Getting Started in Ballet

In Getting Started in Ballet, Anna Paskevska draws from her training at the Paris Opera Ballet School and the Royal Ballet School in London, and her career as a professional dancer and teacher to offer a step-by-step introduction to dance education for parents with children starting ballet. Written in a clear and accessible style, this helpful book gives valuable advice on all aspects of dance education including information on how to select the right teacher and school; the ideal progression of training for ballet, modern dance, jazz, and tap; descriptions of training methods used by Martha Graham, Merce Cunningham, and others; advice on diet and eating disorders; tips on avoiding injuries; and includes an appendix of performing arts schools and dance programs throughout the United States and Canada. With a foreword by Violette Verdy, a preeminent ballerina affiliated with the New York City Ballet and the Paris Opera Ballet, and a preface by Sybil Shearer, a pioneer of American modern dance, as well as an extensive appendix of performing arts schools and dance programs throughout the United States and Canada, Getting Started in Ballet gives parents the advice they need to make their child's dance experiences both enjoyable and constructive.

Anna Paskevska is Chair of the Dance Department at the Chicago Academy for the Arts.