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The Boy from Kyiv: Alexei Ratmansky's Life in Ballet
Named a Best Book of the Year by NPR and The New Yorker
The Boy from Kyiv is the life story of Alexei Ratmansky, the most celebrated ballet choreographer of our time.
“[A] spirited, engaging biography . . . Ms. Harss analyzes each of Mr. Ratmansky’s ballets, skillfully describing them in such vivid detail that you can almost see them . . . A deeply researched portrait.” —Moira Hodgson, The Wall Street Journal
Alexei Ratmansky is transforming ballet for the twenty-first century. An artist of daring imagination, the choreographer has created breathtakingly original works for the world’s most revered companies. He has fashioned a singular approach to balletic storytelling that bridges the space between narrative and abstraction and heightens ambiguity and surprise on the stage. He has boldly restored great centuries-old ballets to their former glory, combining archival research with his own choreographic genius to retrieve detail and color once lost to the ages. And above all, he is renowned for fusing the Western and Eastern ballet traditions, and for drawing on the visual arts, literature, music, film, and beyond with inspired vim, to forge a style that is vibrant, eclectic, and utterly one that promises to leave an indelible mark on this venerable art form.
But before Ratmansky was the artistic director of the Bolshoi Ballet, the resident choreographer at American Ballet Theatre, the artist in residence at New York City Ballet, and generally, as The New Yorker has it, “the most sought-after man in ballet,” he was just a boy from Kyiv, sneaking into the ballet at night, concocting his own juvenile adaptations of novels and stories, and dreaming up new possibilities for bodies in motion.
In The Boy from Kyiv, the first biography of this groundbreaking artist, the celebrated dance writer Marina Harss takes us behind the curtain to reveal Ratmansky’s fascinating life, from his Soviet boyhood through his globe-spanning career. Over a decade in the making, this biography arrives at a pivotal moment in Ratmansky’s journey, one that has seen him painfully and publicly break ties with Russia, the country in which he made his name, in solidarity with his native Ukraine, and take on a new challenge at the storied New York City Ballet. Told with the lyricism, drama, and verve that befit its subject, The Boy from Kyiv is a riveting account of this major artist’s ascent to the peaks of his field, a mesmerizing study of creativity in action, and a triumphant testament to ballet’s enduring vitality.
The Boy from Kyiv is the life story of Alexei Ratmansky, the most celebrated ballet choreographer of our time.
“[A] spirited, engaging biography . . . Ms. Harss analyzes each of Mr. Ratmansky’s ballets, skillfully describing them in such vivid detail that you can almost see them . . . A deeply researched portrait.” —Moira Hodgson, The Wall Street Journal
Alexei Ratmansky is transforming ballet for the twenty-first century. An artist of daring imagination, the choreographer has created breathtakingly original works for the world’s most revered companies. He has fashioned a singular approach to balletic storytelling that bridges the space between narrative and abstraction and heightens ambiguity and surprise on the stage. He has boldly restored great centuries-old ballets to their former glory, combining archival research with his own choreographic genius to retrieve detail and color once lost to the ages. And above all, he is renowned for fusing the Western and Eastern ballet traditions, and for drawing on the visual arts, literature, music, film, and beyond with inspired vim, to forge a style that is vibrant, eclectic, and utterly one that promises to leave an indelible mark on this venerable art form.
But before Ratmansky was the artistic director of the Bolshoi Ballet, the resident choreographer at American Ballet Theatre, the artist in residence at New York City Ballet, and generally, as The New Yorker has it, “the most sought-after man in ballet,” he was just a boy from Kyiv, sneaking into the ballet at night, concocting his own juvenile adaptations of novels and stories, and dreaming up new possibilities for bodies in motion.
In The Boy from Kyiv, the first biography of this groundbreaking artist, the celebrated dance writer Marina Harss takes us behind the curtain to reveal Ratmansky’s fascinating life, from his Soviet boyhood through his globe-spanning career. Over a decade in the making, this biography arrives at a pivotal moment in Ratmansky’s journey, one that has seen him painfully and publicly break ties with Russia, the country in which he made his name, in solidarity with his native Ukraine, and take on a new challenge at the storied New York City Ballet. Told with the lyricism, drama, and verve that befit its subject, The Boy from Kyiv is a riveting account of this major artist’s ascent to the peaks of his field, a mesmerizing study of creativity in action, and a triumphant testament to ballet’s enduring vitality.
