Title: Dancing on my Grave
Author: Gelsey Kirkland with Greg Lawrence
Year: 1992
ISBN: 0-425-13500-4
Dancing on my Grave is an autobiography of Gelsey Kirkland, a celebrated former ballerina of American Ballet Theatre. Kirkland was well-known to partner Mikhail Baryshnikov, a celebrated Kirov Ballet dancer who defected to Canada in 1974. Baryshnikov as a principal ballet dancer with American Ballet Theatre (ABT) was the frequent partner to Kirkland from 1974 to 1979.
Gelsey Kirkland was trained in the Balanchine technique of ballet at the School of American Ballet and was a baby ballerina of the celebrated co-founder of the New York City Ballet (NYCB), George Balanchine. However, as Kirkland fell out of favour with Balanchine in the 1970s and also because of her desire to dance with Baryshnikov was extremely strong, this saw her leaving NYCB in 1974 for ABT.
Kirkland became very popular when she dancing with ABT as she was well-known to strive for extreme perfection to the art of classical ballet. This perfection for the art of classical ballet became the trademark of Kirkland as a ballerina with ABT, and she had danced many performances to critical acclaims and reviews.
However, being the perfectionist she was, Kirkland became the victim of circumstances that would eventually risked her stellar career with ABT. She was involved in illicit drugs, participated in the dancers' strike in 1979/1980 and repeatedly falling out with the ABT management. These unfortunate incidents were sadly due to Kirkland's ambition to be the excellent ballerina she already was at that time.
Kirkland's story could be just one of the many stories of ballet dancers in the 1960s and 1970s that were embroiled in many career controversies, issues and problems. The use of illicit drugs was also a major issue for many ballet dancers then as it coincided with the era of American counter-culture at that time. This story was riveting to read as reviewed favourably by many newspapers and magazines in the USA at the time of its first publication in 1986. Even if you are not a fan of the ballet, Kirkland's story would still hold you spellbound because she told it in an uncannily honest and brutal manner, leaving no details unturned.
Dancing on my Grave gives an intimate insight into the ballet world where most people would not be aware of. Contrary to popular belief, many experiences that most ballet dancers have to endure throughout their performing lifetime is far from being a fairy tale. Kirkland's story proved it to be all too true. However, ballet dancers being the disciplined and resilient people they were and would always be, many of their stories would often have a reasonably happy ending, and Kirkland's Dancing on my Grave is one of those stories destined to be one.
Kirkland's story could be just one of the many stories of ballet dancers in the 1960s and 1970s that were embroiled in many career controversies, issues and problems. The use of illicit drugs was also a major issue for many ballet dancers then as it coincided with the era of American counter-culture at that time. This story was riveting to read as reviewed favourably by many newspapers and magazines in the USA at the time of its first publication in 1986. Even if you are not a fan of the ballet, Kirkland's story would still hold you spellbound because she told it in an uncannily honest and brutal manner, leaving no details unturned.
Dancing on my Grave gives an intimate insight into the ballet world where most people would not be aware of. Contrary to popular belief, many experiences that most ballet dancers have to endure throughout their performing lifetime is far from being a fairy tale. Kirkland's story proved it to be all too true. However, ballet dancers being the disciplined and resilient people they were and would always be, many of their stories would often have a reasonably happy ending, and Kirkland's Dancing on my Grave is one of those stories destined to be one.
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