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Spinning: Choreography for Coming Home
When Janine Kovac gives birth to micro preemie twins nearly four months before they are due, she channels the grace and strength that carried her through a successful ballet career. The human body has amazing healing powers if you just know how to listen to it. But old habits bring up old haunts and bitter memories--the futile quest for perfection and a career-ending injury. In the sterile, fluorescent world of the NICU, ballet breeds hope as the twins make a miraculous recovery. Can it also bring resolution to the dancer so many years after the abrupt and painful end to the career she loved so much?
- GenresMemoir
258 pages, Paperback
Published September 19, 2017
1 person is currently reading
188 people want to read
About the author
Janine Kovac
8 books51 followersJanine Kovac (she/her) writes about power dynamics and women’s bodies. Her work has appeared in Under the Sun, Bellingham Review, Jet Fuel Review, Pangyrus, New Ohio Review, Writer’s Digest, Publishers Weekly, Santa Fe Writers Project and elsewhere.
A former professional ballet dancer, Janine trained at San Francisco Ballet and in Ghent Belgium before embarking on a twelve-year career dancing in Iceland, Italy, Austria, San Francisco, and in her hometown of El Paso, Texas.
After retiring from the stage, Janine graduated magna cum laude from U.C. Berkeley with a bachelor’s degree in cognitive science. Her distinctions include the Glushko Prize for Distinguished Research in Cognitive Science, the Elizabeth George Foundation Fellowship from Hedgebrook, the Calderwood Fellowship for Journalism from MacDowell, a New Millennium Writings Award for Nonfiction, and the San Francisco Foundation/Nomadic Press Award. She is the recipient of a Courage to Write “Writer of Note” grant from the de Groot Foundation and her fiction is sponsored by Fractured Atlas.
Janine is the author of Brain Changer: A Mother’s Guide to Cognitive Science and Spinning: Choreography for Coming Home. Spinning was a semifinalist for Publishers Weekly’s BookLife Prize and a winner of the National Indie Excellence Awards. Her memoir The Nutcracker Chronicles intertwines The Nutcracker ballet with the true life stories that unfold backstage, and is forthcoming from She Writes Press in October of 2024.
In addition to dancing, writing, and parenting, Janine teaches Scrivener workshops to writers of all levels. She lives in Northern California with her family.
A former professional ballet dancer, Janine trained at San Francisco Ballet and in Ghent Belgium before embarking on a twelve-year career dancing in Iceland, Italy, Austria, San Francisco, and in her hometown of El Paso, Texas.
After retiring from the stage, Janine graduated magna cum laude from U.C. Berkeley with a bachelor’s degree in cognitive science. Her distinctions include the Glushko Prize for Distinguished Research in Cognitive Science, the Elizabeth George Foundation Fellowship from Hedgebrook, the Calderwood Fellowship for Journalism from MacDowell, a New Millennium Writings Award for Nonfiction, and the San Francisco Foundation/Nomadic Press Award. She is the recipient of a Courage to Write “Writer of Note” grant from the de Groot Foundation and her fiction is sponsored by Fractured Atlas.
Janine is the author of Brain Changer: A Mother’s Guide to Cognitive Science and Spinning: Choreography for Coming Home. Spinning was a semifinalist for Publishers Weekly’s BookLife Prize and a winner of the National Indie Excellence Awards. Her memoir The Nutcracker Chronicles intertwines The Nutcracker ballet with the true life stories that unfold backstage, and is forthcoming from She Writes Press in October of 2024.
In addition to dancing, writing, and parenting, Janine teaches Scrivener workshops to writers of all levels. She lives in Northern California with her family.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
December 29, 2017
I liked the book but I wasn't overwhelmed by it. Having read "Almost Home" by Chris Gleason who was the head of neonatal care in Seattle, I think I'm more attuned to her approach. However, Janine Kovac's book is wonderfully written, and it puts the reader inside the life of the mother--the author herself--who went through this experience. I found it a fascinating and gripping read.
February 15, 2019
A beautifully written memoir by a new-to-me author. Her writing drew me in and invited me to experience life with her.
