Being a Ballerina: The Power and Perfection of a Dancing Life

by Gavin Larsen

Inspiring, revealing, and deeply relatable, Being a Ballerina is a firsthand look at the realities of life as a professional ballet dancer. Through episodes from her own career, Gavin Larsen describes the forces that drive a person to study dance; the daily balance that dancers navigate between hardship and joy; and the dancer’s continual quest to discover who they are as a person and as an artist.

Starting with her arrival as a young beginner at a class too advanced for her, Larsen tells how the embarrassing mistake ended up helping her learn quickly and advance rapidly. In other stories of her early teachers, training, and auditions, she explains how she gradually came to understand and achieve what she and her body were capable of.

Larsen then re-creates scenes from her experiences in dance companies, from unglamorous roles to exhilarating performances. Working as a ballerina was shocking and scary at first, she says, recalling unexpected injuries, leaps of faith, and her constant struggle to operate at the level she wanted—but full of enormously rewarding moments. Larsen also reflects candidly on her difficult decision to retire at age 35.

An ideal read for aspiring dancers, Larsen’s memoir will also delight experienced dance professionals and fascinate anyone who wonders what it takes to live a life dedicated to the perfection of the art form.

Finalist for the Arts Club of Washington Marfield Prize

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, Memoir, Audiobook, Biography Memoir

272 pages, Paperback

First published April 27, 2021

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

[Elyse Walters · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Why dance?
What is it about dance that either makes us awkward and uncomfortable to the point of paralysis—or exhilarated, released, and able to fly? And, for the sliver of the human population that becomes addicted—compelled—to take ‘dancing’ to the most highly refined level, to analyze, measure and execute physical movements with a cellular level of precision, to devote life to the body—why? What is that sticky substance that pulls us deeper and deeper into this world of dance? The further we explore the peaks and valleys, forests and oceans of the dance world, the more lost we become. The pathway ahead gets smoother and yet more twisty and hilly the longer we follow it, and the end of the road will never appear”.

We step into the dance world…
…..the daily life of dedication…from early childhood…classes, instructions, … from amateur to professional….
Gavin covers details about morning wake-up rituals, stretching, sweat, pain, rehearsals, performances, precision, perfection, mistakes, changing clothes, shoes, hairstyling, style assessment of self, body assessment, costumes, injuries, other dancers, teachers, foods she ate, etc…..oh, and she loved her cat.
We become intimate with Gavin’s inner voice.

It’s a beautiful memoir….but I found the ‘way’ Gavin wrote this autobiography a little awkward.
I completely loved what Gavin had to say about her experience- her knowledge- her insightfulness…
All that was GREAT….
but she wrote about herself in third person. So rather than say, “I was scared meeting so many new people”…
Gavin wrote: “She”….was scared …or SHE felt intimidated, or SHE was shy … (it felt too removed from herself - and it didn’t always allow me to feel connected with her).
And one of the things I like about memoirs is the opportunity to feel close to the person telling their story.
I felt Gavin kept an arms-distant from herself - and with me ( as her reader), by choosing to talk about herself as if SHE was not HER.

It’s my pet peeve anyway. I know a person who often refers to her body, and aging as ‘THE Body’…..never ‘My’ body. I find it off-putting - so removed from acceptance of herself. So lacking in feeling in being able to join in - feeling close ‘with’ her.

The other thing I must be honest about. When I saw that Amazon was selling this Kindle download for $18.95…. I figured it would include some gorgeous photos. It doesn’t. NONE.
Personally, I wouldn’t spend that much money on this ‘ebook’. NOT AT ALL! The price really needs to come down….in ‘half’.
I am grateful that I was allowed to read this book early. I didn’t pay anything for it—[thank you to “University Press of Florida”, Netgalley, and Gavin Larson]….but I don’t think the e-book merits it’s asking price on Amazon.

But….back to this book:
Many parts I enjoyed….some parts I muddled through.
I took enough ballet lessons in my own life to be familiar with most of the terms and positions.
I have a daughter who is professional performer singer, songwriter, actor, dancer, piano playing composer, musical theater director, contortionist — working today: films, stage, etc….
so I feel I have a pretty good understanding of the dedication for the creative process- (blood, sweat, tears, and joys of exhilaration).

