Reddit mentions: The best ballet dance books

I'm the music director/coordinator for a large ballet company, so I play for a lot of ballet classes. I'd highly recommend reading: http://www.amazon.com/Dance-Music-Accompaniment-Musicians-Teachers/dp/0813018870/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1371184317&sr=8-1&keywords=ballet+accompaniment

Almost any song can be played appropriately for a ballet combination, but a pianist must be experienced and flexible enough to mold a melody/song to properly fit an instructor's needs. Can you turn a 4/4 into a 3/4, or a 2/4, or a 6/8? I play classical, jazz standards, tangos, rag-time, waltzes, pop tunes, adagios... You have to be very versatile as a pianist, while playing music appropriate to the feel needed for the class. Some great pianists are horrible ballet accompanists. It really requires a certain personality and the ability to think on your feet, as well as a certain energy (be it high, low, gentle, heavy, light, etc) to your playing. Some pianists' playing will really drag a class down!

I am always happy to allow interested pianists the opportunity to sit in on classes. Do you have that option in your area? It's the best way to learn. Taking ballet classes and learning the names of exercises and positions yourself is also very helpful. :)

Hope that helps!

That is simply a poorly written article.

Dance theory, choreography, and general concepts of contemporary dance are quite well defined and clearly articulated.

In the history of dance, there have been a number of approaches to formalize specific principles and vocabulary, even actual dance notation (Labanotation) was created to record specific choreographic movement in order to be reproduced. The availability of film and especially video made this obsolete.

Ballet is still actually the foundation of modern dance, which introduces variations of technique and extended vocabulary. It would literally be impossible to be a professional performer or choreographer in the contemporary sphere without not only a solid ballet foundation, but other well known principles set out since the Denishawn school (school founded by Ted Shawn and Ruth St. Denis that is considered the origin of contemporary dance's break with ballet).

Anyway, here are some essential reads that I would strongly encourage anyone that is interested in choreography or staging, especially in the context of marching arts, to read:

​

The Art of Making Dances - Doris Humphrey (<<< critical read!)
https://www.amazon.com/Art-Making-Dances-Doris-Humphrey/dp/0871271583

​

The Intimate Act of Choreography - Lynne Anne Blom & L. Tarin Chaplin

https://www.amazon.com/Intimate-Choreography-Lynne-Anne-Blom/dp/0822953420/

​

Anatomy of Movement - Blandine Calais-Germain

https://www.amazon.com/Anatomy-Movement-Revised-Blandine-Calais-Germain/dp/0939616572

​

Dance and the Specific Image - Daniel Nagrin

https://www.amazon.com/Dance-Specific-Image-Daniel-Nagrin/dp/0822955202

​

Technical Manual and Dictionary of Classical Ballet - Gail Grant

https://www.amazon.com/Technical-Manual-Dictionary-Classical-Ballet/dp/0486218430/

​

The Routledge Studies Dance Reader - Alexandra Carter

https://www.amazon.com/Routledge-Dance-Studies-Reader/dp/0415485991

​

Every Little Movement: A Book About Delsarte - Ted Shawn

https://www.amazon.com/Every-Little-Movement-About-Delsarte-ebook/dp/B01N1YQQXX/

​

What Is Dance?: Readings in Theory and Criticism - Roger Copland & Marshall Cohen

https://www.amazon.com/What-Dance-Readings-Theory-Criticism/dp/0195031970

​

The Illustrated Dance Technique of José Limon - Daniel Lewis

https://www.amazon.com/Illustrated-Dance-Technique-Jos%C3%A9-Lim%C3%B3n/dp/0871272091/

​

There are so many more!

​

Also recommended, free OCW course from MIT:

​

Dance Theory and Composition

https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/music-and-theater-arts/21m-675-dance-theory-and-composition-fall-2003/

​

Back On Point has some good inspiration and workout plans. Its all geared towards getting 'back on pointe'. Somewhere on there she also posted a daily workout with different exercises... I'll have to dig around for the links later. I've found it pretty helpful :D



Also look into these:

• New York City Ballet DVD
  
• Perfect Pointe Book
  
• Classical Ballet Technique
  
  HTH!

If we are talking about an online dictionary. The simple Glossary of Ballet on Wikipedia should have all the common stuff and the ABT Ballet Dictionary has pronunciations and everything.

If you'd like an all-inclusive book that has 99% of everything, then the Technical Manual and Dictionary of Classical Ballet by Gail Grant is great.

Classical Ballet Technique https://www.amazon.com/Classical-Ballet-Technique-Gretchen-Warren/dp/0813009456
I've had this one for years. I liked it a lot, especially when I first started. It has a lot of pictures and details. It's more of a coffee table book size, definitely can't keep that in your dance bag!

I also second the recommendation for Gail Grant's Technical Manual and Dictionary
https://www.amazon.com/Technical-Manual-Dictionary-Classical-Ballet/dp/0486218430/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_14_img_0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=4325M8ZFCY5EHDJ6N826

The general opinion is that you cannot teach yourself ballet at home.

However you can show your parents that you are dedicated by reading books (i.e. Vaganovas Basic Principals of Classical Ballet, it's really not expensive and might also be available at you local library)

and do pilates excercises which will help you to get in shape. Depending on your age you can also try and find a job that allows you to pay for classes yourself.

Naxos is the publisher and they are pretty solid for classical sources. The item you linked to is an audio recording and not a score. Are you buying it for school? My university has a bunch of scores in the library, and I also have access to databases of scores. If you're a music student you likely do too.

Edit: found this on amazon US

Classical Ballet Technique by Gretchen Ward Warren sounds like everything your sister is looking for.

Fundamentals, son.

Joseph Straus - Introduction to Post-Tonal Theory (Fourth edition is actually better than earlier editions, so don't be cheap.)

Eric Walter White - Stravinsky: The Composer and His Works

Norton Critical Scores: Petrushka

The Pieter van den Toorn book has already been mentioned. I haven't read it, but I have read some literature that mentions the book.

There's this book from RAD - it has picture illustrations for most of the exercises from the old Primary-Grade 5.

Classical Ballet Technique was one the textbooks for my "Ballet Teaching Analysis" class.