Markova remembers /

One of the finest performing artists of the 20th century, ballerina Alicia Markova has provided a memoir refreshingly free from self-indulgence and filled with a remarkable amount of dance history spanning the past 60 years. Although the text may seem overly succinct to serious dance scholars, illuminating details are provided of the last years of the legendary Diaghilev Company, the birth of British ballet, and the grueling tours by Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo and Ballet Theatre that forged a ballet public in the US from 1938 to 1948. Anecdotes (e.g., the effect of tropical climate on pointe shoes, and performing under searchlights in a postwar Manila stadium) animate the text and demonstrate the devotion with which Markova committed her life to the art of dance and shared that artistry with the broadest possible public. More than half of the book is devoted to a collection of beautifully reproduced photographs and illustrative material. The concluding page of credits for the illustrative material constitutes an excellent reference source. Students and general readers.-C.W. Sherman, College of William and Mary

Markova, whose career has spanned six decades, is the British grande dame of ballet. Inspired by a childhood meeting with Pavlova, Markova became one of the ``baby ballerinas'' of Diaghilev's Ballet Russe while still in her teens. These gentle reminiscences form a panoramic history of 20th-century ballet, as Markova has danced or worked with all of the greats. Most entertaining are her incredible tales of months of one-night stands across America, where she danced under all sorts of conditions for $30 a week. It is apparent that dance is her life, as there is no mention of any personal life whatsoever in this book. Studded with photographs, which cannot do justice to her lightness and grace, this is a tribute to a great lady. Marcia L. Perry, M.L.S., Berkshire Athenaeum, Pittsfield, Mass. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.