I loved how her chosen challenge of ballet helped to prepare her for the challenge that life gave to her, mothering fragile, micro-preemie twin boys. The author used the coping mechanisms that she had learned and mastered during her demanding, disciplined and rigorous career and training as a ballerina to help her navigate a high risk pregnancy and the ultimate task of mothering identical, micro-preemie twins.
I found it fascinating that the author experiences synesthesia. Her mind sees and assigns colors to people, things and experiences that are important to her. So very fascinating!
One of my favorite passages is when she gets to hold Wagner for the first time, skin-to-skin. At that moment, she experienced gratitude, relief and hope. So beautifully emotional.
The many scenes in the NICU were so relatable, well-observed and beautifully written. I was absorbed into the writing and it caused me to reminisce and remember my own experiences. Many years ago, I too gave birth to micro-preemie twin boys.
So grateful that this author chose to share her story. Thank-you and well done!
I loved how her chosen challenge of ballet helped to prepare her for the challenge that life gave to her, mothering fragile, micro-preemie twin boys. The author used the coping mechanisms that she had learned and mastered during her demanding, disciplined and rigorous career and training as a ballerina to help her navigate a high risk pregnancy and the ultimate task of mothering identical, micro-preemie twins.
I found it fascinating that the author experiences synesthesia. Her mind sees and assigns colors to people, things and experiences that are important to her. So very fascinating!
One of my favorite passages is when she gets to hold Wagner for the first time, skin-to-skin. At that moment, she experienced gratitude, relief and hope. So beautifully emotional.
The many scenes in the NICU were so relatable, well-observed and beautifully written. I was absorbed into the writing and it caused me to reminisce and remember my own experiences. Many years ago, I too gave birth to micro-preemie twin boys.
So grateful that this author chose to share her story. Thank-you and well done!
September 19, 2017
Okay so I didn't have time to read but I opened this one and kept finding myself NEEDING to turn the page, holding my breath, and just...getting those moments of quiet when beautiful writing takes one of those turns in your head and you go, "Oh" while blinking at the words in front of you.
I was never a professional ballerina. I never had a baby in the NICU. I never gave birth to multiples. But this book just tugged at parts of me, making me able to relate to the author's emotional experiences--I mean, we all have pasts that sneak back up on us and we all have unexpected challenges in life, right? Pick this one up immediately.
I was never a professional ballerina. I never had a baby in the NICU. I never gave birth to multiples. But this book just tugged at parts of me, making me able to relate to the author's emotional experiences--I mean, we all have pasts that sneak back up on us and we all have unexpected challenges in life, right? Pick this one up immediately.
September 2, 2017
I absolutely loved this story of how Janine, a former professional ballerina, brought her dancer's disciplined mind to the incredibly difficult journey of her micro-preemies' birth, and the months to follow. Moving back and forth as effortlessly as a ballerina on the stage, Janine shares the challenges, fears, and pain of watching her one-pound sons in the NICU, and her disappointment over the end of her dance career earlier. That she manages to do so in a way that is both hopeful and inspiring s a testament to her skill as a writer and storyteller. Bravo!
September 11, 2017
This memoir filled me with hope and love. Courageous! Inspiring! And well worth the read!
February 12, 2018
I loved this book!I know the author personally and was expecting it to be good, so I was gratified by how beautifully written it is and that it told a story I knew only in outline form from snippets of conversation with Janine and her husband over the years about how their twin boys sere born 3.5 months premature and spent the first 3 months of life in the NICU.
October 24, 2017
If I could give this Goodreads Giveaway more than 5 stars, I would. Thank you for allowing me to read this wonderful memoir - my heart was in my throat during most of it, recalling the loss of our granddaughter, Karleigh, a few years back, who was born at just 26 weeks. The fates of babies born too soon is sometimes tenuous, and filled with pain and struggles. Mrs. Kovac, you have my deepest appreciation for sharing the story of the struggles you and your family went through, along with the sweet victories. I sincerely thank you for your honesty and your gift for describing your experiences in a way that illuminates, but never frightens. May you be continue to be blessed, dear lady.
