The Faber Pocket Guide to Ballet

by Deborah Bull, Luke Jennings

This essential pocket guide to this enduringly popular art, is a perfect introduction to over eighty of the most performed ballets today. Spanning nearly two centuries of classical dancing, this indispensable book begins in the Romantic era of the 1830s, moves through the great Tchaikovskly ballets of Tsarist St Petersburg, to the inspirational work of Diaghilev at the beginning of the twentieth century and the luminous neo-classicism of Balanchine. Ashton and Macmillan are covered in depth, and the most recent ground-breaking work brings us up to the present day.

Genres: Nonfiction, Music

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Adrienne]

reference book....i haven't read in full because it covers 79 individual ballets from all genres...romantic,the english tradition, diaghilev,etc....what i have done is dipped in when i've needed to. a comprehensive book explaining ballet terms, the history of ballet and the significance of each ballet/choreographer within the context of social/political change, together with the story/plot of each ballet, followed by notes which is really the analysis of the ballet the hidden meanings, reasons, whys, this is then followed by views from the wings which covers the technical aspect from a dancers point of view, how the ballet should/can be danced, the style of dance, the costume variations ad from the authors personal bio if she danced in the ballet what made the role memorable for her ...this book is fully worthy of 5 stars i picked it up for a quid at an office book sale, the marked price is £7.99 and that's a bargain for the amount of information....thoroughly enjoyable

[Boo]

I have many ballet books like this and this is probably the best all rounder. If you’re looking for more American specific I.e NYC/Balanchine/Robbins then there is another book that’s better.

[Ben Lovegrove]

I always refer to this before I'm going to see a performance, it gives an interesting overview with thought provoking comments that help you understand what to look out for and the important history and concepts for each ballet.

[Alexa Declercq Barnard]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I absolutely loved having this as a little guide to the ballet world. 🩰✨

What I particularly enjoyed was how much history is packed into such a small book. It takes you through the evolution of ballet and introduces so many of the major works, composers, choreographers and dancers who helped shape the art form.

I loved being able to dip in and out of it rather than having to read it from beginning to end. It's the kind of book that works perfectly when you want to refresh your memory about a ballet or discover something you haven't seen before.

There were definitely moments where I wanted a little more detail, especially about some of the ballets I was particularly interested in, but that's probably inevitable with a pocket guide covering such a huge subject.

Still, it's informative without feeling like a textbook, and I really enjoyed the journey through the history of classical ballet.

A lovely little companion for anyone who loves ballet or simply wants to learn more about the art form. 🩰🤍

[Mistake Shiny]

Siendo sincera es más un 2,5. Es interesante que hable de tantos ballets y más con la perspectiva de una bailarina que ha tenido el placer de hacerlos pero hay demasiado información y muy centrada en los coreógrafos por lo que se hace un poco pesado

[Cherry Radford]

Forget reading the programme’s synopsis; there’s never time after you’ve got rid of your coat and queued for the loo. A few pages of this on the way to the theatre is all you need, and you’ll love Deborah’s fascinating ‘Views from the Wings’ – personal and often amusing accounts of her experiences in some of the roles. Fabulous, essential book, but needs updating to include new ballets.