Biografía del autor Gavin Larsen was a professional ballet dancer for 18 years before retiring in 2010. A principal dancer with the Oregon Ballet Theatre, she also danced with the Suzanne Farrell Ballet and Alberta Ballet and as a guest artist with Ballet Victoria. She has written for Pointe, Dance Teacher, Dance Spirit, Dancing Times, Oregon ArtsWatch, Dance/USA's From the Green Room, the Maine Review, and The Threepenny Review, among others. She writes and teaches in Asheville, North Carolina. Finalist, the Arts Club of Washington Marfield PrizeA look inside a dancer's worldInspiring, revealing, and deeply relatable, Being a Ballerina is a firsthand look at the realities of life as a professional ballet dancer. Through episodes from her own career, Gavin Larsen describes the forces that drive a person to study dance; the daily balance that dancers navigate between hardship and joy; and the dancer's continual quest to discover who they are as a person and as an artist. Starting with her arrival as a young beginner at a class too advanced for her, Larsen tells how the embarrassing mistake ended up helping her learn quickly and advance rapidly. In other stories of her early teachers, training, and auditions, she explains how she gradually came to understand and achieve what she and her body were capable of. Larsen then re-creates scenes from her experiences in dance companies, from unglamorous roles to exhilarating performances. Working as a ballerina was shocking and scary at first, she says, recalling unexpected injuries, leaps of faith, and her constant struggle to operate at the level she wanted--but full of enormously rewarding moments. Larsen also reflects candidly on her difficult decision to retire at age 35. An ideal read for aspiring dancers, Larsen's memoir will also delight experienced dance professionals and fascinate anyone who wonders what it takes to live a life dedicated to the perfection of the art form. "A luminous new memoir. . . . Poignant . . . Both a personal account and a universal take on the life of a professional ballet dancer."--New York Times"A personal chronicle of a professional dancing life that is as accessible as it is engaging."--Christian Science Monitor"Larsen's memoir oftentimes reads more like a novel than an autobiography. . . . Interstitial chapters walking through an average day in the life of a professional dancer go a step further, dropping the reader . . . directly into the everyday agonies and ecstasies of a life in dance."--Dance Magazine"Excellent. . . . [Larsen's] story is all the more engrossing for its vivid portrayal of the 'everyday' ballerina, making it relevant and resonant for a multitude of dancers who aspire to a professional dancing life. As she documents the discipline, dedication, and sheer stamina that life in the ballet world requires, she traces a journey of transforming craft into art."--Pointe Magazine"A lovely debut that's relatable, engaging, and unafraid to show vulnerability. A thorough, evocative, and deeply reverent remembrance."--Kirkus Reviews"Warm, insightful and enjoyable to read, Being a Ballerina helps cast the life of a professional ballet dancer in a new light."--Dancing Times"Being a Ballerina floats along like a lovely adagio solo; we both feel a dancer's constant pain and share the magical soar of a perfect lift. Reading it is a reminder that words can dance too."--Seattle Times"One has to be grateful to Larsen for taking the time to write so well about the thoughts and the emotions that she revealed--and passing on the art form and those experiences to the next generation of ballet students and professional dancers."--Mark Kappel, NewsNotes Dance Blog"A lush memoir that spans Larsen's 18-year career. . . . It's a vivid insider's perspective on the rigors of professional ballet, as well as what a dancer's life is like beyond the footlights."--Oregonian"A memoir to sweep you off your feet.
- Libro Impreso
- Edición:
- Editorial: Vintage
- Autor: Larsen, Gavin