The parts I enjoyed best was when Gavin was in touch with her own ongoing blind discoveries: (her own realizations)….
“What scared her most at age 17…the summer of ‘92 was a startling feeling that she should’ve known— after graduation from ballet school into the life of a professional dancer— that she would be in pointe shoes for ‘eight’ hours a day. Each hour was filled with anxiety, of uncertainty, starting with company technique class first thing in the morning. Just walking into a studio with professional dancers was utterly frightening”.

“Dancers’ psyches are incredibly fragile—their egos are tied to their physical strength—performing with honesty, truth, and selflessness”.

“A Final ‘farewell’ performance is such a conundrum for the dancer; it is the public’s declaration that tomorrow, I will not be a dancer anymore—but I know that is not true. I will be exactly the same, but my name tag will have been peeled off”.

Larson’s retirement performance was an unpredictable discovery.
“For all the years of self analysis, of shaping and crafting my dancer’s body, of the delight and dismay in it, of gratitude, awe, and ambition for it, this was perhaps the moment of greatest revelation”.

I enjoyed much of this book —yet struggled with the third-person-SHE- style-writing.
…..I totally admire and appreciate Gavin’s life dedication as a ‘passionate’ talented - serious dancer.

Gavin Larson is gorgeous….just watching her YouTubes are mesmerizing.

[Kate Quinn · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much fiction about ballet dancers focuses on the dark side: the pain, the bloody toes, the obsessive discipline, the competition. (Throw some incest sub-plot in there if possible.) Gavin Larsen gives us the pain, the bloody toes, the obsessive discipline, the competition--but she gives it to us through a lens of joy (and no incest). She loved being a dancer; that love is portrayed as empowering rather than unhealthy, and it shines through in a deeply personal memoir thoroughly grounded in the nitty-gritty of what a ballerina's daily life is like, from the just-out-of-bed stretches to the methodology of preparing pointe shoes to the system of preparing a role. A must-read for balletomanes!

[Diane S ☔ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful book about the training, fears, doubts and the life of an elite ballerina. Ballet is such an elegant endevour and one can't help but admire the stamina, the raw want that goes into making a dancer successful. This book shows us Gavin's path from her beginning lessons to her wresting of a successful career. A mind and body struggle that is continually fighting for excellence. An honest and admirable telling, highlighting not only her dancing, but the ballets she danced, the theaters where she danced, her injuries and the people she met along the way.

Many of her ballets are on YouTube and I watched several. Just beautiful.

ARC from Edelweiss.

[Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Stars for Being a Ballerina: The Power and Perfection of Dancing Life (audiobook) by Gavin Larson read by Lexi Mae.

This is a wonderful glimpse into the world of a professional dancer. The book covers Gavin Larson’s entire life as a dancer. From her first lessons and ultimately getting hired by a company to her retirement and finally she starts teaching dance. This is a great story for anyone who is interested in a life of dance.

[Wendy'sThoughts · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Joyful And Dedicated Stars
* * * * Spoiler Free
Ballet was a part of my life when I was very young. I experienced on a very minor level compared to most, the thrill of performing on a stage with a group of people focused on one thing, giving a wonderful performance to an audience. It has stayed with me long after my "dancing" days were done. The time I spent gave me the lifelong ability to appreciate the phrase, dance like no one is watching, personally to this day.

Today, ballet has been the hot subject matter. It is timeless in beauty and also can give the element of mystery because the perfection wished, really is almost unattainable. The environment, the instructors, the limited opportunities all lend themselves for drama. In real life, not the screen, the drama can be more than real.

This incredible ballerina bears all and we are there from her first taste of the lure to dance. We are with her every step of her career and it is a gift.

For more in-depth reviews, please take a moment and read the others given, they are amazing and so well done.


Being a Ballerina: The Power and Perfection of a Dancing Life
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

A gifted copy was provided by University Press of Florida via NetGalley for an honest review

For more Reviews, Free E-books and Giveaways

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, what a stunning, stunning book. Reading it is like you are tip-toeing through someone's dream. I've never read a book written this way and wished it had never ended. The chapters alternate between first person and third person until a point where they meld into the first and you don't even realize it. Except for a few short chapters of flashbacks. Gavin Larsen is quite a writer. I am glad that I actually bought this and didn't wait for it to show up at the library. It was worth it.