- GenresBiographyNonfiction
476 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 3, 2023
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November 20, 2023Here's my review for NPR Books We Love: https://apps.npr.org/best-books/#year...
Here's a piece I wrote about this book in Pointe Magazine.
https://pointemagazine.com/the-boy-fr...
Pointe Magazine
The Boy From Kyiv Explores the Life and Art of Alexei Ratmansky
Martha Anne Toll
October 4, 2023
Globetrotting choreographer Alexei Ratmansky is a peculiarly 21st-century figure. Having served as artistic director of the Bolshoi Ballet, and then artist in residence first at American Ballet Theatre and now New York City Ballet, he embodies geopolitics in a shrinking and more fractured world. Marina Harss’ terrific biography, The Boy from Kyiv: Alexei Ratmansky’s Life in Ballet ($35, Farrar, Straus, and Giroux), delivers a thorough take on the man and his prodigious output.
The child of a Russian mother and a Ukrainian father, Ratmansky spent his early years in Kyiv before enrolling at age 10 in the Moscow State Academy of Choreography, associated with the Bolshoi Ballet, 13 hours by train from his home.
When he arrived in Moscow, Ratmansky had never taken a ballet lesson; he was admitted on his physique. The year was 1978, and his parents decided that such a prestigious school would lead to professional opportunities and a good career. That was understatement. The details on Ratmansky’s ballet training are reason enough to read this book—the range of classes would make any dance artist jealous.
Ratmansky’s mother’s best friend from childhood, Lia, and her husband, lived in Moscow and cared for young Alexei. Lia had “big ambitions” for her charge, writes Harss, “even more than [his parents] did.” She gave Ratmansky a deep and wide cultural education, teaching him English (indispensable once he launched). He worked hard and began to think like a choreographer, organizing dances among close friends. He took these dance creations seriously; “he already saw himself as a director,” Harss writes. By the time he graduated, Ratmansky was more well-rounded and worldly than his classmates.
It seemed that Ratmansky would settle into a comfortable career at the National Ballet of Ukraine, where he danced “from the beginning of perestroika to the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.” Ratmansky expanded his vistas by touring with the company to Japan, western Europe, Mexico, and Canada. No longer cut off from Western repertoire, he soaked up as much international choreography as he could. He started creating dances, too, mostly solos and duets for ballet competitions.
He also met his wife in Kyiv, fellow dancer Tatiana Kilivniuk, a Ukrainian who shared his love of travel. Eventually, Ratmansky landed a job in the Royal Winnipeg Ballet in 1992. Tatiana would join a year later.
In Canada, Ratmansky began in earnest his study of Western ballet, music, style, and culture. He entered more choreographic workshops and competitions and was invited to stage an evening of his work at the National Ballet of Ukraine. After Winnipeg came freelancing across the former Soviet Union, followed by a prolonged stint with the Royal Danish Ballet, where he immersed himself in the Bournonville style and, again, soaked up what he could. In addition to Balanchine, he danced in works by John Neumeier and Maurice Bejart, but was disappointed not to be cast in William Forsythe’s ballets. Alexei and Tatiana’s son, Vasily, was born in Copenhagen, and life was comfortable, although he and Tatiana felt underused as dancers.
Meanwhile, in Russia, Ratmansky was becoming known as a choreographer. During his freelancing years he had begun a fruitful partnership with Nina Ananiashvili. In 1998, he choreographed the Japanese kabuki-inspired Dreams of Japan for her touring ensemble. Ratmansky’s wide-ranging imagination was on display, with a score by the Japanese drumming group Kodo learned at pains by the Bolshoi’s percussion section. The ballet was an instant hit and a turning point.
More commissions came, and world travels increased his visibility. He was invited to create a full-length Cinderella for the Mariinsky Ballet in 2002. From there he went to New York City at Peter Martins’ behest to participate in NYCB’s Choreographic Institute. In 2003, the Bolshoi premiered one of his most famous ballets, The Bright Stream.
