"Ballet: From the First Plie to Mastery" is designed as a complement to a beginning student's ballet training. The book opens with a brief description of the benefits of ballet training to young dancers, and then introduces fundamentals and precepts of the technique. Clear photographs show exactly how to execute each movement. Then an eight-year course is presented, taking the student from age 5 or 6 through the teen years, outlining exactly what is to be taught and how it is to be performed. A glossary, bibliography, and discography close the book. Young girls-and increasingly boys-are drawn to ballet training as a way of developing healthy musculature and bones, building an aesthetic awareness, and enhancing body image. Paskevska believes that-when performed correctly-ballet can provide a lifetime of artistic and physical pleasure. Shunning pyrotechnics and flashy technique, the book offers a solid grounding in the basics of ballet movement that will serve the student well, whether or not he or she chooses to continue training. Through her comprehensive examination of the how, why, and when of performing basic ballet techniques, Paskevska offers a concise and easy-to-follow regimen for everyone from the beginning to more advanced dancer. For ballet students, their parents, and their teachers, "Ballet: from the First Plie to Mastery" is an invaluable first step toward enjoying dance and excelling as a dancer.
