A Ballet-maker's Handbook

A teacher, lecturer and writer on the subject of ballet technique and dance history, Joan Lawson here provides an in-depth examination of the tasks and art of choreography. In A Balletmaker's Handbook, Lawson looks at sources of inspiration, balletic materials, choreographic vocabularies, and dance styles from the perspective of the beginning balletmaker. She employs numerous examples from a range of nineteenth and twentieth century ballets, some of the best known choreographed by Coralli and Perrot, Petipa and Ivanov, Nijinska, Balanchine, Ashton and MacMillan.

Artfully combining history, analysis, and reference, A Balletmaker's Handbook is a hands-on guide for dancers, choreographers, and teachers of ballet.