In 2004 Ratmansky was named artistic director of the Bolshoi. The book gives marvelous details of this fruitful but increasingly fraught time in his career. Ratmansky was looking to New York by 2008, and mounted Concerto DSCH at NYCB to a “thunderous reception.” Harss details how his artist-in-residence negotiations with NYCB fell through, exacerbated by an overeager interview in The New York Times. A few days later, Ratmansky would be offered the same position at ABT; artistic director Kevin McKenzie had seized the opportunity.
Ratmansky has been encircling the globe ever since, reading, listening to new music, exploring his Jewish heritage, and creating. He’s forged opportunity through hard work, drive, skill in language, persistence, and, of course, imagination. I found it notable that a number of his ballets opened to mediocre reviews, which neither slowed his career nor dampened his creativity. And Harss does not shy away from discussing his more controversial moments, such as his social media post claiming “There is no such thing as equality in ballet”—tin-eared from a man known for politeness.
The book ends with Ratmansky’s declaration of support for Ukraine and painful separation from his loved ones there, to say nothing of the destruction of the war. In an ironic twist, he has since left ABT to become an artist in residence at NYCB.
With choice photographs and extensive endnotes, Harss does an elegant job of introducing this quiet man with a big career. Her book takes a fascinating journey with Ratmansky against his place in history. Readers watch him till new ground, taking the world stage through determination, drive, and a capacious imagination.
Here's a piece I wrote about this book in Pointe Magazine.
https://pointemagazine.com/the-boy-fr...
Pointe Magazine
The Boy From Kyiv Explores the Life and Art of Alexei Ratmansky
Martha Anne Toll
October 4, 2023
Globetrotting choreographer Alexei Ratmansky is a peculiarly 21st-century figure. Having served as artistic director of the Bolshoi Ballet, and then artist in residence first at American Ballet Theatre and now New York City Ballet, he embodies geopolitics in a shrinking and more fractured world. Marina Harss’ terrific biography, The Boy from Kyiv: Alexei Ratmansky’s Life in Ballet ($35, Farrar, Straus, and Giroux), delivers a thorough take on the man and his prodigious output.
The child of a Russian mother and a Ukrainian father, Ratmansky spent his early years in Kyiv before enrolling at age 10 in the Moscow State Academy of Choreography, associated with the Bolshoi Ballet, 13 hours by train from his home.
When he arrived in Moscow, Ratmansky had never taken a ballet lesson; he was admitted on his physique. The year was 1978, and his parents decided that such a prestigious school would lead to professional opportunities and a good career. That was understatement. The details on Ratmansky’s ballet training are reason enough to read this book—the range of classes would make any dance artist jealous.
Ratmansky’s mother’s best friend from childhood, Lia, and her husband, lived in Moscow and cared for young Alexei. Lia had “big ambitions” for her charge, writes Harss, “even more than [his parents] did.” She gave Ratmansky a deep and wide cultural education, teaching him English (indispensable once he launched). He worked hard and began to think like a choreographer, organizing dances among close friends. He took these dance creations seriously; “he already saw himself as a director,” Harss writes. By the time he graduated, Ratmansky was more well-rounded and worldly than his classmates.
It seemed that Ratmansky would settle into a comfortable career at the National Ballet of Ukraine, where he danced “from the beginning of perestroika to the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.” Ratmansky expanded his vistas by touring with the company to Japan, western Europe, Mexico, and Canada. No longer cut off from Western repertoire, he soaked up as much international choreography as he could. He started creating dances, too, mostly solos and duets for ballet competitions.
He also met his wife in Kyiv, fellow dancer Tatiana Kilivniuk, a Ukrainian who shared his love of travel. Eventually, Ratmansky landed a job in the Royal Winnipeg Ballet in 1992. Tatiana would join a year later.
In Canada, Ratmansky began in earnest his study of Western ballet, music, style, and culture. He entered more choreographic workshops and competitions and was invited to stage an evening of his work at the National Ballet of Ukraine. After Winnipeg came freelancing across the former Soviet Union, followed by a prolonged stint with the Royal Danish Ballet, where he immersed himself in the Bournonville style and, again, soaked up what he could. In addition to Balanchine, he danced in works by John Neumeier and Maurice Bejart, but was disappointed not to be cast in William Forsythe’s ballets. Alexei and Tatiana’s son, Vasily, was born in Copenhagen, and life was comfortable, although he and Tatiana felt underused as dancers.
