(2) YA This heartfelt biography traces Ballets Russes star/choreographer Vaslav Nijinsky's (1890–1950) trajectory from lonesome childhood through his 1909 Paris debut and ensuing mega-stardom to his diagnosis of schizophrenia and institutionalization. Curlee sensitively explores Nijinsky's contradictions, including as a magnetic performer with little social grace and as a sex symbol tormented by his own sexual desires. The beautifully designed volume includes Curlee's striking jewel-toned portraits and archival photographs. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Katie Bircher | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2019

(2) K-3 Although Stringer overplays the degree of collaboration between composer and choreographer, there's no doubt that they created something beautifully, brutally new in The Rite of Spring in 1913 Paris. Acrylic illustrations dance right along in a sweep of movement and color that owes as much to Matisse as to their own lively spirit. Notes about the ballet and Stringer's visual inspirations are appended. Bib.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2013

(1) K-3 Illustrated by Brian Floca. After choreographer Martha Graham asked composer Aaron Copland and sculptor/set designer Isamu Noguchi to collaborate with her on a new ballet, the iconic Appalachian Spring was born. Using spare, concise sentences, the authors echo Graham's approach to dance: nothing's wasted, and in such exactness lies beauty. Floca's fluid, energetic line and watercolor illustrations also reflect the plain boldness of Graham's choreography. Websites. Bib.

Reviewer: Chelsey Philpot | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2010

(3) YA Black Americans of Achievement, Legacy Edition series. Each updated biography (Cochran, King, Parks) explains its well-known subject's rise from adversity to national and/or international recognition, working for social justice in his or her own way. Glover's volume details his past and present-day career as a tap dancer. Captioned photographs and boxed inserts enhance the conversational texts. Reading list, timeline, websites. Ind. Review covers these Black Americans of Achievement, Legacy Edition titles: Johnnie Cochran, Coretta Scott King, Savion Glover, and Rosa Parks.

Reviewer: Henrietta M. Smith

(3) 4-6 African-American Biographies series. This balanced biography of the dance icon describes the events that influenced his work, including such masterpieces as Revelations and Cry. Cruz discusses Ailey's pioneering efforts to form a dance company that showcased African-American experiences and concludes with a chapter on his legacy. Black-and-white photographs accompany the accessible text. Reading list, timeline, websites. Ind.

Reviewer: Lauren Rizzuto

(3) YA Women in the Arts series. Each book opens with a pivotal moment in a female artist's life and then steps back to tell its subject's story chronologically. Numerous photos enliven the text. Scattered sidebars--e.g., on the civil rights movement or modernism in literature--add historical and artistic context. List of works, reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., ind. Review covers these Women in the Arts titles: Nina Simone, Agnes de Mille, and Virginia Woolf.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(4) YA Collective Biographies series. These ten short biographies of some of the great names in dance (including Martha Graham, Katherine Dunham, and Mikhail Baryshnikov) concentrate more on basic career facts than on the subjects' characters and personal lives. However, readers will get a feeling for these individuals' dedication and passion for their work. Each entry is accompanied by two stock black-and-white photos. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Amy Kellman

(4) 4-6 A dizzying array of graphics, varied typefaces, and black-and-white photos compete in this energetic biography of tap dancing star Savion Glover. The main text, printed in small, hard-to-read type, alternates between Weber's discussion of Glover's rise from student to star and Glover's own first-person account of what tap means to him and how he passes on that heritage to the next generation.

Reviewer: Amy Kellman

(3) 4-6 Other biographies of Dunham exist, but this lively account brings readers up to date on the indefatigable woman, who continues to share her talent with young people through the Katherine Dunham Centers for the Arts and Humanities in East St. Louis. Clear black-and-white photographs contribute to the usefulness of the book. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Amy Kellman

(3) YA The author, a dancer and a friend of Nureyev's, has written this biography with warmth and immediacy. She brings to life his early years in Russia before his defection in 1961 and then concentrates on his international career as a dancer, choreographer, teacher, and company director. The black-and-white photographs were chosen with care to cover the many stages of Nureyev's career.

Reviewer: Amy Kellman

(3) 4-6 Book Report Biography series. Published spring 1998.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges