When you decide to start taking ballet, you’ll be excited to start learning what you can. Outside of class you may be looking for resources to study up. There aren’t many books geared toward the brand new ballet student. A lot of books are advanced enough to confuse or intimidate the new beginner. There is a lot to learn about ballet and it comes with time. Here are 5 books that are suitable for the brand new ballet student.
1) New York City Ballet Workout by Peter Martins
This is a book and a DVD. I suggest the book to new beginners. I remember trying the DVD before I started taking ballet, and the exercises moved a bit fast for me. With the book you can go at your own pace (which will probably much slower than the book suggests). The first section of the book also includes a lot of interviews with NYCB dancers. This book will help to inspire you, and the stretches and exercises will introduce your body to the movements of ballet.
See my earlier review of the book and dvd here.
Purchase a copy of the New York City Ballet Workout Book here.
2) Basic Ballet: The Steps Defined by Joyce Mackie
This is a small book featuring many illustrations and a glossary of ballet terms. I suggest new beginners pick this book up. However, I do not suggest that you try to learn positions strictly from the book. I think that books are great tools to refresh your memory, or review what you have learned, but it is very hard to learn correct positions just from a book. Use this book to review the names of the positions, and recognize what those positions are. In class, you can work on actually doing the positions.
Purchase a copy of Basic Ballet here.
3) Ballet Apparel for Men: A Complete Beginner’s Guide by David Hunter
I have to include my book in this list. It is specifically for the new beginner, so why not? This book covers the complicated apparel that guys wear in ballet.
Download the Free Ballet Apparel for Men E-Book here.
Purchase a copy of Ballet Apparel for Men from Amazon or HD Wear.
4) Conditioning for Dance by Eric Franklin
The thing that I find surprisingly helpful about this book, is the emphasis on visualization. There are plenty of great illustrations. Just by looking through the book you will start to understand some of the concepts that will help you understand dance movement. Combine this book with the New York City Ballet Workout Book, and you will have plenty of exercises to work on between your beginner classes. Conditioning and workouts are the best thing for the new beginner to work on by themselves. As I said earlier, it is best to leave the technique to when you have your teacher around.
Purchase a copy of Conditioning for Dance here.
5) A Notebook by You!
Keeping a dance journal is the best way for you to remember your corrections and reflect on your dance. It is also very helpful for you to recognize your own progress. Learning ballet is slow, and it might take you a while to recognize the progress you make.
Read my earlier post on keeping a dancer journal to learn more.
If you have any other suggestions for books that are suitable for brand new beginners, feel free to leave a comment. There are plenty of great books out there for dance and ballet. I’m limiting these suggestions to ones that I think are suitable to inspire, but not overwhelm the new dancer.
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Haha, love how you included the notebook as one of the five
But it’s so true – it is one of the best books there is on dance! After all, only you feel your own body!