Foreword by Graeme Murphy. It is impossible to tell the story of dance in Australia without focusing on Dame Margaret Scott. The fiftieth anniversary of The Australian Ballet School is a fitting time to launch her biography - she was the first Director of the School and a dancer and teacher of immense vision and intellect. Maggie Scott was born into a free-spirited family whose pioneering attitudes she shares. She has made an incomparable contribution to dance in Australia since arriving in 1947 on tour with the English company, Ballet Rambert. She was a foundation member of the National Theatre Ballet and led a group of Australians who helped establish the Australian Ballet as the country’s flagship ballet company. The inspirational Maggie Scott trained dancers now recognised internationally as exceptional performers, choreographers, directors and teachers. She memorably returned to the stage in Graeme Murphy's Nutcracker, most recently in 2000. Michelle Potter is a dance writer, historian and curator with a doctorate in Art History and Dance History from the Australian National University. She is the recipient of two Australian Dance Awards: Services to Dance in 2003 and Outstanding Achievement in Dance on Film in 2001. Graeme Murphy AO, a student of Dame Margaret Scott, has been at the forefront of Australian and international dance as a choreographer and director for nearly four decades. ‘A fascinating multi-faceted read, not least for its great insight into Australia during the 1940s.’ Launceston Examiner ‘A valuable addition to our dance history.’ Dance Australia ‘Impeccably researched...a fascinating biography of a major luminary.’ Sydney Arts Guide

Dark Passages is a coming-of-age story encapsulating the romance and innocence of JFK's Camelot era and the tumultuous "dark passages" of Meg Harrison, a vampire raised by her mother to resist the temptation of human blood. Meg arrives in New York determined not to use her vampiric gifts to fulfill her dream of becoming an actress. She joins the cast of the cult hit Dark Passages, only to face her nemesis, a beautiful 300-year-old witch bent on destroying her. Their rivalry leads to afinal confrontation as the telekinetic vampire and spell-weaving sorceress engage in a spectacular battle for supremacy. It takes all of Meg's wit and tenacity to defeat the witch and win the affections of a handsome young mortal with a secret life of his own. In the end, Meg realizes that the powers she always denied within herself are not a curse, but a blessing.

Shortly after the New York Times had hailed John Cranko’s achievement as 'The German Ballet Miracle', his death mid-Atlantic deprived the world of one of its greatest choreographers.

This is the first volume devoted to the topic of dance and quality of life. Thirty-one chapters illuminate dance in relation to singular and overlapping themes of nature, philosophy, spirituality, religion, life span, learning, love, family, teaching, creativity, ability, socio-cultural identity, politics and change, sex and gender, wellbeing, and more. With contributions from a multi-generational group of artists, community workers, educators, philosophers, researchers, students and health professionals, this volume presents a thoughtful, expansive-yet-focused, and nuanced discussion of dance’s contribution to human life. The volume will interest dance specialists, quality of life researchers, and anyone interested in exploring dance’s contribution to quality of living and being.

When Kenneth Baillieu Myer's father fell dead on the footpath in 1934, Ken's life changed in an instant. As the eldest son of the Jewish immigrant retailing genius, Sidney Baevski Myer, who went from pedlar to philanthropist millionaire in fifteen years, 13-year-old Ken was immediately acknowledged as head of the family. Despite a conventional education at Geelong Grammar and a year at Princeton University, Ken was an unconventional man. He had hit headlines when he was born and continued to make news throughout his life-as the powerful Executive Chairman of Myer; in his refusal to be Governor-General of Australia; with his separation and divorce from his wife Prue and remarriage to a Japanese woman half his age, Yasuko Hiraoka; as Chairman of the Victorian Arts Centre and the National Library of Australia; and during his disastrous years as Chairman of the ABC-a reward for signing the 'Myer It's time' letter, acknowledged by Whitlam as influential in bringing the Labor Party to power in 1972. Ken Myer introduced Australia to the first regional shopping centres, with Chadstone changing the face of the Australian landscape. Parking meters, state of the art information systems at the National Library of Australia, ground-breaking medical research at The Howard Florey Institute and genetic engineering at CSIRO were all facilitated by him. Visionary and romantic, he was depressive and driven, charming one moment, icy the next. Unpretentious and a passionate conservationist, he was generous both publicly and anonymously, giving away his fortune and in doing so founding modern philanthropy in Australia. Happiest when finally free of the Store, he died with his wife Yasuko in a light plane crash in Alaska in 1992. With unprecedented access to family documents, Sue Ebury paints a vivid portrait of the many aspects of Ken Myer's life, and the man himself.

Robyn Williams, presenter of The Science Show on ABC Radio, reveals all in Turmoil, a searingly honest and often blackly funny reflection on his life, friends, the people he loves and loathes, and a multi-faceted career that includes over forty years on radio. Robyn writes frankly about everything, from performing with Monty Python, his impressions of fellow scientists Richard Dawkins and David Attenborough, and his unique insights on climate change and the recent devaluing of science, to frugality and being treated for bowel cancer. 'An unblinking and highly readable biography by the greatest science broadcaster of our times.' — Tim Flannery