In Heather Christie’s new novel, “The Lying Season,” seventeen year old Piper Rose becomes unwittingly involved in a criminal cover-up with her brothers and their friends. Will she keep their secret despite the physical and psychological damage it’s doing to her or come clean and potentially ruin their chances at promising athletic careers? The Kirkus Review calls the book, “A thought-provoking examination of how character can be tested.“ Trigger warning for readers and parents: Piper has undiagnosed OCD and also inflicts self-harm Parental guidance: references to guns, alcohol and drug use ..read more

The third book in the middle-grade series about intrepid Clara and her friend, the valiant Prince Dustin, will be released this fall. Fans of the first novel, “Deep in the Black Forest,” and its sequel, “Secrets of the Black Forest,” will enjoy reading more of their adventures in the third installment, “Legends of the Black Forest.” Readers will recall that Daniel Lee Nicholson’s first novel was a retelling of the classic “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King” by ETA Hoffmann, the story which served as inspiration for the ballet we know as “The Nutcracker.” In it, Clara became a warrior of her o ..read more

A year ago, the concern of parents, teachers and students was that dancers train safely in their homes during the time they were outside the studio. Uneven surfaces, concrete basement floors, not to mention the occasional stray pet or bookshelf suddenly getting in the way of a grand battement – all held potential for serious injury. In May 2020, Dr. Danelle Dickson, a physical therapist who specializes in dance and sports medicine in Washington D.C., provided Dance Advantage with some valuable guidance, specifically highlighting ways dancers can safely train in their homes as well as the ways ..read more

For the last two years, dancer Kieran Macdonald has had the opportunity to do what most young, talented dancers only dream about — collaborate with many of the world’s top choreographers in the United States. On the NUVO Dance Convention tour, Macdonald is the only principal dancer and leading assistant to work with all of the star faculty.  “I have to constantly pinch myself that I get to work alongside such an unbelievably talented and inspiring group of people,” says Macdonald, who was born and raised in Paisley, Scotland, and later moved to Spruce Grove, Alberta, Canada. Kieran Macdon ..read more

Available at Amazon From the publisher: Following the success of Cantique de Salomon, Colette struggles to balance marriage, a booming dancewear business, and her first ballet performance. Meanwhile, James suffers an injury that forces him to question his future. When Colette receives an unexpected shot at a solo, will she rise to the occasion—or buckle under the pressure? A sequel to the novel Cantique, La Follia explores the regenerative power of creativity amid the chaos of everyday life. In her first novel, Cantique, Joanna Marsh introduced readers to Colette, an adult dancer who longed t ..read more

Click image for publisher’s website Misty Copeland’s 2014 debut picture book, “Firebird,” featured an adult Misty encouraging a young ballerina to soar the heights of the stage as she did. Gorgeously illustrated by the venerable Christopher Myers, the book told the story of a young dancer who lacked confidence and needed to hear the words of wisdom and guidance whispered to her by the prima ballerina. Copeland’s second picture book, however, tells a tale more similar to the author’s own story. “Bunheads” begins with young Misty’s very first day of ballet class. In “Firebird” she had mastered ..read more

Terez Mertes Rose’s latest novel jetés back into the world of the fictional West Coast Ballet Theatre with a narrative set in the 1990s. Click image to preorder. Faithful readers who have followed Terez Mertes Rose’s “Ballet Theatre Chronicles,” which began with “Off Balance” and its sequel “Outside the Limelight,” will once again be happy to immerse themselves in the ballet-based drama and romance. Fear not, new readers! You need not have read the other books in the series in order to understand the characters and their stories. As a prequel, this novel is both a great introduction to Rose’s ..read more

Angry, fed up and isolated. These are the words of a 14-year-old girl describing how she has felt during the COVID-19 pandemic. Makes for difficult reading, right? And it can seem like we’re pretty powerless to do anything to help our children feel better. When everything is topsy-turvy and routines are all over the place, it can be hard to know what activities to prioritize and what needs to be put on hold for now. Here’s why dance matters during social distancing and why your child’s dance classes need to be one of the activities that are protected and made a priority. 1. Dancing helps th ..read more

If you’re training at home, you know it’s a challenge to take class properly. Even if you’ve set up your home studio with a barre and a non-slick surface, there are still limitations to what you can do safely at home. And if you’re the parent of a child who is taking classes virtually, you want to be reassured they won’t be harmed because their teacher isn’t watching over them. To provide some guidance and offer tips to both parents and students, I spoke with Dr. Danelle Dickson, a physical therapist who specializes in dance and sports. A dancer herself, Dr. Dickson has over fifteen years’ pr ..read more

Eleven year old Pippa wants us to know that she is easily bored by many things: soccer, theater and swimming never held any interest for her, and she wouldn’t be caught dead in a dance class like her ballet-obsessed older sister, Verity, who studies at the National Ballet of Canada in Toronto. Pippa also wants us to know she is a budding artist and her passion is sketching fashion. A major fan of a reality television show called Off The Rack, which sounds a lot like Project Runway, she fills her beautiful blue sketchbook with loads of fancy dress designs. It would be her greatest dream to be ..read more