[Geoffrey D. Fallon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve never worn pointe shoes but reading this book made me feel Gavin’s pain as she taped her toes and padded her corns before putting on her shoes. Then when she finally removed the shoes, she had to pull apart her toes and then wait for them to stay separated. This book is so well written that I felt like I was sitting in the passenger seat of her car as she replayed her dancing (and in the hyper-critical way of dancers, her mistakes) in her head on the drive home after a performance. Far from a memoir or ballet expose´ this is a factual description of what it takes to train to be a ballerina and then the triumph, rejection and enormously hard work of dancing in a professional company.

How hard is the work? I’ve been a ballet fan for years but never knew that ballerinas never get used to the pain of pointe shoes and that nearly every day they have an overwhelming need to get off their feet – sit down on the elevator or sit anywhere they can on the floor backstage and if possible, raise their legs against a wall. Like athletes who push their bodies to the limit day after day serious injuries are common, but these young ladies are not athletes. They’re artists who must, despite the pain, make what they do look light, airy and effortless while they’re working feverishly to do the devilishly hard steps required.

This book is exceptionally well written and easy-to-read with short, incisive chapters that each make a clear point that makes you feel you’re in the studio with Gavin. This is not a romantic or tragic story about the agony and heartbreak of ballet, nor is about domineering choreographers or artistic directors. Indeed, it’s not gossipy and drama heavy like other ballet books and movies. It’s an engrossing and factual story about the difficult, painful life of one delicate but very determined ballerina.

[Norm Goldman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Suggesting that the life of a professional ballet dancer requires extraordinary devotion, years of study, endurance, and exceptional coordination would be a vast understatement, particularly after reading Gavin Larsen’s memoir, Being a Ballerina: The Power and Perfection of a Dancing Life.

At the tender age of eight, Larsen begins her studies and performs as a professional for eighteen years until 2010, when she retires. Her career included performing the Pacific Northwest Ballet, the Oregon Ballet Theatre, the Suzanne Farrell Ballet, and the Alberta Ballet and guest artist with Ballet Victoria.

In her memoir, Larsen offers thoughtful perspectives, recollections and heart-pounding adventures that are fleshed out with colourful descriptions as she candidly exposes many highs and lows of her career in a competitive ballet environment.

Her dancing experiences are masterfully chronicled, beginning from her first day as a young child attending the New York School of Ballet. As described, she drifts into class, not knowing where to go and what to do, telling herself to slip in unnoticed, blend in with the bunch of kids already there, and make it as if you know where you belong. Pretending, as Larsen mentions, soon become everything, and so it began.

Larsen states it is a life that started without a beginning but with a mandate to pretend that there had been one. Her life now includes following a daily routine religiously, “knowing that the point of the daily routine is to bring your instrument out of its case and pluck a few strings before the fine-tuning can begin.”

Her next challenge finds an eleven-year-old auditioning for the School of American Ballet before an audience of Russian older women who were to decide her fate. She describes her experience as intimidating, and engraved in her mind was an impression of the old-guard, traditional Russian ballet master as all-knowing and strict. Even though she did not know how to perform a proper brisé, the school nonetheless accepts her.

A few weeks later, Larsen performs in George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker as a boy Polichinelle in act two and a baby mouse in act one. You can fully imagine how eager an eleven-year-old would feel being chosen as Polichinelle!

After several years of study at the School of American Ballet, Larsen lands a spot as a professional ballet dancer with the Pacific Northwest Ballet (PNB). Seven years later, realizing that she is not advancing in her career and underappreciated, she quits her stable union job.

An opportunity presents itself with a local Canadian company, the Alberta Ballet in Calgary. She accepts and remains with the company for a brief time when some of her mentors left for greener pastures. Her next undertaking is with the Suzanne Farrell Ballet, which was not a full-time organization; it was a pickup group set up with a rotating roster of dancers. Her last stop is with the Oregon Ballet Theatre, where she retired in 2010.

What stands out about this intimate, fascinating biography is that it isn’t the typical one where the author bores you with countless pages of detailed useless details of stories and performances. Instead, it is an expository glimpse at what it takes to develop into a professional ballet dancer and the many hazards, backbiting, and tears experienced along the way, endeavouring to achieve success.

Revealing a life can be risky, and quite often, writers are evasive in telling the whole truth about themselves. They leave the reader hungry for more. Such is not the case with Being a Ballerina, where Larsen is unafraid to focus on what was personal and first hand.

She has “been there and done that.” As a result, she provides her readers with incredible intelligence and enhanced perception, a vivid picture of a ballerina who is eager to sacrifice personal time and recreational fun for practice to refine technique. Where tripping, tumbling, and unbearable pain because of injuries are all part of the game, which Larsen was not exempt. And, as Larsen states and perhaps succinctly sums it up: “The things our bodies are capable of are astounding, and virtually nobody comes close to tapping into that potential. As a race, we are more focused on pushing the limits of our brains, and as a result, our bodies get treated as suitcases for our mental capacity.”

Follow Here https://waa.ai/m4qa To Read Norm's Interview with Gavin Larsen

Follow Here https://waa.ai/m4qo To Watch A Video of Gavin Larsen

[Martha Anne Toll]

Here's my interview of author and ballerina Gavin Larsen https://bloomsite.wordpress.com/2022/...

[Helaine Mario · Rating 5 out of 5]

Professional Ballerina Gavin Larsen offers us an intense and intimate glimpse into the world of the Ballet in this beautiful, thoughtful and powerful memoir. Where does the person end and the ballerina begin? Through Larsen’s eyes, we experience the dancer’s extraordinary discipline, bone-crushing pain, and endless striving for grace during thousands of hours of practice. We learn to see the body as the dancer’s instrument, like a sculptor’s clay, the shapes and movement inseparable from the music. Larsen describes that transcendent moment – when the dancer becomes one with the steps - as ‘the closest thing to sublimity.’ She illuminates a behind-the-spotlights world of heartbreak, endurance, strength and magic, a world far beyond what the audience sees. Dance is the main character here. Brava, Gavin!

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Madame Dudin tiptoed across the room to the piano. She set down her large black purse and looked around, surveying the room, as if she could smell a new girl. Excruciatingly slowly, with a strange, extremely pronounced limp that looked like one foot was frozen on tiptoe, she made her way over to the eleven-year-old, took her hand, and moved her one spot farther back at the barre, trading places with the girl behind. The height-order lineup must be perfectly precise, right down to the quarter-inch."
This snippet of perfection precisely represents the theme of Being a Ballerina. My uncultured brain was compelled to categorize this book as if it were a ballet performance itself. Forgive me if I get this wrong…
As a child, I admired ballerinas and thought only of the joyful aspects. As Gavin Larsen writes about performing, the exhilaration of the moment where the audience "is so real I can feel them breathing," I imagined Nutcracker on repeat. However, the reality is so much more nuanced. The author allows us to peek behind the curtain and gawk at the mental and physical exhaustion that comes with the role. Dancers have an extraordinary work ethic that requires every element of life to be exacting. The tone in which this story conveys the reality of the life of a professional dancer was much less Nutcracker and far more Madame Butterfly or Swan Lake.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley for the free ARC of this book.

This is a fascinating look into the world of the professional ballet dancer. There is fierce competition, turmoil, injury, pain, triumph and tragedy. I could not put this down.

[Jennifer Hanson · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honest and revealing and detailed. Told in very short chapters which I think was a great way to be able to dive deeply into each separate subject.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being a Ballerina by Gavin Larsen is a wonderful memoir that gives the reader a first-hand and fascinating view into the wonderfully complex world of ballet.

Through Gavin’s story, the reader can follow all of the difficulties, sacrifices, obstacles, and passion that is needed to fullfill one’s dream in dance.

It was fascinating to see how the world of ballet is different when moving from adolescence to the professional arena. Her descriptions and literary narrative was excellent in describing events, thoughts, feelings, and her true love of the profession.

I participated in ballet, then pointe when I was younger, but had to give things up for running when I started high school. I have always have a soft spot and passion for it still to this day, and I truly enjoyed this book and Gavin’s journey. I am very grateful to her for sharing her story with us.

