Put Your Best Foot Forward: A Young Dancer's Guide to Life

Suki Schorer studied with the towering George Balanchine, became a principal dancer in his company, the New York City Ballet, and then joined him as a teacher at the school he founded—the School of American Ballet. And she will be the first to confirm that just about everything a young girl needs to know about life can be learned in ballet class. How to be always balanced. How to find the strength to follow your heart. How to turn a mistake into part of the dance. How to put your best foot forward. And how to find the self-esteem, focus, and discipline needed in life.

An inspirational gift book for any girl who ever took dance classes and dreamed of being a ballerina, The Ballet School of Life is a unique collection of wisdom and illustration, of life lessons set against a backdrop of dramatic full-color photographs of young dancers and whimsical, theatrical watercolors of butterfly wings and fairy-tale castles, tiaras, and stage settings. Written by Suki Schorer with the assistance of the School of American Ballet, the lessons are simple and motivating and reveal that dancers in training learn much more than how to plié or stand on pointe: Your body is your instrument. Even Sugar Plum Fairies sew their own ribbons. It takes strong wings to fly high. Do something extraordinary just because you can. Never miss a beat. And, to remember always, When storms rage and waters rise, glide like the swan.