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
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis...
Privately published by Strunk of Cornell in 1918 and revised by his student E. B. White in 1959, that "little book" is back again with more White updatings.
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis (whoops — "A bankrupt expression") a unique guide (which means "without like or equal").Pub Date: May 15, 1972
ISBN: 0205632645
Page Count: 105
Publisher: Macmillan
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1972
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
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