Technique & Terminology

Advice for Dancers: Emotional Counsel and Practical Strategies by Linda H. Hamilton, Ph.D. Hardcover, 230 pages.
Clinical psychologist and columnist for Dance Magazine offers advice for dealing with a variety of common physical and psychological issues faced by dancers at all levels.

Balanchine's Pointework by Suki Schorer with photographs by Martha Swope and Carol Rosegg. Paperback, 63 pages, with more than 30 black & white photos.
Noted School of American Ballet teacher and former New York City Ballet principal dancer records what she learned from Balanchine about this defining element of classical ballet. This is the first book to explore pointework in an extended way and to explain in detail Balanchine's many refinements of the technique.

The Classic Ballet: Basic Techniques and Terminology by Lincoln Kirstein and Muriel Stuart with a Preface by George Balanchine. Softcover, 243 pages, 156 pages of line drawings by Carlus Dyer.
A visual dictionary of ballet—the positions, steps, movements and combinations that together make up its vocabulary.

Dictionary of Ballet Terms by Leo Kerskey and Janet Sinclair. 112 pages, 127 line black & white drawings by Peter Revitt.

New York City Ballet Workout by Peter Martins with Howard Kaplan. Available in hardcover or paperback. 205 pages, more than 300 black & white photographs by Paul Kolnik and Richard Corman. Fifty stretches and exercises anyone can do for a strong, graceful and sculpted body. A revolutionary fitness program (without the expensive exercise equipment) that combines the low-impact elements of the ballet dancer's daily routines with efficient strength-building exercises. For people of all ages and all fitness levels.

The Pointe Book: Shoes, Training and Technique by Janice Barringer and Sarah Schlesinger. Paperback, 208 pages, with drawings.
The first and only book to explore all aspects of dancing on pointe—its history, shoe making and fitting, pointe training methods and ballet masters. views on pointe readiness. Interviews with famous ballerinas include a talk with Darci Kistler.

Suki Schorer on Balanchine Technique by Suki Schorer with Russell Lee. Photographs by Carol Rosegg. Hardcover, 426 pages, many black and white photographs. This highly detailed and profusely illustrated volume serves as an indispensable testament to those ideas that changed choreography in the 20th century.

Technical Manual and Dictionary of Classical Dance by Gail Grabt. Paperback, 127 pages, 15 pages of illustrations.

Contains full descriptions and definitions of over 800 ballet steps, movements and poses and other expressions and concepts. The illustrations show clearly the exact foot, leg, arm and body positions for the proper execution of many common steps and movements.