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REVELATIONS

Name: REVELATIONS
Author: Alvin Ailey
ISBN: 1-55972-255-X

THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF ALVIN AILEY

by Alvin Ailey & A. Peter Bailey ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 1, 1995

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A patchwork oral memoir by the great African-American dancer/choreographer. Born in 1931 in rural Texas, Ailey never knew his father. His mother roamed from town to town in search of employment, relocating to Los Angeles when her son was 12. Thanks to his prowess as a gymnast and a chance meeting with high school classmate Carmen de Lavallade, Ailey began studying dance at the studio of Lester Horton, an eclectic modern choreographer who led one of the period's few multiethnic dance companies. After Horton's death in the early '50s, Ailey was invited to perform on Broadway with de Lavallade in House of Flowers; he gave his first solo concert in the late '50s. Although his own company wasn't officially founded until 1964, Ailey had been touring for years with a group of dancers performing two of his earliest, and still best-known, dances: Blues Suite (1958) and the spiritual-based Revelations (1960). The company continued to grow in size and stature through the '60s and '70s, and Ailey adopted the fast-paced lifestyle of a star. Dependency on cocaine led to a much-publicized breakdown in 1980, followed by a short stay in a mental institution. Never quite returning to full health or to his original creative form, he died in 1989 of a blood disease. Cobbled together from 15 hours of interviews with Ailey conducted just before his death by journalist Bailey (who by his own admission has no particular knowledge of dance), this book gives little insight into Ailey's creative process. It is further marred by repetitions, mistakes in chronology, and Ailey's own platitudies. On rare occasion, however, the choreographer reveals an important element of his artistic philosophy: ``I look for dancers who have an oozy quality in their movement...I like personalities, not cookie cutter dancers.'' The definitive biography of this important figure remains to be written. (16 pages b&w photos, not seen)

Pub Date: Feb. 1, 1995

ISBN: 1-55972-255-X

Page Count: 275

Publisher: N/A

Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 1994

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.