October 12, 2017
When I was offered the opportunity to review SPINNING: CHOREOGRAPHY FOR COMING HOME, I jumped at the chance. Memoir is one of my favorite genres to read. I didn't know Janine Kovac, but after seeing her bio and learning about her story, I was even more intrigued. Before I began reading, however, I couldn’t help wondering what I’d gotten myself into. This author had been a professional ballerina in Iceland, and was the mother of micro-preemie twins — Wagner and Michael — born almost four months early, weighing little more than a pound.
What common ground would I find with her? Would it be difficult for me to connect with the writing?
I discovered from the first pages I needn’t have worried. I was instantly invested in Janine’s story because it is, above all, a HUMAN one. Terrified by the unfamiliar territory of the NICU, the author struggles to find her footing, to risk hope, to maintain sanity in the face of her darkest fears. She draws strength from past successes and failures onstage onstage, from a series of metaphors sparked by years of performing.
Her prose is both lush at times and unsparing in others. I highlighted too many beautiful passages to share here - not just about her challenges with mothering preemies (along with another child at home), but also in her professional life, and in her evaluation of where she might head after her world turned upside down.
Brave and unflinching, Janine Kovac walks us through those early days when her babies’ futures — and her own — were spinning beyond her control. I highly recommend this memoir to anyone who appreciates beautiful writing on haunting topics.
*I received a copy of SPINNING in exchange for a fair and honest review.
What common ground would I find with her? Would it be difficult for me to connect with the writing?
I discovered from the first pages I needn’t have worried. I was instantly invested in Janine’s story because it is, above all, a HUMAN one. Terrified by the unfamiliar territory of the NICU, the author struggles to find her footing, to risk hope, to maintain sanity in the face of her darkest fears. She draws strength from past successes and failures onstage onstage, from a series of metaphors sparked by years of performing.
Her prose is both lush at times and unsparing in others. I highlighted too many beautiful passages to share here - not just about her challenges with mothering preemies (along with another child at home), but also in her professional life, and in her evaluation of where she might head after her world turned upside down.
Brave and unflinching, Janine Kovac walks us through those early days when her babies’ futures — and her own — were spinning beyond her control. I highly recommend this memoir to anyone who appreciates beautiful writing on haunting topics.
*I received a copy of SPINNING in exchange for a fair and honest review.
June 1, 2018
Spinning: Choreography for Coming Home by Janine Kovac is the moving memoir of a former professional ballerina and mother of a toddler daughter who gives birth to preemie twin boys at 25 weeks. Both boys weigh slightly over a pound and the prognosis for survival is not good. Spinning takes the reader into the NICU and into the world of Janine and her family as they go through the ups and downs of agonizing over whether these babies will survive and if they do, will there be lasting developmental effects from their prematurity. Without being self-pitying or morbid, Janine is able to take the reader on this journey with her and I found myself holding my breath at each crisis facing these precious babies and feeling elated with each bit of progress. She also takes us into the world of an artist, in her case a ballerina. Her descriptions of the feelings of a dancer are just as insightful as the feelings of a mother. The book is well written with beautiful descriptions and heartfelt emotions.
October 5, 2017
Kovac intertwines the twin stories of her ballet career with the one of maneuvering her new life as a mother of premature twin boys. Each chapter fuses her former life as a dancer with her current one as a mother. She moves through the pages infusing the pain of her career cut short back to the challenges of remaining strong while her micro preemies fight for life in the NICU.
I loved this book. As mothers of twins myself whose babies were born prematurely, I related to Janine's well-articulated emotions (though my twins were born at 34 weeks and spent just two weeks in the NICU). Her story sucked me in for two days straight and took me right into her dancing world and family life, and I trust that you too, will be lost in Kovac's wonderful book.
I loved this book. As mothers of twins myself whose babies were born prematurely, I related to Janine's well-articulated emotions (though my twins were born at 34 weeks and spent just two weeks in the NICU). Her story sucked me in for two days straight and took me right into her dancing world and family life, and I trust that you too, will be lost in Kovac's wonderful book.
February 28, 2019
This is definitely not a traditional memoir.
Spinning is a multi-faceted journey about strength, love and motherhood. From detailed hospital room descriptions to flashbacks of ballet performances, this memoir unravels more than a few stories with a brilliant supporting (in many ways) cast. The last few chapters were surprising, touching and humorous at the same time which delivered a graceful ending. Overall, I found this book emotionally authentic, and the voice of the author is solid and self-aware which makes this a highly recommended read.
