Being a Ballerina

Thank you to NetGalley and the University Press of Florida for the arc of Being a Ballerina by Gavin Larsen.

Fans of Disney's "On Pointe" and Netflix's "Pretty Little Things" will adore this book. Larsen does a brilliant job of showcasing what being a professional ballerina looks and feels like. As you read you are drawn into aching muscles and joints, sore feet and even more sore toes. Yet through all that pain you still feel the joy of dancing that is portrayed in the writing.

I enjoyed the third person nature of this story making it more about what happened and a universal experience rather than simply the story of Larsen's journey into professional dance. The experiences through the eyes of an 8, 11, and 16 year old lend themselves well to this story and you feel as if you are experiencing events through those ages.
After getting used to the fact that these stories are not necessarily chronological (though many of them are) I really sank down into enjoying the snippets as they were shared. Each chapter varies in length so that you are finding yourself experiencing different pieces at a time I think that this book would be well read a chapter at a time to really enjoy and experience Larsen's writing, reading this books so quickly makes me feel almost overindulged in this life as a ballerina and wanting to go back and start once more.

This is most meticulously written book about what it's like to be captivated by and devote oneself to dance, specifically ballet, I've read. Larsen has captured in prose the nuances, challenges, rewards, and subtle physical and emotional changes that happen on a daily basis in the life of a dancer.

Ballet is a dance art that is passed down through generations and has specific requirements in order to become accomplished. Larsen is skilled at communicating the feelings that bring about the changes needed to adjust, both personally and professionally. For anyone who has danced ballet, or enjoyed ballet and wondered what goes on behind the curtain (including the actual curtain in the theater, and the orchestra, and the stage crew) this is a tremendously informative read.

This is an amazing look at the world of professional dance. I never knew there was so much pain, turmoil, and competition involved among professional dancers. It is a fascinating look into a world few of us can even imagine.