MELISSA HAYDEN OFF STAGE AND ON

Melissa Hayden carefully weaves together many first-person accounts of ailets which she has danced and the story of her dancing life from the age of twelve. In sections, the writing is unnecessarily flowery, but when describing dance routines and training, Miss Hayden relies upon unwordy reportorial prose. With a telescopic ens technique, she draws the reader into the studio, and paints a lively, interesting portrait of a ballet dancer's world which should fascinate young girls between practices at the barre.