Spinning is a multi-faceted journey about strength, love and motherhood. From detailed hospital room descriptions to flashbacks of ballet performances, this memoir unravels more than a few stories with a brilliant supporting (in many ways) cast. The last few chapters were surprising, touching and humorous at the same time which delivered a graceful ending. Overall, I found this book emotionally authentic, and the voice of the author is solid and self-aware which makes this a highly recommended read.
September 24, 2017
This is a beautifully told story about a scary and challenging time for Janine Kovac and her family during her twin boys early days. She brings to life her experience during her difficult pregnancy and the scary early months of her boys' micro preemie life. She artfully interweaves her professional ballet dance career into the story by drawing connections to what she felt while dancing and she shares honest and raw emotions on what she went through with her baby boys. I loved this book!
October 25, 2017
I received this book through a Good Reads Giveaway. I loved the writing and it was a very fast paced read. I really enjoyed the references to ballet and how descriptive the author was of her experience. I appreciate that the author was able to tell her inspiring story in such a way that God was not referenced repeatedly. I am not religious and tend not to read books that credit "God" with for the miracles of modern medical science.
November 15, 2018
A real page-turner! I read this book in about two days and kept thinking about it when I wasn't reading it. Very well written memoir with inexorably mounting suspense about the pregnancy, its outcome, and whether the twins would survive. I think what really makes it work is the writer's honesty about herself, the humor, and the sense of flow. There's no fat on it. All in all, a very likeable narrator and a gripping story.
November 10, 2017
This is a beautiful, searing memoir about what it means to hold on to hope in the face of great uncertainty. Kovac's story is riveting and her insights into the body, and our relationship to the human spirit, are compelling. A great read for mothers and those who are interested in ways to explore our corporeal experiences.
November 9, 2017
Loved this book! Emotional journey that resonates on many levels. Kovac deftly weaves disparate narratives into a coherent tale about finding balance even as her center of gravity becomes a moving target. Written from a dancer's perspective, this story is sure to keep reader's enthralled.
September 11, 2017
This memoir has everything! I was originally drawn to "Spinning" because I was curious about Kovac's life as a professional dancer, but I was ultimately drawn into every aspect of her story. The way she relies on her ballet training to navigate the world of the NICU and becoming a mother to twins born four months early is astounding. Janine relates the everyday life-and-death struggles of her babies with a ferocious love and powerful honesty. Woven throughout the book, however, is humor and wit. This is not simply a "motherhood" book or a "preemie" book, it relays the essence of facing down fear and overcoming obstacles. Loved it!
October 11, 2017
An interesting story of love and will.
September 11, 2017
Kovac's "Spinning" grabbed me with her insider's look into the world of professional ballet, and kept me with her for every word of her twin's dangerously early arrival and precarious survival. She's a beautiful writer who delivers hope, humor, and insight throughout this beautiful metaphor of spinning on stage and spinning through personal crisis.
October 19, 2017
I'm just past halfway, and I'm crying. In a good way. Like all excellent memoirs, the frame of the current story is really a way to process the "life that came before." Truly insightful and interesting, interweaving what it's like to be a talented ballet dancer (with synesthesia) whose career was cut short by a terrible fall, with suddenly becoming the parent of micro-premies when already a parent to a delightful toddler. This book will surprise you. The author also knows quite a bit about cognitive science, the way humans process language, and how that affects our outlook.
Maybe you'll find yourself crying. Like I said, in a good way. I can't wait to finish. It's really hard to turn off the light at night. But when I do, I dream of ballet, of music, of the fragility and strength of human life, and of the lovely insights I've been given into the author's journey. There is so much here to think about.
Had to update. I've finished this fabulous book. I highly recommend!
Maybe you'll find yourself crying. Like I said, in a good way. I can't wait to finish. It's really hard to turn off the light at night. But when I do, I dream of ballet, of music, of the fragility and strength of human life, and of the lovely insights I've been given into the author's journey. There is so much here to think about.
Had to update. I've finished this fabulous book. I highly recommend!
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews