Laura Jacobs is a contributing editor at Vanity Fair and the dance critic for the New Criterion, where she has been since 1994. Dubbed "our best dance critic" by the editor of Ballet Review, Jacobs has also written about dance for the Atlantic, Chicago Reader, and London Review of Books. She lives in New York City.
"A lively guide, for the newcomer and enthusiast alike, to an art
form that is meticulously controlled yet ever-changing."--Wall
Street Journal
"According to the artist and critic Alexandre Benois, 'Ballet is
perhaps the most eloquent of all spectacles.' This book is one of
the most eloquent ever written about it."--Booklist
"In 12 chapters Jacobs provides readers a whirlwind tour of ballet,
effortlessly weaving together history, technique, music,
choreography, drama."--Ballet Focus
"Jacobs's book opens the door, offering a meticulous introduction
to the art form and welcoming readers to have a seat and stay a
while.... It's from this insider's perspective that Jacobs is able
to offer an all-encompassing guided tour behind the curtain, then
circling back to the auditorium where the balletomane, the
occasional fan and the newcomer sit side by side as they interpret
the performance according to their individual experiences and
beliefs." --Misty Copeland, New York Times Book Review
"Laura Jacobs' Celestial Bodies is original, rich in discovery, and
conceived in prose that is as agile and graceful as her subject
matter."
--Sascha Radetsky, American Ballet Theatre
"Laura Jacobs' book about the art of ballet, which takes the form
of a higher kind of how-to book, is itself a work of art. I would
call it perfect, but Jacobs spells out the limits of the ideal of
perfection. Better to call it alive, expressive, moving,
wise."--Paul Elie, author of ReinventingBach
"Lyrical and accessible...Jacobs brings over two decades' worth of
her experience as a dance critic to this elegant introduction to
all aspects of the art form: its cultural history, the development
of its aesthetics, its famous works and epic personalities."--Times
Literary Supplement
"Our dance critic Laura Jacobs is the best writer on ballet there
is. So you can bet that her new book, Celestial Bodies: How to Look
at Ballet, will be the best primer on ballet there is."--New
Criterion
"The author ably explains the technical aspects of ballet, as when
she explains that turnout's 'symmetrical torque in the hips engages
energy and concentrates it' and in her beautiful description of pas
de deux: 'a form of close-up, the theatrical equivalent of the
camera's lavish gaze.' 'They're doing choreography, ' Danny Kaye
sang in White Christmas. As Jacobs demonstrates, however, ballet is
so much more."--KirkusReviews
"This sparkling, eloquent book will make going to the ballet a
richer experience for both the novice and the passionate."
--Haglund's Heel
"What makes ballet magical? With a brief recap of its origins and a
poetic analysis of its positions, Laura Jacobs gives us the benefit
of her perceptions over the course of a distinguished career in the
audience. For those coming to ballet for the first time-and those
of us who have been watching ballet for years-she offers a lesson
in appreciation. The best way to watch, she tells us, is "with an
open heart." This graceful book is the product of her own heart and
her sprightly mind."
--Holly Brubach, award-winning dance historian and cultural
critic
"Whether you are budding balletomane or a lifelong dancer,
Celestial Bodies will inspire you to look more closely at our
beloved art form-and fall more deeply in love with it."--Pointe
Magazine
"Written like a true dancer...It's from this insider's perspective
that Jacobs is able to offer an all-encompassing guided tour behind
the curtain, then circling back to the auditorium where the
balletomane, the occasional fan and the newcomer sit side by side
as they interpret the performance according to their individual
experiences and beliefs."--New York Times Book Review
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