Title: American Ballet Theatre: a 25-year retrospective
Author: Elizabeth Kaye (text), Clive Barnes (foreword)
Year: 1999
ISBN: 0-7407-0019-7 (hardback), 0-7407-0018-9 (paperback)
American Ballet Theatre: a 25-year retrospective is a coffee table book that chronicled the progression of America's premier classical ballet company from the time it was first founded in 1939. It is a pictorial chronology of the American Ballet Theatre (ABT), illustrating some of the most prolific male and female dancers who have performed and are performing with the company.
ABT is a company that have always been staging well-known and well-loved ballet classics such as Swan Lake, Don Quixote, La Bayadère, Giselle and The Nutcracker just to name a few. However, the company also commissioned quite a few neo-classical and modern ballet choreography from choreographers like George Balanchine, Antony Tudor and Jerome Robbins. Thus, this book contained photographs of some of the most memorable performances that have been showcased by ABT from the mid-1970s to the 1990s.
This book is excellent for people who love ballet like me. I love the photographs in it, coloured and black-and-white alike. In fact, I REALLY LOVE ballet photography. The beauty of it is beyond any description. People who are into performing arts would be able to relate to what I'm saying. I have the paperback version of this book for less than RM 50 many years ago and I thought it was a worthwhile investment when I saw the price of the hardback being sold by Amazon.
However, it would be a worthwhile to get this book if you are as crazy about ballet as I am. I had actually forgotten I have this book; it was because of Black Swan is currently playing in the Malaysian theatres that it jogged my long-lost memory I actually have this book. I have cleaned the dust off it and have been flipping its pages tirelessly over and over, reliving the ecstasy of just looking at those beautiful photographs.
I am entranced and amazed at your Love for Ballet,as much as I anticipated your enthusiasm,I wonder why you don't pursue after your life-long dream of Ballet right now,after being left aside thru the years,are you currently unable to dance Ballet due to 'health' or uncertainties of your physical appearance?I believe if you seek Ballet and you have the doors open to you,you should welcome it with open arms...
ReplyDeleteReading a book,does brings you an enjoyment and an esctasy that seems revived out of the book and I used to read a lot of novels and story books during my schooldays...I love to read,right now, I read encyclopaedias,wikipideas,dictionaries and a lot of news from the local papers as well as the internet,I've got long-sighted due to matured aged,and I've somehow got a bit of a narcolepsy if I read a book as thick as a log,I tend to fall asleep.So I don't read a lot nowadays, I check the dictionaries a lot for advanced knowledge and to widen my output. I like facts and essays on world reports or the local natural disasters interests me.I'm sorry I asked you to dance, you should keep up the good habit of reading,for mine has been taken away...
ReplyDelete@elaineliew: Unfortunately not here in M'sia anyway. If I'm based in the Oz then maybe I would be able to as they are more receptive to people like me doing ballet as a serious recreation. In M'sia they are too exam-oriented that no teacher would want to take me in; and yes I have tried already without success.
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