Book Blitz Wish by Grier Cooper
9:00 AM
Hey Addicts we've got a cool Contemporary YA blitz today. Wish by Grier Cooper is a story about a teen ballerina and the struggles she's got to go through. Read on to learn some cool new info about dancers and Ballet and debunk some myths! And there are 2 giveaways going on for this blitz tour. One, the rafflecopter below, is for the entire tour. But author Grier hasn't stopped there----no no no, she has allowed each of us blog hosts to hold our own giveaways, specific to our site as well.
With that in mind, to enter in my giveaway you have to leave me a comment, it can be about anything or this post, whatever you want. OR you can also get put in the blog magic hat of entries by following this blog!
Without any further delay, time for ballet :)
Wish by Grier Cooper
(Indigo Dreams #1)
Publication date: December 2nd 2014
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
Synopsis:
(Indigo Dreams #1)
Publication date: December 2nd 2014
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
Synopsis:
For Indigo Stevens, ballet classes at Miss Roberta’s ballet studio offer the stability and structure that are missing from her crazy home life. At almost 16, she hopes this is the year she will be accepted into the New York School of Ballet. First she must prove she’s ready, and that means ignoring Jesse Sanders – the cute boy with dimples who is definitely at the top of Miss Roberta’s List of Forbidden Things for Dancers.
But Jesse is the least of Indigo’s concerns. When she discovers her mom is an alcoholic, it simultaneously explains everything and heaps more worry on Indigo’s shoulders. As her mom’s behavior becomes increasingly erratic, Indigo fights to maintain balance, protect her younger brothers from abuse, and keep her mother from going over the edge. When the violence at home escalates, Indigo realizes she can no longer dance around the issue. At the risk of losing everything, she must take matters into her own hands before it’s too late.
But Jesse is the least of Indigo’s concerns. When she discovers her mom is an alcoholic, it simultaneously explains everything and heaps more worry on Indigo’s shoulders. As her mom’s behavior becomes increasingly erratic, Indigo fights to maintain balance, protect her younger brothers from abuse, and keep her mother from going over the edge. When the violence at home escalates, Indigo realizes she can no longer dance around the issue. At the risk of losing everything, she must take matters into her own hands before it’s too late.
Debunking Ballet
Myths
While many people admire ballet as art form, it's also often
criticized. Unhealthy body image is one of the most common complaints. But are
these criticisms based on reality or myth? Let's examine some of the most
common ballet myths and see what's real:
1. All ballet dancers are anorexic.
The average professional ballet dancer spends anywhere from
five to eight hours each day dancing their butts off; imagine how slim you
would be if you exercised that much! Ballet also naturally creates longer,
leaner lines in the body, unlike other athletic pursuits such as running, which
create bulkier muscles. Although they are slender, most dancers are
health-conscious—they have to be in order to have enough energy to get through
their long, active days...although their busy schedules mean they snack
throughout the day as opposed to eating huge meals (it's hard to be light on
your feet with a full belly!).
2. If you want to be a professional ballet dancer you
have to start taking ballet classes early, like when you are still in the womb.
Just look at ballet superstar Misty Copeland; her story
will burn that myth right out of your head. Copeland didn't begin taking ballet
classes until she was thirteen, yet in 2007 she made dance history when she
became the third African American female soloist (and the first in two decades)
at American Ballet Theater. Another classmate of mine at the School of American Ballet didn't begin ballet
until she was twelve but later went on to dance with New York City Ballet.
3. All male ballet dancers are gay. There are
certainly a lot of good-looking men in ballet but just because they put on
tights doesn't mean there aren't some hot-blooded heterosexuals in the mix. The
real-life partnership between New York City Ballet principal dancers Robert
Fairchild and Tiler Peck is not just one of the most romantic love stories
in ballet history (teen sweethearts, drama, breakup(s) and a happy ending when
Fairchild proposed in Paris), it is one of the most prominent ballet marriages
today. Other well-known ballet couples include San Francisco Ballet
Principal Dancers Vanessa Zahorian
and Davit Karapetyan, Boston Ballet principals Carlos
Molina and Erica Cornejo and Nelson
Madrigal and Lorna Feijoo, Ballet West soloists Easton
Smith and Haley Henderson. Still not convinced? Rent “The
Turning Point” (a classic ballet film) and watch Baryshnikov make his moves.
4. You have to be a twig if you want to be a ballet
dancer. While this was true during the Balanchine era, perspectives on
dancers' bodies is changing dramatically and today's dancers are more muscular
and feminine. Take a look at the lineup of dancers from companies like LINES Ballet, Cedar Lake
Contemporary Ballet and Ballet Black.
