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Danses aériennes
« J'ai posé la statue de Shiva ressoudée sur une banquette devant une section de coque transparente. C'est le mauvais côté de l'appareil pour une vue spectaculaire du noyau, mais les particules exotiques s'amassent plus loin de la coque par ici, et des milliers d'étoiles brillent dans un ciel plus lumineux que le Soleil n'en a vu depuis sa formation. Shiva danse dans son cercle de flammes reconstitué sur fond de gloire cosmique. » Danses aériennes, recueil composé par Quarante-Deux, propose onze récits - nouvelles et courts romans - qui confirment l'immense talent de Nancy Kress.
Mass Market Paperback
First published July 23, 1997
About the author
Nancy Kress
450 books910 followersNancy Kress is the author of thirty novels, four story collections, three books on writing fiction, and over a hundred short stories. Her work has won six Nebulas, two Hugos, a Sturgeon, and the John W. Campbell Memorial Award. Her most recent novel, Observer, co-written with Dr. Robert Lanza, concerns the nature of consciousness, reality, and love. Forthcoming in 2026 is an historical fantasy, The Queen’s Witch, set in the court of Henry VIII. Nancy’s work has been translated into two dozen languages, none of which she can read. She has taught writing at various venues in the United States and abroad, including Leipzig, Beijing, both Clarions, and the annual SF-writing intensive workshop Taos Toolbox. Nancy lives in Seattle with her husband, writer Jack Skillingstead, and Pippin, the world’s cutest Chihuahua.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
February 5, 2022
In Nancy Kress's "Dancing on Air", ballet dancers are enhanced by the use of nanotechnology to improve their physiology and to make them less prone to injuries. In the US the practice is illegal, though many girls feel pressured to get the procedure. The novella opens with the murder of a dancer, and since there had been two similar cases before, it seems as if a serial killer is after bioenhanced ballerinas.
The main plot revolves around members of the New York City Ballet. A journalist is assigned to investigate the criminal case, but she is also personally involved, as her daughter (Deborah) takes classes at that school. Deborah is representative of the cruelly competitive life of dancing ballet. She is desperate to become part of the troupe, but her dogged performance is not quite up to the standards. There is also another girl, Caroline, who is assigned a genetically enhanced dog that (against her will) protects her from dangers.
I was quite intrigued by the setting. There is the stark contrast of the grace and beauty to the fierce competition and hardships. Through the use of the French technical terms for movements and the depiction of training sessions and behind-the-scenes arguments (for instance, about Caroline's subpar performance as of late) you feel as part of the scene, even if the ballet is little more than a backdrop to the science-fiction.
There is one twist that had an impression on me and that defines the novella as a whole. It turns out, in Europe scientists had been doing in vitro intrusions for the past 30 years. In fact, Caroline was designed to become a ballet dancer before she was even born. It was her mother's dearest wish, presumably because it is something she herself would never be able to do (she is in a wheelchair). There is a parallelism to Deborah's case. Her mother too has strong ideas about her daughter's future (that she would go to college), only that she doesn't force her ideas onto her daughter.
I thought the implications for how the technology would (will?) deprive adolescents of the chance to autonomously decide what they want to become were truly fascinating. Today already there are cases where expectant parents make these decisions (for instance, there is the case of the couple who made sure that their child would be born blind). Even if Caroline could still decide to pursue something for which she has less of a (semi-)natural talent, it's as if the chance of free decision is taken from her. In fact, in the story it turns out that her body is deteriorating (this is why her performance are getting worse), so it's as if her time at the ballet determined much of what her life will be about.
The plot reads like a thriller, especially towards the end. It's strongly suggested that it's Caroline who tries to push Caroline into getting surgery for bioenhancement. I didn't feel too invested in the plot itself or its characters, but I liked the twist that it was Deborah herself who wanted to be enhanced and that Caroline and her friends tried to convince her to not take that stept. It's Deborah's own decision, so this must count for something? In the aftermath, 1 1/2 years later, Deborah got enhanced after all and she is portrayed as happy with her decision.
Still, the discomfort with the technology remains.
Rating: 3/5
The main plot revolves around members of the New York City Ballet. A journalist is assigned to investigate the criminal case, but she is also personally involved, as her daughter (Deborah) takes classes at that school. Deborah is representative of the cruelly competitive life of dancing ballet. She is desperate to become part of the troupe, but her dogged performance is not quite up to the standards. There is also another girl, Caroline, who is assigned a genetically enhanced dog that (against her will) protects her from dangers.
I was quite intrigued by the setting. There is the stark contrast of the grace and beauty to the fierce competition and hardships. Through the use of the French technical terms for movements and the depiction of training sessions and behind-the-scenes arguments (for instance, about Caroline's subpar performance as of late) you feel as part of the scene, even if the ballet is little more than a backdrop to the science-fiction.
There is one twist that had an impression on me and that defines the novella as a whole. It turns out, in Europe scientists had been doing in vitro intrusions for the past 30 years. In fact, Caroline was designed to become a ballet dancer before she was even born. It was her mother's dearest wish, presumably because it is something she herself would never be able to do (she is in a wheelchair). There is a parallelism to Deborah's case. Her mother too has strong ideas about her daughter's future (that she would go to college), only that she doesn't force her ideas onto her daughter.
I thought the implications for how the technology would (will?) deprive adolescents of the chance to autonomously decide what they want to become were truly fascinating. Today already there are cases where expectant parents make these decisions (for instance, there is the case of the couple who made sure that their child would be born blind). Even if Caroline could still decide to pursue something for which she has less of a (semi-)natural talent, it's as if the chance of free decision is taken from her. In fact, in the story it turns out that her body is deteriorating (this is why her performance are getting worse), so it's as if her time at the ballet determined much of what her life will be about.
