The author danced with City Ballet for several years before being let go in a budget downsize. The realization that she has never been kissed or seen anything of Manhattan outside Avery Center (read: Lincoln Center) begins to trouble her. Two new boyfriends, one a downtown musician and the other an uptown patron, raise conflicts in her mind. Food-or how little of it to eat-is a constant topic of conversation, and exercise classes fill whatever free time remains. Her life revolves around company class, rehearsals and performances during the fall, winter and spring seasons that she chronicles. Now 19 and a corps member of the Manhattan Ballet (read: New York City Ballet), she is determined to be promoted to soloist. Ages 15 up.Hannah has always dreamed of becoming a ballerina and living “the most amazing, wonderful, and crazy life.” Readers, both dancers and "pedestrians" (the corps' term for nondancers), will find Hannah's struggle a gripping read. After meeting Jacob, an NYU student and musician, Hannah feels increasingly torn between her love for ballet and the temptations of normal life. But in the world of the Manhattan Ballet, my figure is apparently unacceptable"). The ballet's dependence on wealthy patrons offers a window into the lives of the super-rich, which depresses Hannah, and the physical demands of her work take a toll on her ("To anyone on the outside. However, she's also frustrated with her insular life. Hannah finds gratification in the self-discipline and relentless cycle of rehearsals and performances, all in pursuit of perfect beauty, presentation, and a possible solo. Supported by her parents, Hannah moves to Manhattan alone at age 14 to pursue her dream by 19 she is a senior corps dancer. Exhilaration and drudgery, passion and exhaustion, exist side by side for dancers in the exalted Manhattan Ballet, a world unto itself, which Flack (a former New York City Ballet dancer) brings vividly to life in this strong debut.
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