I was predisposed to be extremely interested in this book. Why?
I did ballet from ages 3-17. If I wasn’t in my own class or rehearsal I was helping with younger classes. I was, it’s fair to say, obsessed.
One of my favorite book series is Maggie Adams, by Karen Strickler Dean. It’s a familiar world, and the events and characters were easily identifiable.
One of my favorite movies to this day is “Center Stage.” Again, characters and situations that are all very familiar. And I remember “The Turning Point” having an impact on me.
I also grew up during an exciting time for American ballet – Baryshnikov was king, I watched Gelsey Kirkland’s Nutcracker year-round, we had season tickets to the San Francisco Ballet, and I was one of 50 dancers chosen in the state of California to attend a summer intensive ballet-school.
In short, I ate, breathed, and lived ballet for a long time. It was central to my growing up. So, I was definitely not going to miss this book.
For a story aimed at young adults, the author hits all of the right notes. She covers the competitiveness, the sense (or lack thereof) of self-worth, the insecurities, and the exhilaration of a well-done performance beautifully.
She also captures the male dancer lothario type perfectly. They’re everywhere in studios and companies. Kudos for the accuracy there.
I can’t say that Kate and Marine’s trajectory was surprising. It was, in fact, reminiscent of some of the fiction that I mentioned above. But I think that’s a good thing, because what happened to them is prevalent throughout the industry.
I really appreciated the attention given to the lengths that the girls would go to so they could maintain their ballet bodies and their ranks on “The Boards.” I remember being a younger dancer, watching the older girls in the company take their breaks, subsisting on cigarettes and black coffee.
Readers not familiar with ballet terminology may have a hard time with some of the scenes, because the author is very accurate with the steps and phrases. I’ll admit, it was strange to see them in writing – I’m very used to hearing them and not seeing them. I found myself muttering the phrase so I could picture what the step was.
Actually, that was kinda the fun part.
Anyway, I think it was a well-written book for anyone, young or old, who has a vested or passing interest in ballet. For parents of hopefuls, it will be an eye-opener to the potential pitfalls.
For me, it was nice to reminisce about my youth for a few hours, as messed up as some of the ballet parts were.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
A. K. Small was born in Paris, France. At five years old, she began studying classical dance with the legendary Max Bozzoni, then later with Daniel Franck and Monique Arabian at the famous Académie Chaptal. At thirteen, she moved to the United States, where she danced with the Pacific Northwest Ballet for one summer and with the Richmond Ballet Student Company for several years. She’s a graduate of the College of William and Mary and has an MFA in fiction from Vermont College of Fine Arts. When she’s not writing, she spends time with her husband, her puppy, and her three daughters, and practices yoga. Bright Burning Stars is her first novel.
