So, You Want to Be a Dancer?: The Ultimate Guide to Exploring the Dance Industry

by Laurel Van Der Linde

Take it from the top with this step-by-step guide to the incredible world of dance!

In the sixth installment of the Be What You Want series, So, You Want to be a Dancer? goes behind the curtains and beyond the pointe shoes to help readers discover how to break into dance. From ballet, contemporary, hip-hop, and even Broadway, this book unveils what it really takes to build a career in dance today. Plus, sections on choreography, stage managements, and even costume design show kids there's more than one way to follow your dreams.

In addition to tips and interviews from dance professionals, So, You Want to be a Dancer? includes inspiring stories from kdis who are in the industry right now, as well as activities, a glossary, and resources to open up a whole new world of possibilities that are both exciting and rewarding.

Genres: Nonfiction

208 pages, Paperback

First published April 7, 2015

About the author

Laurel van der Linde’s first career was as a ballet dancer. Trading her pointe shoes for character pumps, she segued into Broadway musical theater dancing in A Chorus Line, Annie, My Fair Lady, and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. She also worked with legendary choreographers Gower Champion and Micheal Kidd. Van der Linde is also a voice-over artist and an instructor of creative writing for children at UCLA. She has published four books for kids. She has two sons, Gower and Gavin, and breeds and trains Arabian horses on her ranch in Valencia, CA.

Reviews

[Julia Nashif · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you, Netgalley and Beyond Words Publishing, for this free book to review!

Now, I haven't done ballet since I was about seven years old. But I once read a different book in the Be Who You Want series (So, You Want to Be a Writer?: How to Write, Get Published, and Maybe Even Make It Big!), so when I saw this on Netgalley I requested it. I don't know what exactly I expected this book to be, but it turned out to be more of the history of different dancers and their forms. This may be helpful to dancers who are looking into what might work best for them, but if you're a writer looking for research help (like me), this is probably not the book for you. Plus, almost every interview felt forced and unenthusiastic, especially the ones by kids. I had an ARC of this though, so maybe that will be edited and the format will be fixed. My e-copy was not the highest quality.

But that's just the opinion of a reviewer, not a dancer. Since I'm not the intended audience, other people will probably enjoy this much more than I did.

[Maranda Russell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was excited to win a copy of this book in the Goodreads First Reads giveaway. I have always loved dance and enjoy learning more about that world. When I entered the giveaway for this book, I thought it was made more for little kids. I expected a picture book, but instead the book is definitely made more for middle grade readers or older. Even though the book wasn't what I expected, I still enjoyed it. What I liked best were the frequent interviews and profiles about dance students and professionals. I like how they included professionals who were related to dance but held positions that may not initially be thought of as dance-related (such as music conductors, chiropractors, massage therapists, health coaches, etc). I also enjoyed the little puzzles, lists, quizzes and other fun bits of random information about the world of dance spread throughout the book.

[Joy]

Read for professional review.

[Shauna Yusko · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. Poor editing and layout.