet world never seemed to touch him. He loved and was loved. While his odds were not so insurmountable, they were still his to overcome, and the many people can read his memoire and feel like maybe they can do what they've always wanted to.

It is a sweet story that makes the readers pull for Soto and smile in joy when he and his father become friends later in life. He was also lucky to have an amazingly long career, and a happy retirement.Read more ›

1 Comment 2 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...

Thank you for your feedback.

Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again

Report abuse

See all 27 customer reviews (newest first)

Write a customer review

Customer Images

Most Recent Customer Reviews

Five Stars

Great book!

Published 2 months ago by Cristina72

This is one of the best books I have read in a long time

This is one of the best books I have read in a long time. Admittedly, I am a ballet fanatic so I found the "cast" of the memoir about as good as they get - all of the... Read more

Published 8 months ago by David Allan

The most beautiful man on earth!

You probably won't buy this book unless you have seen Soto dance. Yes, age has made an end to his career as distinguished dancer of the New York City Ballet, but the book is well... Read more

Published 14 months ago by Tatzelwurm

Good read!

A well written story about the success of a youngster from roots not usual for a ballet dancer. You ought buy it!

Published 24 months ago by Polk Woolford

Insightful

A very truthful, insightful biography with an interesting inside glimpse into the NYCB world. I also found the struggles he had leaving his past behind him very touching. Read more

Published on January 7, 2014 by maree

Yes, everyone who has ever danced... Read!

I loved this insider's peek into the exclusive world of the NYCB. The ledgends are all included; from Balanchine to Robbins to Martins to all the great dancers who personified... Read more

Published on September 10, 2013 by thera

Nice Biography, Not Too Much About Ballet

Jock Soto had a long and excellent career as a dancer with NYC Ballet. He starts his Biography as he retires from the Dance Company. Read more

Published on July 20, 2013 by Moon Cat

A Man's Life Experience

This is not just the evolution of a dancer. It is more the evolution of a man. Most of his adolescence and adult life were spent pursuing artistic perfection and then life's... Read more

Published on May 4, 2013 by Stewart Douglas Lowrie

A delight and an inspiration!

Jock Soto's memories are not only a beautifully written view into a child's journey into the world of ballet but also the man's testament to the beauty, creativity and love of his... Read more

Published on March 19, 2013 by Amazon Customer

Great

This is a great and easy read. Both Entertaining and educating, well written. I found this on a free book list for my kindle.

Published on January 25, 2013 by Iheartlucy