Meanwhile, in Russia, Ratmansky was becoming known as a choreographer. During his freelancing years he had begun a fruitful partnership with Nina Ananiashvili. In 1998, he choreographed the Japanese kabuki-inspired Dreams of Japan for her touring ensemble. Ratmansky’s wide-ranging imagination was on display, with a score by the Japanese drumming group Kodo learned at pains by the Bolshoi’s percussion section. The ballet was an instant hit and a turning point.
More commissions came, and world travels increased his visibility. He was invited to create a full-length Cinderella for the Mariinsky Ballet in 2002. From there he went to New York City at Peter Martins’ behest to participate in NYCB’s Choreographic Institute. In 2003, the Bolshoi premiered one of his most famous ballets, The Bright Stream.
In 2004 Ratmansky was named artistic director of the Bolshoi. The book gives marvelous details of this fruitful but increasingly fraught time in his career. Ratmansky was looking to New York by 2008, and mounted Concerto DSCH at NYCB to a “thunderous reception.” Harss details how his artist-in-residence negotiations with NYCB fell through, exacerbated by an overeager interview in The New York Times. A few days later, Ratmansky would be offered the same position at ABT; artistic director Kevin McKenzie had seized the opportunity.
Ratmansky has been encircling the globe ever since, reading, listening to new music, exploring his Jewish heritage, and creating. He’s forged opportunity through hard work, drive, skill in language, persistence, and, of course, imagination. I found it notable that a number of his ballets opened to mediocre reviews, which neither slowed his career nor dampened his creativity. And Harss does not shy away from discussing his more controversial moments, such as his social media post claiming “There is no such thing as equality in ballet”—tin-eared from a man known for politeness.
The book ends with Ratmansky’s declaration of support for Ukraine and painful separation from his loved ones there, to say nothing of the destruction of the war. In an ironic twist, he has since left ABT to become an artist in residence at NYCB.
With choice photographs and extensive endnotes, Harss does an elegant job of introducing this quiet man with a big career. Her book takes a fascinating journey with Ratmansky against his place in history. Readers watch him till new ground, taking the world stage through determination, drive, and a capacious imagination.
2023
October 15, 2025Non-fiction November TBR
📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux
📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Want to read
April 1, 2023A thorough and detailed biography of Alexei Ratmansky, one of the most celebrated choreographers working today. The book is gleaned through interviews with Ratmansky, his family, his friends, and dozens of colleagues past and present. It also includes photographs of his childhood and early career as a dancer. It is intriguing to read about his process of visualization and creation. Definitely a must-read for any balletomane or person with an interest in classical dance including, of course, those in the dance world.
Thanks to Net Galley for the eARC.
Thanks to Net Galley for the eARC.
June 10, 2024
Loved this book. Probably because I used to dance ballet for many years. It felt like I could trace my love of ballet throughout all the stories and my own life’s ups and downs with Ratmansky’s.
January 10, 2025
A serious and highly educational ballet biography. Well-researched, descriptive, and heartfelt, albeit dry in spots. I appreciated this in-depth course on Ratmansky, who is one of the most important choreographers of our time.
July 5, 2023
Alexei Ratmansky is currently the most highly praised, in-demand choreographer in classical ballet. (There isn’t much competition, but he does get great reviews and generate enthusiasm in dancers and audiences.) This is the first full-scale biography of him.
There is a lot that is interesting here for the ballet lover. Ratmansky’s training at the Bolshoi School and his experiences with many different companies make fascinating reading. Over the years, he has worked in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kyiv, Winnipeg, Copenhagen, and New York, to name just a few cities. He has created ballets for every major ballet company in the world, and has had long-term relationships with the Bolshoi, Royal Winnipeg, Royal Danish, ABT, and New York City Ballets.
Describing dancing in words is difficult, especially ballet dancing, but Harss does a good job of it. I was able to imagine ballets I’ve never seen through her descriptions. She has talked to just about every person still living with whom Ratmansky has worked, and developed a close relationship with the choreographer and his family.
This closeness may account for the book’s major failing: it is almost completely laudatory, to the point of hagiography. She credits him with no less than altering the course of Russian ballet and rescuing ballet from the crisis of confidence it experienced in the West. Her criticisms are few and timid, and sometimes absent where they ought to be. (For instance, she describes Ratmansky’s “dark” take on The Nutcracker without mentioning that there is no darkness whatever in Tchaikovsky’s score—and she praises the choreographer for his musicality.) But more importantly, there is a lack of objectivity that prevents us from assessing Ratmansky’s work fairly. We know that she will always be on his side.
I read an advance copy of this book, thanks to Farrar, Straus & Giroux and NetGalley, so there were still some errors that will no doubt be fixed before publication. In the Prologue, she wonders whether Ratmansky will renew his contract with American Ballet Theater when it expires in 2023. In the Epilogue, she writes about how he declined to renew the contract and accepted an offer from New York City Ballet instead. In Chapter 18, she dives into a discussion of the ballet Namouna that he made for NYCB without any transition explaining that his next work was for another company, leaving me to wonder whether I missed something. And there are numerous typos. But these problems will surely be corrected before the book is published.
There is a lot that is interesting here for the ballet lover. Ratmansky’s training at the Bolshoi School and his experiences with many different companies make fascinating reading. Over the years, he has worked in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kyiv, Winnipeg, Copenhagen, and New York, to name just a few cities. He has created ballets for every major ballet company in the world, and has had long-term relationships with the Bolshoi, Royal Winnipeg, Royal Danish, ABT, and New York City Ballets.
Describing dancing in words is difficult, especially ballet dancing, but Harss does a good job of it. I was able to imagine ballets I’ve never seen through her descriptions. She has talked to just about every person still living with whom Ratmansky has worked, and developed a close relationship with the choreographer and his family.
This closeness may account for the book’s major failing: it is almost completely laudatory, to the point of hagiography. She credits him with no less than altering the course of Russian ballet and rescuing ballet from the crisis of confidence it experienced in the West. Her criticisms are few and timid, and sometimes absent where they ought to be. (For instance, she describes Ratmansky’s “dark” take on The Nutcracker without mentioning that there is no darkness whatever in Tchaikovsky’s score—and she praises the choreographer for his musicality.) But more importantly, there is a lack of objectivity that prevents us from assessing Ratmansky’s work fairly. We know that she will always be on his side.
I read an advance copy of this book, thanks to Farrar, Straus & Giroux and NetGalley, so there were still some errors that will no doubt be fixed before publication. In the Prologue, she wonders whether Ratmansky will renew his contract with American Ballet Theater when it expires in 2023. In the Epilogue, she writes about how he declined to renew the contract and accepted an offer from New York City Ballet instead. In Chapter 18, she dives into a discussion of the ballet Namouna that he made for NYCB without any transition explaining that his next work was for another company, leaving me to wonder whether I missed something. And there are numerous typos. But these problems will surely be corrected before the book is published.
March 31, 2025
Well worth reading! The writing was very engaging and conversational. The author was intimately familiar with Ratmansky's work, and able to describe his ballets in a lot of detail. This really helped me understand all of the choreographic influences that helped shape Ratmansky, and gave me a lot of insight into the process behind his reconstructions. It provided some really interesting historical perspectives on the evolution of the Bolshoi and the Mariinsky as well.
May 2, 2023
The book is on Alexei’s journey as a dancer as a young boy, to being one of the most celebrated choreographers at the moment.
The book is incredibly detailed, and Marina had obviously done a lot of research which feels very nice.
The books gets harder to read towards the end as there are so many details. There is also a fair amount of repetition, which is frustrating at times.
For people who don’t know a lot about the Ukraine, Russia, the former soviet Union, this book gives a very good historical overview.
I am a big fan of ballet, and think the author describes certain dance steps and movements very well. I do recommend looking at clips on youtube of the dances, as what she describes and what actually happened differed in my opinion. It’s very clear the author is a big fan of his work, painting him in a really great light. At times I wonder perhaps what the book would have been like with a little more nuance and impartiality.
Alexei is described as an “Alexander Hamilton”, in the frenetic way he keeps creating ballets. I doubt other choreographers will ever produce the same quality and quantity of his work. I’ve seen a few of his pieces danced and was curious about this book.
Fans of ballet (balletomanes) will enjoy it.
The book is mostly chronological, but sometimes the author springs back or forward in a very abrupt manor.
In the post me-too world, a lot of issues have come to light in the ballet world (not with Alexei himself, otherwise I would not have read this book). But it’s a little odd this book doesn’t touch on that. There are so many prima ballerinas, but unfortunately very few established female choreographers. It felt a bit weird that the choreographers he used stuff from, the artists he worked with, and the music were mostly men. He seems so whimsical and at times revoluntionary in his work, it seems like a missed opportunity.
The book is an interesting read, though a little too detailed and repetitive at times.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.
The book is incredibly detailed, and Marina had obviously done a lot of research which feels very nice.
The books gets harder to read towards the end as there are so many details. There is also a fair amount of repetition, which is frustrating at times.
For people who don’t know a lot about the Ukraine, Russia, the former soviet Union, this book gives a very good historical overview.
I am a big fan of ballet, and think the author describes certain dance steps and movements very well. I do recommend looking at clips on youtube of the dances, as what she describes and what actually happened differed in my opinion. It’s very clear the author is a big fan of his work, painting him in a really great light. At times I wonder perhaps what the book would have been like with a little more nuance and impartiality.
Alexei is described as an “Alexander Hamilton”, in the frenetic way he keeps creating ballets. I doubt other choreographers will ever produce the same quality and quantity of his work. I’ve seen a few of his pieces danced and was curious about this book.
Fans of ballet (balletomanes) will enjoy it.
The book is mostly chronological, but sometimes the author springs back or forward in a very abrupt manor.
In the post me-too world, a lot of issues have come to light in the ballet world (not with Alexei himself, otherwise I would not have read this book). But it’s a little odd this book doesn’t touch on that. There are so many prima ballerinas, but unfortunately very few established female choreographers. It felt a bit weird that the choreographers he used stuff from, the artists he worked with, and the music were mostly men. He seems so whimsical and at times revoluntionary in his work, it seems like a missed opportunity.
The book is an interesting read, though a little too detailed and repetitive at times.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.
November 24, 2023
Furthering my education in classical ballet, I found, The Boy From Kyiv, a wonderfully written chronicle of the life of Alexei Ratmansky. I have seen a few of his ballets performed by American Ballet Theatre and found them beautiful and different, an exciting new voice in the world of choreography. Reading about this hard working, passionate, intellectual and kind man was inspiring. His struggle to find his place in the world (born in Ukraine, trained in Russia) and in classical ballet (danced professionally in Ukraine, Denmark, and Canada), led to a wonderful partnership with his wife, Tatiana, and his research into reconstructing the big Soviet classical war horses. What I learned the most in reading Marina Harss's wonderfully written book, is of Alexei's humanity through it all. What could be better than a dancer who is human? He must bring out the best in every project and person he touches.
July 6, 2024
I absolutely loved this book! I am a ballet novice, but Marina's book made me fall in love with ballet, and so intrigued with the works by Ratmansky. I found myself pausing reading quite often so I could go immediately look up to see if there were videos of the ballets that she wrote about, or to see what it looked like when the peacock curtain descends at the theater in the Tivoli Gardens, for example. I find that biographies can sometimes read as sort of stale, but that was not the case with this book. She writes in a way that makes it feel more like a story than a chronological timeline of events. It kept me hooked! I hope that everyone will read this whether or not they think they are a fan of ballet. I promise that you will have a better understanding and appreciation for the art form after reading this book! I know I am anxious for the chance to see a piece choreographed by Ratmansky now!!! What a visionary.
February 4, 2025
3.5 Stars
Well that was better than I thought it would be. I think it’s worth noting that I do not like most of Alexei Ratmansky’s ballets. I agree with most of the critics that think he’s making a mockery of it. However, he is an interesting man with an interesting story and I’m glad I read this book.
