Infinite Steps: Thirty-Three Dancers and Their Lives in Ballet

by Gavin Larsen, Gene Schiavone

Portraits of dancers rendered through reflective storytelling and exquisite photography, illustrating the varieties of individual paths within the world of ballet

Infinite Steps invites readers into the deeply personal journeys of thirty-three ballet dancers from around the world, tracing their paths from first pliés to final bows and beyond. Through intimate profiles by writer and dancer Gavin Larsen and stunning photographs by Gene Schiavone, this book reveals the physical demands and quiet triumphs that define a life in ballet. Each chapter offers a glimpse into a dancer’s inner world, illuminating the realities behind the moments portrayed by the images.

The dancers featured in this book span generations, career stages, and perspectives. Some, such as Misty Copeland, are internationally celebrated stars, while others are just beginning their journeys, and still others have transitioned into new lives beyond the stage. Alina Cojocaru began dancing in Kyiv at 9 years old before becoming a principal dancer with The Royal Ballet and English National Ballet. Paloma Herrera became one of the youngest principal dancers in the history of American Ballet Theatre, and Marja’ Quaqua received Copeland’s prestigious Ballet in the City Scholarship for emerging Black dancers. Kylie Edwards performed with the City Ballet of San Diego and transitioned to an acting career, while Vjola Hajati found a second home performing cabaret at the Moulin Rouge in Paris.

From the discipline of training to the vulnerability of retirement, these stories reflect the full spectrum of what it means to be a dancer, resonating with Schiavone’s images of the artists at work and rest. Infinite Steps is a tribute to the resilience, craft, and humanity of dancers. For lifelong ballet lovers, students dreaming of the stage, or anyone interested in learning about the people behind incredible art, this book offers a rare and heartfelt look at the many ways a life in dance can unfold.

200 pages, Paperback

Published March 17, 2026

About the author

Gavin Larsen, born and raised in New York City, received her professional dance training at the School of American Ballet, the Pacific Northwest Ballet School and the New York School of Ballet. In 1992, Ms. Larsen joined Pacific Northwest Ballet under the direction of Kent Stowell and Francia Russell, leaving the company in 1999 to join the Alberta Ballet, directed by Mikko Nissinen. In 2002, she performed with the Suzanne Farrell Ballet as a soloist at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. After briefly working as a freelance artist, in 2003 Ms. Larsen was invited to join Oregon Ballet Theatre as a principal dancer by then artistic director Christopher Stowell.
Over the course of her career, Ms. Larsen danced prominent roles in ballets by George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, James Kudelka, Christopher Wheeldon, Paul Taylor, Yuri Possokhov, Kent Stowell and Christopher Stowell, among many others, and originated roles in numerous ballets. She retired from full-time performing in 2010 to focus on teaching, coaching and writing about dance, while continuing to pursue unique artistic opportunities. She was a founding member of Incoroporamento, a collaborative trio combining dance, poetry, and music, in 2010, producing several performances to critical acclaim.
Ms. Larsen has taught and coached widely across the country and has been a guest teacher for schools in Japan and Canada.
Since 2010, she has been a regular contributor for Pointe, Dance Teacher, and Dance Spirit magazines. Her writing has appeared in The Dancing Times, Dance/USA’s online journal In the Green Room, Oregon ArtsWatch, and Artslandia as well as the literary journals the Threepenny Review, Maine Review, Sunlight Press, Page & Spine, and KYSO Flash. In 2015 she was honored with a fellowship to the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation in Taos, NM, to pursue her work as a writer. She lives in Asheville, NC.

Reviews

[Miriam · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a lifelong ballet dancer and ballet teacher, as well as an author of three novels about ballet dancers, I've read nearly every major book about ballet that's come out in the last 40 years. Infinite Steps is a distinctive and unique addition to the shelf. Gene Schiavone's images are brilliant and iconic, but what really brings them to life is the deep, thoughtful conversations that Gavin Larsen provoked in the subjects pictured here. You can look at the pictures and feel as if you KNOW the people--their humanity--in there, beyond the surface beauty of their craft. The interviews add weight and context to an often elusive and misunderstood art form, and especially to the people within it.

I loved this book and enjoyed immersing myself in all the fascinating artists within, regardless of their level of fame or familiarity. This book deserves a wide audience and makes a significant contribution to the dance world and beyond. Infinite Steps also makes a perfect gift for anyone who loves ballet, especially for aspiring dancers just learning what it means to be a dancer. Highly, highly recommend.

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This gorgeous book includes phenomenal photographs of the world's most prolific ballet dancers, along with brief interviews with each commenting on their history with and feelings towards ballet. The different approches and various backgrounds lend color to what is already a colorful volume of ballet photographs. A great coffee table book for balletomanes. Thanks to Edelweiss Plus for the eARC.