English National Ballet Artistic Director Tamara Rojo recently made it known that she's
not interested in employing underweight ballerinas. Ballet dancers such as Kathryn
Morgan, a former New York City Ballet soloist, St. Paul Ballet dancer
Brittany Adams and New York City Ballet veteran Jennifer Ringer are
becoming more vocal about promoting a healthy body image. If you want to delve deeper
on the issue, check out "Strength
and Beauty," a documentary about ballerinas' personal
accounts of dealing with issues like weight.
5. Ballet
dancers are weak, timid girlie girls who love anything pink. If that were
true, why are droves of football players signing up for ballet? Headliner Steve
McLendon of the Pittsburgh Steelers says, “ballet is harder than anything else
I do”. Ballet dancers are not delicate little flowers, nor is ballet easy. It's
actually enormously difficult both physically AND mentally. A dancer has to
remember several ballets' worth of choreography at any given time PLUS be
strong enough to leap, turn, grande battement, and relevé for (sometimes) HOURS
on end.
6. Pointe
hurts. Stretching hurts.
It doesn't
hurt if you're doing it right! Well, okay, pointe shoes sometimes hurt when you
wear them day after day for hours at a time. But dancers build up their
flexibility and foot strength over time. It's a process where things progress
slowly. Beginning pointe classes, for instance, are very brief. If things hurt,
it's time to slow down or back off and if you experience pain when you're
stretching it's actually a clear indication that you're pushing things too far.
7. Ballet
dancers naturally dance well at parties and nightclubs. Just because
someone is a ballet dancer does not mean they'll be a hit on the dance floor at
your next party. Trust me; these are two very different types of dancing. In
fact, ballet is so regimented and precise that it's difficult for ballet
dancers to cut loose. It's much more likely they'll resemble a spastic
electrocuted chicken on the dance floor.
8.All
female ballet dancers are ballerinas. Typical cocktail party conversation:
"Oh, I didn't know that you were a ballerina!" Um, I'm not. I'm a
ballet dancer. Only the highest-ranking female dancers in a ballet company
are ranked as ballerinas. The corps and soloist dancers in the company are not
ranked as ballerinas yet.
9. Since
ballet terms are French all ballet dancers speak fluent French. Sadly, no (
je suis desolée). Just because ballet terms are in French does not mean
that we speak French fluently, nor is there any guarantee that our
pronunciation incredible...or even correct.
10.
Ballet dancers are not the brightest bulbs in the pack. Refer to item
number 5 above, for how much dancers have to remember (A LOT). This skill also
serves dancers well in school, since more dancers are choosing take college
courses in the midst of their dance careers, with the blessings of top ballet
companies including American Ballet Theater and
New York City Ballet (who offer scholarship
money to their dancers). Boston Ballet recently teamed up with Northeastern
University to offer a
program to help dancers earn their degrees while they are dancing. The
university's flexible schedule accommodates dancers' routines and the company's
scholarship fund covers up to 80% of tuition...which means there are a lot of
brainiacs on pointe out there.
As you can
see, most myths don't stand up to investigation. Whether your attitude towards
ballet is “love it” or “leave it”, you can now make an educated choice.
AUTHOR BIO:
Grier began ballet lessons at age five and left home at fourteen to study at the School of American Ballet in New York. She has performed on three out of seven continents with companies such as San Francisco Ballet, Miami City Ballet, and Pacific Northwest Ballet, totaling more than thirty years of experience as a dancer, teacher and performer.
Her work has been praised as “poignant and honest” with “emotional hooks that penetrate deeply.” She writes and blogs about dance in the San Francisco Bay Area and has interviewed and photographed a diverse collection dancers and performers including Clive Owen, Nicole Kidman, Glen Allen Sims and Jessica Sutta. She is the author of Build a Ballerina Body and The Daily Book of Photography.
Author links:
Grier began ballet lessons at age five and left home at fourteen to study at the School of American Ballet in New York. She has performed on three out of seven continents with companies such as San Francisco Ballet, Miami City Ballet, and Pacific Northwest Ballet, totaling more than thirty years of experience as a dancer, teacher and performer.Her work has been praised as “poignant and honest” with “emotional hooks that penetrate deeply.” She writes and blogs about dance in the San Francisco Bay Area and has interviewed and photographed a diverse collection dancers and performers including Clive Owen, Nicole Kidman, Glen Allen Sims and Jessica Sutta. She is the author of Build a Ballerina Body and The Daily Book of Photography.
Author links:
That's it for now Addicts! See you next time.
~Dynomoon
~Dynomoon
1 comments
Thanks so much for hosting WISH today!
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