If you’re looking for inspiration for the dancer in your life, you might want to check out these magazines and novels to help encourage her on her journey.
Pointe Magazine
Whether you’re looking for inspiration from other dancers, warm-up ideas, tips for technique, audition information, or extra training opportunities, Pointe magazine provides an ideal window into today’s exciting world of dance. Appropriate for advanced teen and young adult dancers pursuing a career in this exciting field.
Available in both print and tablet editions, you can subscribe online.
Dance Magazine
Each issue of Dance features a section on dancewear trends and dancer profiles. While also geared toward career dancers, many articles address issues faced by dancers of all ages, such as getting nervous before a performance and coping with not-so-healthy cafeteria food.
You can subscribe online for either the print or electronic version of “Dance.” Back issues are also available for purchase.
Dance Spirit Magazine
Also appropriate for dancers of all ages, Dance Spirit includes features relating to dancer style and plenty of human interest stories about famous dancers. With sections dedicated to Hip Hop, musical theater, and world dance, this magazine will appeal to those wishing to look into specialty areas.
You can subscribe to “Dance Spirit” magazine online.
Mainstream Magazine Issues
Don’t think dance is relegated to only periodicals that focus on the topic. Sometimes mainstream media outlets like “The New Yorker” or “Total Girl” feature stories about famous dancers (read this New Yorker article) or ballet in general (read this Total Girl article).
A Novel Idea
Imagination can be a powerful tool in providing inspiration! Perhaps your budding dancer would benefit more from a story about someone just like her. Sadly, many ballet-themed books focus on “the dark side” of the world of dance; however, books like Outside the Limelight can capture the imaginations of budding dancers in a way that’s both alluring and inspiring. As one reviewer describes it, “Terez Mertes Rose once again manages to perfectly capture the ethereal beauty of the ballet. It’s a story as rich, heartbreaking and uplifting as any ballet masterwork.”
Descriptions of other ballet-themed novels can be found here.
Dancer Dolls and Related Stories
Even if your daughter isn’t yet reading, you can help “pointe” your little dancer in the right direction with the Isabelle American Girl® doll and related products. As the twelfth American Girl doll, Isabelle was named the company’s 2014 “girl of the year.” (Isabelle dolls can be typically still found on sites like eBay). Marketed toward girls ages 8-12, the Isabelle doll and related books are about more than inspiring dressing up in pink tights and a tutu; characteristic of other American Girl books, the doll’s namesake book deals with issues almost all dancers face: dealing with comparison and jealousy and keeping focused on improving one’s own skills.
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