The plot reads like a thriller, especially towards the end. It's strongly suggested that it's Caroline who tries to push Caroline into getting surgery for bioenhancement. I didn't feel too invested in the plot itself or its characters, but I liked the twist that it was Deborah herself who wanted to be enhanced and that Caroline and her friends tried to convince her to not take that stept. It's Deborah's own decision, so this must count for something? In the aftermath, 1 1/2 years later, Deborah got enhanced after all and she is portrayed as happy with her decision.
Still, the discomfort with the technology remains.
Rating: 3/5
January 26, 2025
Ce livre regroupe des nouvelles de l’autrice portant sur différents sujets d’anticipation : la présence de vie extra-terrestre, les améliorations génétiques, l’exploration spatiale. Certaines nouvelles regorgent d’idées fascinantes, dont on regrette parfois qu’elles ne soient pas plus détaillées dans un roman. L’écriture, sans m’avoir marqué outre mesure, porte bien les propos et ne manque pas d’excellents moments. Je recommande chaudement ce livre.
March 16, 2018
Ce recueil regroupe des récits dans lesquels l'auteure interroge les divers futurs possibles de l'humanité à travers le prisme des biotechnologies, et nous montre que même à des époques extrêmement sombres, il reste toujours de l'espoir.
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June 16, 2021
Another great story from Nancy Kress. This time about bioengineering and ballet. She is so good at near future stories about science.
February 4, 2017
Bio-enhanced ballerinas and dogs. Mothers and daughters. The price of passion. This powerful short story is a must-read.
In "Dancing on Air", Nancy Kress explores the consequences of bio-enhancement but does not provide easy answers as the reader is drawn into the tumultuous lives of several characters within and orbiting the New York City Ballet. The story reminds me a little of the movie Black Swan and the lengths people will go for their art. This story, though, takes place slightly in the future, in a world of rapid, unfettered progress in genetics and biotech reshaping the very notions of what it means to be human, and to follow art. It also frequently provides the point of view of the bio-enhanced talking Doberman named Angel, commissioned to protect the company's top star after the murder of ballerinas. A reporter whose teenage daughter is obsessed with being asked to join the Company begins to uncover and untangle the various motivations and machinations of the ballerinas, their mothers, the Artistic Director, and the bio-enhancement industry itself.
Kress's prose is sharp, concise, and devastating. Obviously I'm a huge fan of her work; Kress's stories never fail to blow my mind.
Highly recommended.
In "Dancing on Air", Nancy Kress explores the consequences of bio-enhancement but does not provide easy answers as the reader is drawn into the tumultuous lives of several characters within and orbiting the New York City Ballet. The story reminds me a little of the movie Black Swan and the lengths people will go for their art. This story, though, takes place slightly in the future, in a world of rapid, unfettered progress in genetics and biotech reshaping the very notions of what it means to be human, and to follow art. It also frequently provides the point of view of the bio-enhanced talking Doberman named Angel, commissioned to protect the company's top star after the murder of ballerinas. A reporter whose teenage daughter is obsessed with being asked to join the Company begins to uncover and untangle the various motivations and machinations of the ballerinas, their mothers, the Artistic Director, and the bio-enhancement industry itself.
Kress's prose is sharp, concise, and devastating. Obviously I'm a huge fan of her work; Kress's stories never fail to blow my mind.
Highly recommended.
June 23, 2011
This is very short, a "novelette" (I'm not sure how that is different from a novella). Even so, it does a good job of developing the characters. It also raises a common Kress theme -- what does it mean to be really human, when people have messed around with genetics to create beings? Those being messed around with here include ballerina dancers whose bodies need help to excel at their grueling work, as well as a bio-enhanced dog created to protect one of the ballerinas. The dog actually narrates some of the scenes, making it clear that he's a conscious being, albeit a rather limited one.
In the context of the rest of Kress' work, I'd say this is just middling. But it's good nonetheless.
In the context of the rest of Kress' work, I'd say this is just middling. But it's good nonetheless.
August 16, 2018
Dans ce recueil de nouvelles, Nancy Kress dresse un futur sombre d'où émerge souvent une lueur d'espoir inattendue. Les thèmes sont variés malgré le pessimisme général de l'auteur sur notre futur. La dernière nouvelle, qui donne le titre du recueil est très intéressante de par son thème (la danse dans un futur bio-ingenieré) mais malheureusement j'ai trouvé cette nouvelle un peu plus confuse dans l'intrigue que le reste. Un grand merci aux éditions Le Belial pour ce livre en tous cas !
December 21, 2020
3.5 ⭐️
Le Sauveur 1.5/5
Touchdown 3/5
Évolution 2.5/5
Fin de partie 3/5
Shiva dans l’ombre 4/5
A la mode, à la mode 1/5
Le Bien commun 4/5
On va y arriver 3/5
Un 4.5/5
Trottoir à 12h10 2.5/5
Danse aérienne 4/5
Le Sauveur 1.5/5
Touchdown 3/5
Évolution 2.5/5
Fin de partie 3/5
Shiva dans l’ombre 4/5
A la mode, à la mode 1/5
Le Bien commun 4/5
On va y arriver 3/5
Un 4.5/5
Trottoir à 12h10 2.5/5
Danse aérienne 4/5
March 27, 2014
Some nice pulp sci-fi from Wattpad.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews