Dancing with Cranes

by Alison Ballance

'...someone passed me a large metal basin full of boiled sheep innards... I smiled politely, declined and passed it along. Oh the joys of being vegetarian in the land of boiled mutton.' Alison Balance has bumped over the Mongolian steppe in search of wild horses; camped in mud when trying to film New Zealand's rare, nocturnal kakapo; she s flown deep into the Himalayas where demoiselle cranes migrate across the world's highest mountains. The intrepid wildlife film-maker has traveled to some of the earth's remotest places for footage of our endangered species. Working for TV production company Natural History New Zealand, her search for tigers has taken her to Thailand s steamy jungle and the Russian Far East in winter. Propelled by a passion for observing and sharing the wonder and the plight of the animal world, Balance has journeyed into the wilds, and to sanctuaries where fragile hope for species has been rekindled. Dispelling myths of film-industry glamor, Balance's experiences range through uncomfortable and heartbreaking to absurd. Her story also captures the joy and elation of discovery. Whether she's nose to beak with a kakapo or riding a Bactrian camel in the Gobi Desert, travels with this winsome wildlife film-maker are captivating, exhilarating and inspiring.

261 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Jan Norton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found that I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. Often we do not think of the work that goes behind filming this nature films. The section on Mongolia Was especially interesting as I know very little about that area of the world.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. Being a nature lover and often having thoughts of dabbling in nature photography, I found the film makers' pursuits of elusive and rare cranes, kakapos, wild horses and tigers very interesting. I doubt I would want to really put up with the hardships or have the tenacity that this crew had, but it was nice to follow their experiences via the pages of their story. As another reader mentioned, I would have really liked more photos. I would recommend this book to someone who likes to read about travel as well as nature and photography. I learned about places and creatures in the world that I really knew very little about.


Note: This was a book that I received as a bookray through
Bookcrossing.com

[Vanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a most enjoyable look into the challenges and rewards of being a wildlife film-maker. Alison is a lovely story teller and this glimpse into the realities of film-making, and what you don't see on your movie or TV screen is entertaining and an eye-opener.

[Rachel (Sfogs) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyied it~!!!!
My copy of this book will be made a bookcrossing.com book
it will hopefully travel round the world collecting readers,
more than the '3' shown on this website, it deserves more~!