5/5 stars enthusiastically

This book is not just for dancers. It is for anyone that has ever participated in any sport or art and also knows of the hard work, sacrifices, ups and downs, and the ultimate moments of satisfaction that makes it all worthwhile. An excellent read.

Thank you NG and University Press of Florida for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being a Ballerina by Gavin Larsen is a wonderful memoir that gives the reader a first-hand and fascinating view into the wonderfully complex world of ballet.

Through Gavin’s story, the reader can follow all of the difficulties, sacrifices, obstacles, and passion that is needed to fullfill one’s dream in dance.

It was fascinating to see how the world of ballet is different when moving from adolescence to the professional arena. Her descriptions and literary narrative was excellent in describing events, thoughts, feelings, and her true love of the profession.

I participated in ballet, then pointe when I was younger, but had to give things up for running when I started high school. I have always have a soft spot and passion for it still to this day, and I truly enjoyed this book and Gavin’s journey. I am very grateful to her for sharing her story with us.

5/5 stars enthusiastically

This book is not just for dancers. It is for anyone that has ever participated in any sport or art and also knows of the hard work, sacrifices, ups and downs, and the ultimate moments of satisfaction that makes it all worthwhile. An excellent read.

Thank you NG and University Press of Florida for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately (as of 3/11/21 no BB listing has been created) and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication.

[Jill Smith]

Forget Netflix, I am binge reading this book. Gavin Larsen’s story drew me in instantly. It is now “that” book that I take with me everywhere. In the story (no spoilers here) Gavin wonders who that 8 yr old girl was that dedicated her life (mind, body and spirit) to becoming a ballerina. How did she make such a clear, and determined life long commitment at such a tender young age? Think about it... 8 years old... that level of persistence, hard work, staying true to your vision, sacrifice, routine, artistry, grace and level of commitment. It’s nothing short of incredible. What I love is that I a get to experience her world and what it takes to be a ballerina as if I am living it myself. That’s how good of a writer Gavin is.

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being Ballerina by Gavin Larsen is a memoir about Gavin's life as a professional ballet dancer in the United States. The story is told over several short chapters, and covers her entire career from just 8 years old when she first began ballet to when she retired at 35. The ins and outs of the dance world are covered through a variety of perspectives and themes as well as life as a ballerina from injuries to the intense training program to the rise and fall of a star.

Throughout the novel the narration and writing varies, at times it is in third person describing an unnamed ballet dancer, at others it is Gavin sharing her perspective and describing her day to day life, and in others it is written as letters, thoughts, dreams, editorials and other forms. I'm not sure why the author chose to alternate writing styles, and at times I felt it worked well, while at other times I would have preferred one consistent style. Additionally, the time line did skip around a fair amount. It was generally in chronological order, especially near the beginning, but at times when it was more theme-based, a chapter may cover several years. For example, a chapter on her love interest and pet took place over 4 years and even within that chapter jumped around a little bit. The chapters before and after were both early on in that 4 year period or before it, so it wasn't a quick 4 year lapse in one chapter, it was based on those two themes and they happened to take place later in her career. Anyway, if you're hoping for a linear timeline there will be times when things get out of order.

I so appreciate having the opportunity to read and review this story through Netgalley and the publisher. It was a great book and I would definitely recommend it to other former dancers!

[Angela Franco · Rating 5 out of 5]

I truly love this reading. It was a closing and accurate look at a dancer's life, I felt a connection with her all the book, not only with the ballerina one but with her enthusiasm and love for the world of ballet. The way she describes our passion for ballet is so touching. I cried in some chapters feeling in my deep all her words.
I'll leave one of my many favorites parts of the book, and I'm sure this won't ruin your lecture:

“ Everyone should dance. Everyone should let their soul sing. We all deserve to feel our spirits expanding past the boundaries of our skin, to be powerful without needing to hold power over anyone else. Dancing takes the most beautiful, extraordinary, and universal instrument -the human body- to its fullest, highest, most complete capacity. Physical body, intellectual mind, emotional spirit, interpretative artistry all unite in even the simplest classroom exercise. When I dance, I feel like I am sharing a gleeful, knowing chuckle with our creator: I’ve found the key to sublime paradise on earth, which he has masterfully “hidden” by putting it in the most obvious place -our muscles, tendons, bones and indeed, every cell of our bodies. When dancing, one need not to go to church to seek out the divine. I’ve found my spiritual salvation in the dance studio. And I’m not alone.
Everyone should dance.“

If you're a dancer or was, or just a ballet world enthusiast, read this book, you'll love it.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read it.

