clear choice | Balanchine Variations

Compelling read and quite an education | Balanchine Variations | NANCY GOLDNER

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	• Balanchine Variations NANCY GOLDNER University Press of Florida, 2008 - 160 pages average customer review:based on 3 reviews view larger image
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Excellent Dance History Resource

Writer Wellness: A Writer's Path to Health and Creativity This is a valuable and unique work of dance history from the keen eyes of dance critic Nancy Goldner. While there are many books on the life of Balanchine, this is a first for a book that explores and explains many of his greatest choreographic achievements. Dance students, dance history scholars, all libraries, and any person interested in Balanchine's legacy will appreciate the concise writing and interesting details that Goldner includes.

clear choice

This book is written and researched with care and detail. The author has a superb degree of observation and understands the subject matter, as well as being familiar with the person for whom the book written.

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Compelling read and quite an education

I knew very little about ballet before diving into this book, and while reading it, I didn't feel that I was at a disadvantage. Reading it is like sitting next to a trusted friend at a ballet, having her point out bits of backstory, criticism, and praise. You can tell that Goldner really loves Balanchine's ballets, and without having seen most of these, I loved them too.

The literature on Balanchine is vast, but it is primarily biographical. Balanchine Variations is the first book to concentrate on the ballets themselves, providing critical analysis and detailed descriptions of what the dancers actually do. Beginning with Apollo (1928), Balanchine's first extant work, and ending with one of his last ballets, Ballo della Regina (1978), Nancy Goldner offers detailed insights into more than twenty individual ballets. Based on lectures given across the United States, under the auspices of the Balanchine Foundation, they are intended to illuminate his art. Goldner discusses the history of each ballet, places each in the context of Balanchine's life and sensibility. She also addresses his taste in music and whether his style can be considered particularly American. The ballets Balanchine choreographed for the New York City Ballet are danced by companies around the world, and this innovative book is sure to become an indispensable guide to dancers and spectators alike.

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