Grier Cooper's Blog, page 9

Why you should care about Darien, Connecticut

My new young adult novel WISH takes place in the real-life town of Darien, Connecticut. Darien sits along scenic Long Island Sound on Connecticut’s ‘Gold Coast’ an hour from Manhattan by train. Most people who live in the Tri-State Area (NY, NJ, CT, the bedroom commuter communities of Manhattan) have heard of Darien, Connecticut because it’s a desirable place to live, and the home of many rich executives and professionals who commute to New York City.A lot of people think Darien is a great pl...

A Day in The Life of Professional Ballet Student

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be a student at one of the top ballet schools in the world? To put it simply, days begin early and end late with a lot in between. Indigo Stevens, the main character in WISH, my new young adult novel, wants this life more than anything. If she gets her wish, her days will befilled with ballet classes, rehearsals, and other add-ons like Pilates or yoga class. But she’s also a high school student, with all the same school requirements as anyone else. Add...

How to Become a Professional Ballet Dancer

WISH follows the career path of Indigo Stevens, a young ballet dancer who wants to become a professional dancer with the top New York City ballet company. One of the first questions I’m often asked is how does one become a professional ballet dancer? Whether you’re just starting out or in your early teens and serious about a career it’s important to have a clear idea of the steps involved. Although no two dancers are alike, there is a solid path that every dancer takes, beginning with ballet...

Interview with WISH Cover Model: Colette

The cover reveal for WISH has prompted a lot of curiosity about the featured dancer. This comes as no surprise; Colette is lovely and a talented dancer. Read on to find out more about where she came from and where she’s headed.




Tell us about your ballet background.

I started ballet when I was 3 at a little studio in Fairfax called DT7. I danced with them for 7 years and eventually joined their pre-professional program. I then decided to audition for San Francisco Ballet School when I was 10 and...

WISH: Cover Reveal

Title: WISH

Series: Indigo Dreams #1

Author: Grier Cooper

Release Date: December 2, 2014

About the cover:This cover is a culmination of a whole lot of work, a big dream, more work, and several talented people. I am thrilled with the results and hope you like it as much as I do.

I had an idea of the look and feel I was going for when I began. I knew I wanted a ballet dancer on the cover –not just any dancer – but a REAL dancer. A friend put in me in touch with Colette Kerny (the cover model) and we...

How Ballet and Football Are Alike…and Different

© 2014 Grier Cooper

With all the talk about football players diving into ballet it seemed fitting to look at ways in which they are similar and ways they are different. This past weekend I went to see my first football game – ever– the Oakland Raiders (Raider Nation!) and noticed it’s a very different vibe going to a football game, although (just like at the ballet) you still get dressed up and you need a ticket to get in. Unlike the ballet, you also need to submit to a thorough bag check and...

Ballet on the Big (or Little) Screen

Anyone who’s ever wanted a behind-the-scenes look at the world of ballet pretty much has their pick these days. After the recent success of World Ballet Daywhere millions of viewers tuned into live streams from five top companies the interest in ballet is at an all-time high. Here is an additional handful of series and films to help you get your fill. Happy viewing!

Breaking Pointe: A reality show about Ballet West, a ballet company based in Salt Lake City, Utah. The show is described as “A se...

World Ballet Day: A Recap

October 1st, 2014marked a pivotal day in ballet history: the first ever “World Ballet Day”. In an unprecedented bout of internationalism, five of the world’s major ballet companies participated in a 20-hour-long live streaming event that gave ballet fans worldwide a behind-the-scenes look at company classes, rehearsals and coaching.

© Grier Cooper

The event featured the Australian Ballet, the Bolshoi Ballet, the National Ballet of Canada, the Royal Ballet and the San Francisco Ballet in success...

Men In Ballet: The Real Story

One of the first questions people ask in a discussion about ballet is: what’s up with the men? After all, male dancers spend fair amount of time in the shadows making their female partners look good. There are those who assume that if a man puts on tights he must be gay.If that were true, why are droves of football players signing up for ballet? Headliner Steve McLendonof the Pittsburgh Steelers says, “ballet is harder than anything else I do”.Regardless of the choices they make for their pri...

Ballet Fiction Must-Haves

Dance is in the spotlight everywhere these days: you can catch a free performance on a streetcorner near you, watch a documentary, check out a behind-the-scenes episode of Sarah Jessica Parker’s city.ballet. or tune in to find out who wins the next round of So You Think You Can Dance. But aren’t we lucky–dance is also making a splash in fiction! Whether you’re a dancer, wanna-be dancer or a dance lover, you’re going to want to add some of these tasty titles to your library, and be sure to scr...