Synopses & Reviews
"There are the world's finest dancers, and this is a chronicle of their struggles for perfection, and sometimes their struggles just to make it through the season able to walk." - From the Introduction
What is it like to dance at the highest level with the largest dance company in America? New York City Ballet dancer Kyle Froman knows. He has danced with the company for more than a decade, and he understands intimately the daily quest for excellence that propels professional dancers to astonishing achievements. Like his colleagues, he has overcome the multiple challenges, injuries and fatigue.
In this beautifully designed volume, Froman explores the exhilarating, awe-inspiring, and physically demanding life of the New York City Ballet dancers. With the unprecedented behind-the-scenes access only a dancer has, his stunning color and black-and-white photographs offer an extraordinary glimpse into a special world that outsiders rarely see.
From the rigors of daily training to the transcendent moments onstage at the end of the day, these images vividly capture both motion and emotions up close, through the eyes and sensibility of a fellow dancer. Whether it's Peter Martins passing on the intentions of parts he originated, Rebecca Krohn and Sebastian Marcovici working out the intricacies of a pas de deux, or simply young students peering into a company class, the pictures display the energy and anguish, the exhilaration and frustration of the company's daily pursuit of perfection.
Beautifully complementing the photographs is Froman's personal diary of a typical dancer's day. From morning company class to rehearsal to performance, the text offers intriguing insights into the mental discipline and emotions that come into play in preparing for a show.
Open In the Wings and you will see dance from a new perspective, behind the curtain. As Peter Martins says,"No house seat can compare to what you see from there."
Review
* An 11-year veteran dancer for the New York City Ballet, Froman here documents life in the corps de ballet in a photo-album an diarylike format. Presenting a day in the life of dancers, he takes readers through the stages of warming up, class, physical therapy, rehearsals, preparation, and, or course, the show. Froman confides, “I can hear the sound of cracking hips and knees. Its just the beginning of another day of rehearsals with the show looming at eight oclock.” He communicates the intimate perspective of an experienced dancer (“I just wasnt expecting to feel so old this quickly”) while offering a private backstage view. His vivid descriptions and photos submerge readers into the atmosphere. An engaging point of view and an attractive layout make this an entertaining read. YAs may also find it a good introduction to the dance world as a possible career. Recommended for all libraries.—Barbara Kundanis, Longmont P.L., CO (
Library Journal, January 2008)
""Kyle Froman brings his stage experience to life in his beautifully photographed new book"" (Vanity Fair, November 2007)
Review
An 11-year veteran dancer for the New York City Ballet, Froman here documents life in the corps de ballet in a photo-album an diarylike format. Presenting a day in the life of dancers, he takes readers through the stages of warming up, class, physical therapy, rehearsals, preparation, and, or course, the show. Froman confides, “I can hear the sound of cracking hips and knees. It’s just the beginning of another day of rehearsals with the show looming at eight o’clock.” He communicates the intimate perspective of an experienced dancer (“I just wasn’t expecting to feel so old this quickly”) while offering a private backstage view. His vivid descriptions and photos submerge readers into the atmosphere. An engaging point of view and an attractive layout make this an entertaining read. YA’s may also find it a good introduction to the dance world as a possible career. Recommended for all libraries.—Barbara Kundanis, Longmont P.L., CO (
Library Journal, January 2008)
"Kyle Froman brings his stage experience to life in his beautifully photographed new book" (Vanity Fair, November 2007)
Synopsis
Here is New York City Ballet as it really is- the good, the not so good, and the majestically beautiful. It's a true story, and it's told by someone who can honestly claim that he was there.
Synopsis
"Here is New York City Ballet as it really is- the good, the not so good, and the majestically beautiful. It's a true story, and it's told by someone who can honestly claim that he was there."
About the Author
Kyle Froman has been a ballet dancer since he was eleven years old. He is an eleven-year member of the corps de ballet of the New York City Ballet and a gifted photographer. He was awarded the first Rudolph Nureyev Scholarship at the School of American Ballet after dancing with the Fort Worth Ballet. He has studies under the tutelage of Jerome Robbins, Peter Martins, Suzanne Farrell, Paul Mejia and Stanley Williams.
Table of Contents
Foreword by Peter Martins.
Acknowledgments.
Introduction.
Section : 10:15 a.m.
Section Two: 11:30 a.m.
Section Three: 2:15 p.m.
Section Four: 6:15 p.m.
Section Five: Showtime.