The ballet companion : a dancer's guide to the technique, traditions, and joys of ballet / Eliza Gaynor Minden.

"A Lark production."

"A Fireside book."

Includes bibliographical references (p. [316]-317) and index.

Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- PART 1 - To Be a Dancer : Getting started / Selecting a ballet school -- Choosing your level of commitment -- Ballet moms and dads: Sine Qua Non -- What to expect of class -- What class expects of you -- Getting the most out of class -- When to begin pointework -- All that jazz, modern, and more -- Ballet at any age -- Getting serious / Backstage and onstage -- Summer intensives -- Auditions -- Advanced classes: partnering and variations -- Men's training -- Competitions -- The Curious dancer / Studio attire-- Ribbons and elastics -- Ballet bun -- Stage makeup -- Ballet's courtly origins -- Tour de Force / Catherine de Medici and Le Ballet Comique de la Reine -- Rebels, rivals, and the "Shakespeare of Ballet" -- Louis XIV and the French tradition -- Romanticism -- Extraordinary partnership: Fonteyn and Nureyev -- PART 2 - Ballet basics : Major schools of ballet / French school -- Bournonville (Denmark) -- Cecchetti (Italy) -- Royal Academy of Dance (England) -- Vaganova (Soviet Russia) -- Balanchine -- Fundamentals of technique / Alignment -- Lift -- Turnout -- Positions and orientations / Positions of the feet -- Positions of the arms -- Sur le Cou-de-Pied -- Passe or retire -- Arabesques -- Attitude -- Orientations of the body -- The Curious dancer / Dance notation -- Through the ranks -- Tour de Force / Tutu much: ballet costumes -- Bournonville and the Danish tradition -- Ballet blanc: The Corps de Ballet's Triumph -- Pas de Quatre (not Pas de Cinq) -- Livry's shroud -- PART 3 - Ballet class : Before class / Warm up -- Stretch -- At the barre / Plie -- Releve -- Cambré Battement Tendu -- Rond de Jambe par Terre -- Fondu -- Battement Frappé -- Développé -- Grand Rond de Jambe -- Petit Battement sur le Cou-de-Pied -- Rond de Jambe en l'Air -- Barre Stretches -- Grand Battement -- Centre Floor / Adagio-Adage -- Allegro: Petite and Grand -- Turns -- Révérence -- Musicality -- All About Pointe / The Rise of the Ballerina -- How a Point Shoe Works -- How to Select and Fit Pointe Shoes -- Pointe Training and Technique -- The Curious Dancer / Pirouette Tips from the Pros -- Anatomy of a Pointe Shoe -- Foot Types -- Tourde Force / Pioneers of Pointe: Taglioni and Legnani -- Petipa and the Tsar's Ballet -- Pavlova -- Modern Dance -- Nijinsky -- "Astonish Me." Diaghilev, Fokine and the Ballet Russes -- PART 4 - Healthy dancer : Respect your body; dance forever / Eating well to dance well -- Body esteem: dealing with the mirror -- Eating disorders -- Eating disorders -- Puberty and dancing -- Anatomy illustrated -- Injury prevention / Avoiding burnout -- Ballet injury "hot spots" -- Muscles-pulls and tears -- Anatomical terms -- Daily care for dancing feet -- If you are injured -- Cross training / Pilates -- Yoga -- Resistance training -- Floor-Barre -- Gyrotonic -- Swimming -- The Curious Dancer / Ballet's Folk Dance Tradition -- Ballet on Broadway -- Mime -- Tour de Force / A Tale of Two Cities: The Kirov and the Bolshoi -- Balanchine, Kirstein, and New York City Ballet -- American Ballet Theatre -- Ashton, de Valois, and the Royal Ballet -- The Dance Boom of the '60s and '70s -- PART 5 - Ballet literacy : Must-see ballet - The Curious dancer / Must-see ballet at a glance -- Historical time line -- Glossaries / Ballet terms -- Music terms -- Theater terms -- Social dances -- Dancer slang -- Further Reading -- Resources / Videos -- Organizations -- Magazines and publications -- Index.

From the Publisher: A New Classic for Today's Dancer. The Ballet Companion is a fresh, comprehensive, and thoroughly up-to-date reference book for the dancer. With 150 stunning photographs of ballet stars Maria Riccetto and Benjamin Millepied demonstrating perfect execution of positions and steps, this elegant volume brims with everything today's dance student needs, including: Practical advice for getting started, such as selecting a school, making the most of class, and studio etiquette; Explanations of ballet fundamentals and major training systems; An illustrated guide through ballet class-warm-up, barre, and center floor; Guidelines for safe, healthy dancing through a sensible diet, injury prevention, and cross-training with yoga and Pilates; Descriptions of must-see ballets and glossaries of dance, music, and theater terms. Along the way you'll find technique secrets from stars of American Ballet Theatre, lavishly illustrated sidebars on ballet history, and tips on everything from styling a ballet bun to stage makeup to performing the perfect pirouette. Whether a budding ballerina, serious student, or adult returning to ballet, dancers will find a lively mix of ballet's time-honored traditions and essential new information.