The Swans of Harlem: Five Black Ballerinas, Fifty Years of Sisterhood, and Their Reclamation of a Groundbreaking History

By Karen Valby, 2024

At the height of the Civil Rights movement, Lydia Abarca was a Black prima ballerina with a major international dance company—the Dance Theatre of Harlem, a troupe of women and men who became each other’s chosen family. Abarca performed in some of ballet’s most iconic works with other trailblazing ballerinas, including the young women who became her closest friends—founding Dance Theatre of Harlem members Gayle McKinney-Griffith and Sheila Rohan, as well as first-generation dancers Karlya Shelton and Marcia Sells.

BALLET: THE DEFINITIVE ILLUSTRATED STORY

By DK(Author), Viviana Durante(Foreword), 2018

Discover more than 70 celebrated dances, from The Nutcracker and Swan Lake to The Rite of Spring. Learn about renowned companies such as The Royal Ballet and the Bolshoi Ballet. Explore the lives of ballet dancers across the centuries, such as Margot Fonteyn, Carlos Acosta, and Darcey Bussell, and meet composers and choreographers, including the likes of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and Matthew Bourne.

THE ART OF MOVEMENT

By Deborah Ory, 2016

The Art of Movement is an exquisite collection of photographs by well-known dance photographers Ken Browar and Deborah Ory that capture the movement, flow, energy, and grace of many of the most accomplished dancers in the world.

DANCING THROUGH IT

By Jenifer Ringer, 2014

Created by New York City-based photographer Dane Shitagi over the span of eighteen years, Ballerina Projecthas become the most significant and creative photographic archive of renowned ballerinas in the world.A brilliant collection of photographs that encapsulate the delicate majesty of ballerinas from around the world.

BALLERINA PROJECT

By Dane Shitagi, 2019

Created by New York City-based photographer Dane Shitagi over the span of eighteen years, Ballerina Projecthas become the most significant and creative photographic archive of renowned ballerinas in the world.A brilliant collection of photographs that encapsulate the delicate majesty of ballerinas from around the world.

DANCING FOR BALANCHINE

By Merrill Ashley, Larry Kaplan, 1984

The New York City Ballet ballerina recounts her experiences studying with, working for, and–finally–becoming an inspiration for the foremost choreographer of the century.