You Know You Love Me XOXO Jennifer

Now & Then

Sometimes you want a book about the past. Sometimes you want one au courant that digs into life as it is in this time and place.

In this case, I wanted the ballet world - now, in novel form.

It didn’t have to be an ax to the head of society but I did need something with depth and perspective.

Dance in New York in the ’80s has been done in books and movies. The ’90s, we remember, were a simple time compared to today’s habit of always being on and checked in - documenting, comparing, competing for every minute. Like this quote about American Reunion, a revisit to our beloved ’90s staple - the high school movie:

“But it’s not just the clothes and hairstyles that are dated - it’s the film’s mindset. There’s something almost charmingly naive about American Pie… It harks back to an era before every TV show and movie about teens was aggressively hip and media-savvy.”

A book about the habits of past ballerinas would not do. Not in today’s 2012 game.

Enter Bunheads

By Sophie Flack about dancing for a premier dance company in today’s NYC. The romantic relationships are built around texting and iPhones, the ballet girls take Bikram yoga and Pilates classes, sport OTK boots, eat sushi, fill their theater cases with all the brands and products we wear now, and my favorite part, they use foam rollers and tennis balls on their muscles, too. (One of my nightly hobbies.)

It was exactly what I was looking for.

I like this quote from the book:

“The adrenaline rush I got from dancing – it was intoxicating.”

That is the thing about performing, running and other sports might offer an endorphin high, but the adrenaline of performing is a strong potion.

XOXO, Bunheads.