[Alena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being a Ballerina is a very intimate memory, there are parts that feel like reading a diary, here there is no drama or the dark secrets of being a ballerina, it is the day-to-day of doing something you love, dedication, routines, and exercise. It is the uncertainty if you are good enough and also the feeling that by dancing you free yourself and you can reach the sky.

Gavin Larsen started his ballet classes when she was a child, but shy as she was, she did not want to stand out and thought she had to imitate the other girls because she did not know what she was doing, luckily her teachers noticed her talent and that was the beginning.

The format is divided into chapters of her life, we see her grow from the age of 8 until her retirement as a principal dancer.

For me, it was not only a portrait of what it is to be a professional dancer and wanting to be hired as a principal, but it applies to everyone when you leave university and don't know what to do next when you get a good job, but it can be exhausting or you know there is something better out there for you.

Although the memory is written in the third person (something that confused me a bit at first) and I'm a dancer, it has something with which you can identify and empathize, Gavin Larsen is a person like everyone else, only with a more glamorous profession and more hard work. Here she recounts the good and the bad of her world, shows us her dreams and how to achieve them, it is not magic, it is a mix between talent and dedication.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the University Press of Florida for the arc of Being a Ballerina by Gavin Larsen.

Fans of Disney's "On Pointe" and Netflix's "Pretty Little Things" will adore this book. Larsen does a brilliant job of showcasing what being a professional ballerina looks and feels like. As you read you are drawn into aching muscles and joints, sore feet and even more sore toes. Yet through all that pain you still feel the joy of dancing that is portrayed in the writing.

I enjoyed the third person nature of this story making it more about what happened and a universal experience rather than simply the story of Larsen's journey into professional dance. The experiences through the eyes of an 8, 11, and 16 year old lend themselves well to this story and you feel as if you are experiencing events through those ages.
After getting used to the fact that these stories are not necessarily chronological (though many of them are) I really sank down into enjoying the snippets as they were shared. Each chapter varies in length so that you are finding yourself experiencing different pieces at a time I think that this book would be well read a chapter at a time to really enjoy and experience Larsen's writing, reading this books so quickly makes me feel almost overindulged in this life as a ballerina and wanting to go back and start once more.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unusual construction: some parts told in third person, most in first person.

I loved all the detail about ballet steps, particularly Chapter 51, "The highest note," when the author describes in detail the Sugar Plum Fairy and Cavalier's pas de deux in Balanchine's Nutcracker.

I could relate to her emotions connected to her cat, Tess.

Notable, to me: Chapter 56, "Final curtain," about the author's farewell performance. She cites Alexandra Danilova's autobiography Choura, in which Danivola said that in Russia dancers were taught never to touch their knees to the floor when taking a bow unless there was royalty in the house, that one should only go on their knees for royalty or to God. Danilova, at the end of her last performance, as a gesture of thanks for the support and devotion she received during her career, went down on her knee to the audience.

Gavin Larsen writes on page 225: "I heard Thyra [stage manager] call 'Curtain in — SLOWLY!' Commanding a slow descent was a touch so thoughtful and loving that finally, tears came and ran down my face. And as the curtain began its slow, final fall, I went down on my knee"

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am so happy to see that more and more dancers are sharing their experiences coming up through schools, professional programs, and companies- it really gives the reader insight into what the ballet world is/was like. And I love Larsen's honesty; it can be a difficult and demanding journey, and even more so when you consider these girls' ages. As someone who has danced their whole life and studies ballet academically, I didn't learn much per se, but I think that this would be a fantastic book for someone wanting to learn more about the road to becoming a professional dancer. I mean this in the best way- Larsen isn't a world wide name (like Misty Copeland) whose story is continually shared and highlighted, so you are really getting to know someone new, and their journey. There is no feeling of "Oh, I've heard/read this before"- you won't be able to stop reading!

[Jenessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having taken all of 4 ballet classes for the first time in my life, I found myself intrigued and mystified by how exactly someone does this as career. This autobiography definitely gives a glimpse into how one becomes a ballerina and what it’s like to be one, but this book is so much more than that. This book is beautiful, and somehow one of the physical books I’ve ever read. I felt transported, like I was exhausted from the classes, like I was the one taken away by the music. It’s such a different life than the one I live, the physicality of depending on your body for work and the author writes so beautifully about the joy, fear and pain of that. Also it’s mind blowing to think about how many dancers retire when I’m just getting started in my career. Very little ballet knowledge is needed to enjoy this book, and I’ve definitely gained a better appreciation for the art of ballet as well as performers. I loved it.

[Denise D'angelo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this lovely, truthful memoir, Being a Ballerina, by Gavin Larsen. Having been a professional ballerina myself, this took me back to the wings of the stage, the sweat of the rehearsal studio and the camaraderie and drama of daily company life. She tells of the hard work, "what have you done for me lately" mentality of being in a professional ballet company. The pain one goes through, the determination, the disappointments of a career so fleeting, that one retires by the time they reach their 30's. This is in no way a bitter account, it is a beautiful telling of a wonderful and fulfilling career. For young dancers she includes tips for how to sew pointe shoes and how to do a partnered pirouette! She has a sweet voice in her writing, that I know will inspire dancers and non dancers alike.

[Joanna Novembrino · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about more than ballet. Larsen writes eloquently about the training, determination, and perfectionism that ballet requires. But she also writes about her struggle with insecurity, self-doubt, frustration, and injury. There is much in this book that any artist-whether performance or visual-would find relatable and inspiring.

Larson vividly writes of the demanding routine of a dancer's life, of the exhaustion during a particularly strenuous series of moves, and of the micro-movements and timing that define a dancer's individuality. Finding the courage to express that individuality while also being "perfect" is the balance that a great artist strives to achieve.

After reading this beautifully written book, I am even more in awe of the incredible physical and mental demands that ballet requires. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in any of the arts.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautifully written lyrical look at the world behind the glamour and beauty of the ballet. It exposes the hard grind, the incredible pain and the mistreatment Larsen endured, and why it was all worth it. As she writes, she felt close to the divine when dancing, and she also captures the wonderful moments and memorable experiences, such as being taught by Suzanne Farrell.

Larsen was also lucky enough to be taught by the great Russian ballerina Alexandra Danilova at a very young age, and I especially enjoyed reading about this. This is a lovely memoir which takes you right into the heart of a particular ballerina's world. A must-read for ballet fans!

I received this free ebook from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is most meticulously written book about what it's like to be captivated by and devote oneself to dance, specifically ballet, I've read. Larsen has captured in prose the nuances, challenges, rewards, and subtle physical and emotional changes that happen on a daily basis in the life of a dancer.

Ballet is a dance art that is passed down through generations and has specific requirements in order to become accomplished. Larsen is skilled at communicating the feelings that bring about the changes needed to adjust, both personally and professionally. For anyone who has danced ballet, or enjoyed ballet and wondered what goes on behind the curtain (including the actual curtain in the theater, and the orchestra, and the stage crew) this is a tremendously informative read.

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Since childhood, I always wished my parents made me take ballet class. When watching dancers, it seems so effortless. It's so graceful. Unearthly.

Gavin Larsen helps us grasp the dedication needed to seek and achieve perfection. Reading her book, you realize that some destinies are like written in advance, she was to become a dancer. From 8 years-old, we follow her path to greatness, regardless of the obstacles and the sacrifices.

Even if the writing was sometimes uneven, this book was overall very interesting.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing an eARC in exchange of an honest review.

[LenaGrace · Rating 5 out of 5]

I tremendously enjoyed reading this book . Gavin writes from all points of her incredibly extensive career starting at the precise beginning of her first ballet class to her final retirement performance as a ballerina. Every chapter is beautifully written and really reflects her wisdom as a person and dancer. Nothing is sugar coated but at the same time we are left feeling positivity , joy and inspiration from each page written, which is uncommon for many memoirs . Being A Ballerina will leave each reader with endless inspiration and is a must for Professional Dancers, Students and Ballet Lovers alike.