Breaking news: Body of a Dancer is a finalist for the ForeWord's 2011 Book of the Year Award in Memoir/Autobiography!
Body of a Dancer, published by Etruscan Press, is a memoir of interlacing essays that explores the brutal and passionate world of modern dance in New York City. Martha Graham changed the course of dance and established it as an American art form, but in America, there is one role for every four hundred trained dancers. We find muscle and desire -- day jobs and defeat. Body of a Dancer interweaves dance history with the stories of contemporary dancers to explore the ties that bind us to creative pursuits.
To Purchase: Body of a Dancer is available for purchase from your local independent bookseller and directly from Etruscan Press.
Support your local indie! "Body of a Dancer" launched with readings at independent bookstores; please visit the "Public Events" page to make purchases from these special community places.
The book is also available from online retailers such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
Press Reviews
"Body of a Dancer fills a void in the dance literature that has existed for far too long.... As D'Aoust reveals in her wonderful memoir, the "Body of a Dancer" is also shaped by an entire life led both inside and outside the studio." -Heather Desaulniers, Ballet-Dance Magazine Full review here.
"A book about modern dance should inhabit this very pull between gravity and flight, between grit and grace. It is the beauty and problem of the form, and D’Aoust stands at the intersection taking the better impulses from both." -Jonathan Frey, Bark Read the full review here.
Read the review by Bruce Jacobs at Shelf Awareness.
Read the review in "Book Notes" by Jim Kershner at The Spokesman-Review.
Read the feature article by David Gunter at the Bonner Daily Bee.
Read "Inlander Picks" by Jordy Byrd at The Pacific Northwest Inlander.
Read an interview with D'Aoust by author Janet Skeslien Charles.
Advanced Praise
“Renée E. D'Aoust's captivating memoir beautifully articulates the dreamlike freedom of dance and the inevitable pain that comes to those who pursue perfection with every waking breath. With exquisite description, absolute honesty, and a clear, compelling voice, Body of a Dancer offers an unforgettable account of one artist's bittersweet journey. A powerful story of art and passion.”
-Dinty W. Moore,
Author of Between Panic & Desire
www.dintymoore.com
"In this compelling, gracefully written memoir, Renée E. D'Aoust, a former Martha Graham trained dancer-turned-writer gives us a candid, incisive look at the transitory and sometimes transcendent joys, exhilarations and camaraderie, as well as the fierce competitiveness, bouts of insecurity, and determination that mark the pursuit of our most impassioned hopes and dreams. In addition to being a deeply human story, Body of a Dancer is a valuable addition to the existing literature on/about the world of modern dance."
-Michael Steinberg,
Founding Editor of Fourth Genre: Explorations in Nonfiction
Author of Still Pitching,
2003 ForeWord Magazine/Independent Press Memoir of the Year
www.mjsteinberg.com
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