Dancing Shapes with Attitude: Ballet and Body Awareness for Young Dancers

by Once Upon A. Dance

Overview

Captivating straight talk and inspiration from Ballerina Konora, ideal for young ballet fans ages 7-11.

Aspiring dancers get an inside perspective on casting, competitions, and career, as well as a lesson in movement and dance, in this fourth book in the Dancing Shapes collection.

The books begin with an aspect of Konora's ballet journey: after a couple rounds of auditions, she's a finalist for a dance job: Will she get the job? Will she take the job, pack up and move to a new state? Konora then looks back at competitions, shares wisdom, and discusses subjectivity, then takes readers through a warm-up, mini-ballet lesson, and an exploration of shape and detail.

Early reviewers say this is the most intimate of the series and that it provides a fascinating peek at the nitty-gritty of chasing your dreams in a highly competitive field.

The interactive challenges for young dancers build on concepts introduced in Dancing Shapes and More Dancing Shapes and will be best for kids who have had success with those or are experienced movers.

Dancing Shapes is "a visually stunning and interactive" pandemic creation by an award-winning dance teacher and her ballerina daughter.

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Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781736875025
Publisher:	Once Upon a Dance
Publication date:	03/30/2021
Pages:	50
Product dimensions:	11.00(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.25(d)
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

Once Upon a Dance sprang from the coronavirus and a desire to keep kids stuck at home connected to movement.

Konora climbed the pre-professional ballet ladder up to Pacific Northwest Ballet’s Professional Division before COVID struck. Along the way, she danced iconic roles such as Sugar Plum Fairy and Cinderella.

Her mother is a photographer and award-winning dance teacher. She’s also worked in early childhood education, for non-profits supporting kids, and as a university English and dance teacher during a Peace Corps stint in Africa. As a COVID-sidelined dance instructor, she needed a reason to get out of bed; her 14 pandemic books are one lonely woman's attempt to reach out to the world.

Visit www.OnceUponADance.com for more info.

Editorial Reviews

2021-05-07
This new Dancing Shapes series entry by mother-daughter team Once Upon a Dance offers more mindful ballet practices for young dancers.

Ballet dancer Konora describes her experience as she waited to hear back on whether she’s earned a professional dancing position and offers accounts of her young performances onstage and in competition as a student. Using examples from her past, she talks about having a good attitude, even under stress, and uses this concept to introduce the dance position called attitude. As in previous books, Konora describes warmups, poses, and positions in some detail, although here she helpfully refers back to past series entries rather than repeating herself. Once again, she emphasizes doing what feels right and not pushing too hard. As she teaches the attitude position, she emphasizes a “brain-to-foot connection” and portrays the leg movement while sitting and standing. The clear, full-color photos of her demonstrating each position against a white background make the movements easy to understand for aspiring and more experienced dancers. Some of the shapes are a bit more advanced and include prudent advice to take them slowly as well as encouragement: “It can be fun to have a challenge and make small progress toward your goals.” Other photos show Konora and her friends performing; most of the dancers are White and female.

Another valuable tool for young dance students.

Kirkus Reviews