Night's Dancer : the Life of Janet Collins.

Janet Collins (1917-2003) "soared over the color line in an art form swayed by prejudice." Thus begins the prologue to this book. Beginning with Collins's unfinished memoir (a section titled "Act One"), a fascinating account of her early years, Lewin (herself a choreographer and dancer) continues the story--in "Act Two"--using interviews with Collins and her family, friends, and colleagues, to discover her development as a dancer, choreographer, and painter. The reader is given a glimpse of an artist of invincible spirit, a brilliant performer who became a unique concert dance soloist and trailblazer for African Americans. She was most active during the 1950s, when she toured with her own dance group and taught at academies across the US; before that she worked with Lester Horton, Adolph Bolm, Hanya Holm, Katherine Dunham, Jack Cole, Talley Beatty, and others. Some 60 years ago, Collins debuted at the Metropolitan Opera, where she made international headlines as the first African American prima ballerina. Like the New York City Ballet's Arthur Mitchell, Collins endured an era in which racial bias prevented her from appearing in the South. This wonderful book also includes numerous photographs, some of Collins's paintings, which help complete her story. Summing Up: Essential. All readers. L. K. Rosenberg Miami University