THE CRAB BALLET

A whimsical ballet never before seen above water!

“The stage is set: a sleek, wet glow—Shhh! The dancers take the floor.” Act 1 introduces anemones, squids, turtles, and seahorses as they open the performance of “this gleaming sea ballet” with “an elegant marine routine” complete with swaying, gliding, and spiraling. Then, the corps dancers—tiny crabs—take center stage, scampering, pirouetting, skipping, and soaring. After a grand intermission, Act 2 begins: starfish (“star performers”) dance in formation, with sunbeams for spotlights. As twilight falls, farther out in the ocean, dolphins breach the surface in a dainty dance duet as, under the sea, the aquatic ensemble perform their final encore. Enhanced by poetry in rhyme, this spectacular ocean ballet fairly sings when read aloud; however, the very small font is hard on the eyes. LaTulippe weaves plenty of French and English ballet terms (pas de chat, arabesque, fifth position, etc.) into the text and defines them in a skillfully child-friendly closing glossary. Metzger’s delicate watercolor illustrations use a palette dominated by the trademark elegant pinks of ballet costumes and have all the softness of ballerina tulle.

A fun introduction to ballet that will also inspire an appreciation for marine life.