Ballerina
Subtitle: sex, scandal, and suffering behind the symbol of perfection
By: Deirdre Kelly
Publisher: Greystone Books
Published: 2012
Place of publication: Vancouver, BC
Language: eng
Number of pages: 254
ISBN-13: 9781926812663; 9781926812670
Subjects: Social aspects; Ballerinas; Ballet dancing; Biography; History
Description: Throughout her history, the ballerina has been perceived as the embodiment of beauty and perfection? the feminine ideal. But the reality is another story. From the earliest ballerinas in the 17th century-- who often led double lives as concubines-- through the poverty of the corps de ballet dancers in the 1800's and the anorexic and bulimic ballerinas of George Balanchine, starvation and exploitation have plagued ballerinas throughout history. Using the stories of great dancers such as Anna Pavlova, Isadora Duncan, Suzanne Farrell, Gelsey Kirkland, and Evelyn Hart, Deirdre Kelly exposes the true rigors for women in ballet. She rounds her critique with examples of how the world of ballet is slowly evolving for the better. But to ensure that this most graceful of dance forms survives into the future, she says that the time has come to rethink ballet, to position the ballerina at its center and accord her the respect she deserves.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 229-244) and index.
Table of contents: title: The feminization of ballet; title: Pimps, poverty, and prison; title: Bonfire ballerina; title: Striving and starving for attention; title: Laboring under an illusion; title: Changes afoot.