To Dance Special Edition, a graphic novel on professional ballet

To Dance, so some young girls that’s their life. We’ve known a couple of parents that have ballet kids. One of them recently had their child selected to go to classes there. Apparently this was a big deal because the school only accepts a dozen or so students, dance audition tapes have to be submitted, angles of their feet are tabulated and more. Those people that the aforementioned classifiers speak to, as well as, those who love a high quality graphic novel, need to read To Dance. To Dance is a memoir by Siena Cherson Siegel with artwork by Mark Siegel. It details the work and effort that Siena went through from when she started ballet at the age of six through her late teens.

Dancers who read To Dance will empathize with her and be able to relate to most of the things she goes through. As a child when Siena was living in Puerto Rico a doctor told her that she had flat feet. She always loved to dance so her mom enrolled her in ballet classes. The next year she and her family were living in Boston for a short period of time.

It was here that her passion, love and dedication to dance fully took root. She trained hard, her family sacrificed and when she was 11 was granted the opportunity to interview with the School of American Ballet in New York City. Much like my friend whose child was awarded a spot in that ballet summer school, this was kind of a big deal.

Even as a non-ballet person, the toil and sacrifice that these teenage girls made is obvious. They’re competing against each other, but limited to what their bodies are capable of doing. Any high school athlete who competes at an advanced level will enjoy To Dance.

Originally, To Dance was released in 2006; this is the Special Edition of the graphic novel that includes photos from Siena during his many years of ballet practice and school. These are pictures that young girls will love to look at and hold as something that they hope to accomplish.

To Dance does a real job of presenting the professional world of ballet. There is sacrifice, pain and heartbreak. In her case, it was an injury that she sustained when she was 18 years old. It immediately forced her to change her life’s goals, which are also briefly addressed in the book.

The art by Mark Siegel is lovely, realistic and adds another level to the story that will help readers of any age appreciate it. It could be called an all age graphic novel because there’s nothing inappropriate in it. However, those younger readers probably won’t be attracted to it unless they’re already taking part in ballet. For those young ballerinas, To Dance Special Edition is a must-read book that will give them a realistic picture of how things could take shape.

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