A Young Dancer's Apprenticeship

ANNOTATION

An autobiography of a Canadian ballet student who, while still in her early teens, was offered the chance to study and tour with the Moscow City Ballet.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

So begins the inspiring true story of a young Canadian ballerina's elevation to soloist with the Moscow City Ballet. At the tender age of fourteen, talented dancer Olympia Dowd was plucked from the obscurity of a Vancouver ballet workshop and offered a life-altering opportunity: She was selected to dance with the Moscow City Ballet on its tour of Asia and Northern Europe. In her own words, Olympia describes the highs and lows of her remarkable experience, including the months of training in Russia and the rigors of touring with a professional ballet. Spectacular photographs of Olympia's unique odyssey -- the behind-the-scenes grind, the rare moments of relaxation, and the hard-won public triumph -- complement the story on every page. Here is a once-in-a-lifetime adventure seen through the eyes, emotions and words of an ordinary adolescent with an extraordinary talent.

FROM THE CRITICS

Children's Literature - Lesley Lee Francis

In her own words, the talented Canadian ballerina and author tells the inspiring true story of her elevation to soloist with the Moscow City Ballet at the tender age of fourteen. We follow her struggles of training in Russia and rigors of touring with a professional ballet through Asia and Northern Europe. Back in Vancouver after one year, Olympia continues her career in dance. The spectacular, full-color photographs complement every page and provide a behind-the-scenes view of her hard-won public triumph in Carmen. This is a fascinating study of an exhausting and risky adventure in dance, of special interest to students of ballet or aspiring ballerinas. The afterword and glossary add to the professional content. 2003, Twenty-First Century Books,

VOYA

In 1998, fourteen-year-old Olympia Dowd attended a ballet workshop in her native Vancouver, British Columbia. Afterward, the workshop's organizers, the Moscow City Ballet, asked Dowd to become a member of their touring company. First, she would train at the MCB studio in Moscow, then go on tour to Asia and the United Kingdom. Sweetening the deal was the offer of two roles, the Lilac Fairy in Sleeping Beauty and Carmen in Carmen Suite. Homeschooled, self-motivated, and well supported by her family, Dowd accepted the offer and moved to Russia for rigorous training followed by two grueling tours. In the United Kingdom, for example, the company took the stage for forty-three performances in thirty working days. One of Dowd's parents or her older brother often accompanied her. The first-person narrative is engaging and clearly written, and to her credit, Dowd shows no trace of egotism in describing her whirlwind rise to ballet fame. What really makes this book is the color photography. Gracing almost every page are beautifully composed pictures illustrating every phase of Dowd's journey. A ten-page center section explains the history of the Carmen story and contains excellent photos of Dowd dancing the role onstage. Her two-year tour was cut short because of political and economic concerns in Russia, but Dowd lived and studied in Italy and Spain before returning to Vancouver to study ballet again. In an afterword, Dowd, now eighteen, advises young people to consider carefully before attempting such an ambitious adventure as hers; the benefits are great, but so are the risks. This volume is a marvelous photo essay that dancers and nondancers alike will enjoy. Glossary. Photos. VOYA Codes: 4Q 2PM J S (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; For the YA with a special interest in the subject; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2003, Twenty-First Century, 128p, Munat

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