The Joffrey Ballet School's Ballet-Fit (Paperback)

by Allison Kyle Leopold (Author), Dena Moss (Author) "BALLET FITNESS IS TOTAL FITNESS-body and mind-not just for your teens but for a lifetime..." (more)
Key Phrases: adult beginner class, adult ballet class, basic barre, Joffrey Ballet School, Joffrey School, Ballet-Fit Workout (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Ballet-Fit is for the adult beginner ballet student, "whether 17 or 70." The authors admit the atmosphere in most ballet studios can be a bit intimidating, but say it needn't be.

We concede that if you hang around your local ballet school or dance studio, at first glance, it probably will seem to be filled with long-legged, lean-limbed adolescents, with tight little hair buns, stern little faces, and rumpled leg warmers around their ankles. But ... chances are the 23-year-old stretching on the floor isn't a budding ballerina but a law student who finds beginning ballet a relaxing break from her books. As for the thirty-something woman at the barre, very likely she's a new mother who's thrilled with the stronger, firmer, more flexible body she has developed since she began classes.

A combination of confidence-boosting ballet instruction and fitness facts, with plenty of photographs (although all in black and white), Ballet-Fit offers a multitude of tips for beginners. You'll learn what to wear to class, the best way to break in a new pair of pointe shoes, and how to prevent injuries. And you'll even learn the proper pronunciation of the French dance terms, from arabesque to temps de flèche. For folks who don't live near a ballet studio or dancewear store, there's a helpful directory of magazines, catalogs, videos, audiotapes, and Web sites.

Ballerinas, as dancer Allegra Kent put it, "have the strongest, most beautiful, and very probably the most envied bodies in the world." With Ballet-Fit and some dedication, you can work your way toward becoming a toned, flexible balletomane, too. --Erica Jorgensen

From Library Journal
Ballet dancers are different from you and me. They start taking class in childhood and continue throughout their professional careers and often into retirement. They devote years to study, rehearsal, and practice. This book is for the rest of us. The authors, a Joffrey Ballet School instructor and a magazine editor who is a ballet student, have designed it for those "not heading for a performing career but...pursuing ballet with the...goals of fitness, relaxation, and pleasure in mind." Aimed at the adult beginner, it provides sensible advice and clear explanations of what to expect in and from a ballet class. The language of ballet is translated into lay terms and the movements are described in words and photographs. There is a step-by-step outline of a home ballet workout, a discussion of pointe work, and a chapter of frequently asked adult ballet questions. A "Ballet Fitness Source Directory" highlights publications, audiovisual materials, dancewear and footwear suppliers, schools receptive to adult students, and more. Highly recommended for all public libraries.?Carolyn M. Mulac, Chicago P.L.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (February 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312194706
• ISBN-13: 978-0312194703
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #213,420 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Honest look at becoming an adult ballerina, August 19, 2001

By	noone42 - See all my reviews

I thought that wanting to take ballet lessons at my age put me in a very small minority. But this book proved me wrong and also managed to put aside any concerns that I would have in doing so. First, this book makes the adult "wanna-be" ballerina realize that it in not a pipe dream to dance ballet. It answers almost every concern anyone could come up with and encourages you every step of the way. From what to wear to class, where to take class and what to expect once you've started. In addition to that, it defines those sometimes mystifying French terms used in dance, as well as showing you how to do them. One other great thing is a directory of schools that offer adult classes. But what I liked best is that this book gives no illusions. It doesn't promise that you will be dancing point for the New York City Ballet or that your technique will be perfect. It's honest, which is what makes it the most helpful. If you ever thought of dancing ballet but think "yeah right", read this book. It can only help.

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Encouraging everyone to realize that's it's never too late!, August 29, 1999

By A Customer

I have the good fortune to be able to attend the adult classes at the Joffrey Ballet School and can first hand emphatically recommend this book. The descriptions of all the excercises are excellent complements to attendance at regular classes anywhere-any level. For the complete newcomer, this book provides valuable information about things you need to know but that schools/studios may not necessarily tell you outright. It's truly an inspirational book that gives you the confidence to pursue something that most people don't start as adults. I only wish this book existed when I told myself that 16 was too old. I'm glad age didn't stop me again from starting formal classes at 28.

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not what I thought it would be, November 24, 2003

By	M. Baustad "Yepa" (Norway) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I bought this book, expecting to find a good ballet exercise guide. Instead, the ballet fit was not a very big part of the book. Most of the books contents consisted of what to expect if you start an adult ballet class, faq, information, and thoughts of various kinds. Since I live in a place where I can't take adult classes (I don't think they even have them in Norway at all), this was not very much use. The book also had too many references to the joffrey ballet school. It felt like they vere trying to talk me into starting there, and that's not what I was after.

This is a very handy book if you're considering taking up adult classes, or if you are taking adult classes. But if you want a ballet-fit book, this ones not for you (though you might think so from the title)