I think what annoyed me most was page 314. Harss speaks about a video in which she accuses Edward Watson of being rude in rehearsal. “Clearly he can’t see the point in lowering it[his leg].” I thought Watson just looked exhausted. God forbid he’s having an off day or forgets to lower it or thinks he is already lowering it. It felt like Harss was rewriting history a bit / interpreting it from a very jaded perspective.
Best quote: “Very few male variations are notated probably because the male dancers often made up their own steps” - pg 332
Well that was better than I thought it would be. I think it’s worth noting that I do not like most of Alexei Ratmansky’s ballets. I agree with most of the critics that think he’s making a mockery of it. However, he is an interesting man with an interesting story and I’m glad I read this book.
I think what annoyed me most was page 314. Harss speaks about a video in which she accuses Edward Watson of being rude in rehearsal. “Clearly he can’t see the point in lowering it[his leg].” I thought Watson just looked exhausted. God forbid he’s having an off day or forgets to lower it or thinks he is already lowering it. It felt like Harss was rewriting history a bit / interpreting it from a very jaded perspective.
Best quote: “Very few male variations are notated probably because the male dancers often made up their own steps” - pg 332
May 13, 2024
This is a very pleasant and easy read. While it can get tedious to read descriptions of ballets and choreography, the ability to just google a video of a particular dance made the book truly come alive for me.
I was fascinated to learn that he restaged Firebird in a post-Chernobyl wasteland and I never knew about the Shostakovich DSCH or the Bach motif! Totally intrigued by and looking forward to someday seeing The Bolt--which focuses on industrial machines and how they interact with human bodies. And thrilled to be seeing "Pictures at an Exhibition" a musical evocation of the experience of walking through an exhibit of paintings.
I was fascinated to learn that he restaged Firebird in a post-Chernobyl wasteland and I never knew about the Shostakovich DSCH or the Bach motif! Totally intrigued by and looking forward to someday seeing The Bolt--which focuses on industrial machines and how they interact with human bodies. And thrilled to be seeing "Pictures at an Exhibition" a musical evocation of the experience of walking through an exhibit of paintings.
February 6, 2025
Really engrossing account of Ratmansky's life (to date! hopefully lots more ballet from him to be seen) and the evolution of his career in ballet. Ideally you read this with YouTube near to hand, so that you can follow some of the dances he's made - and danced - many of which are available on line. Harss is terrific at describing dance for someone who enjoys ballet but doesn't know a lot about it - reading her prose is like watching Olympic diving with people who really know what to look for. She's terrific at conveying how various dancers move - and explaining for the layperson what various terms mean.
July 19, 2024
Thank you to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for an advanced copy of this book.
All I can say is, "Wow!" Marina Harss did an impeccable job of giving a complete and detailed account of Alexei Ratmansky's life and work. I *would* caution readers that it's amount of detail does not make for a quick, light read, but as long as you know that going in, it's a wonderful piece of work.
I'm glad I had the opportunity to learn more about the man, dancer, and choreographer who is instrumental in shaping the future of ballet.
All I can say is, "Wow!" Marina Harss did an impeccable job of giving a complete and detailed account of Alexei Ratmansky's life and work. I *would* caution readers that it's amount of detail does not make for a quick, light read, but as long as you know that going in, it's a wonderful piece of work.
I'm glad I had the opportunity to learn more about the man, dancer, and choreographer who is instrumental in shaping the future of ballet.
March 12, 2025
I don't normally see art histories focused around ballet choreographers/artists, so to see one do so, especially for an artist from Ukraine, was fantastic. Harss is a critic at the Times and has watched Ratmansky's career evolve throughout his time with the New York City Ballet, so getting to see her take a long view of his career is pretty damn fantastic, and you can tell her passion for this in her writing. Great read.
July 9, 2023
As I love ballett I knew who Alexei Ratmansky is but this book was an excellent way to discover more about him and his work.
If you love ballet and stories about dance this is highly recommended
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine
If you love ballet and stories about dance this is highly recommended
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine
Read
December 8, 2023Very good biography. Pertinent more than ever since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Gave a glimpse into the organizational workings of Bolshoi and other ballet companies. I tracked many of my favorite dancers in the text.
January 17, 2024
I WISH I HAD ACCESS TO SEE HIS BALLETS
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews