In book three, The Dancer becomes the Dancer Magnifique. And the story’s focus is more on her daughter, who is now The Dancer. She curtsied to herself in the mirror, and as she did so, her reflection in the mirror curtsied back to her. She tried it again, and without fail, the mirror curtsied back to her. What a marvelous invention she thought, a curtsying mirror. Of course it was just a normal mirror, but she liked being fanciful and pretending that it was a special mirror, one which obeyed her every command. She curtsied to the mirror once more. Then fully assured of her command over the mirror, she walked away. But the figure in the mirror didn’t move. She couldn’t believe she was not in control of her special mirror, so she just kept walking out the door, even though her reflection did not follow. Besides she was late for dinner, her mother would be expecting her. The Dancer tells her mother. The Shaman, the Dancer’s Grandmother, insists that the Dancer must fix the mirror all by herself. Will anyone defy the Shaman and help the Dancer fix the mirror? How would she even start to fix it?

In the second story in this series, Dancer, a Chief, a Shaman, a God who is a horse, and Dancer’s other close friends must heal the holes that have developed between the worlds. These holes have developed because Dancer and her friends opened them by using their magic. Of course, their magic alone wasn’t enough to open these holes. Their magic had acted on their desires, their desires for things to be different. Once the holes were opened, Dancer and her friends continued to use them, which made the holes larger. But now people are falling through who have no magic to fall back through the other way. People are falling through unintentionally. And somehow that had to stop. This story is told from Jamil, the Artist’s, perspective. So, I thought it appropriate to include a short story about another artist at the end. It’s titled, The Artist. Creative, I know. This artist has always wanted to be an artist, but has to give up his dream because he can’t make enough money at it and because it’s not an accepted profession. Eventually, he does become an artist. However, there’s one thing he cannot paint – a sunset. And he won’t be able to paint a sunset until he understands the beauty behind a sunset.

Dancers who want to get the most out of their experience in dance—whether in college, high school, a dance studio, or a dance company—can now take charge of their wellness. Dancer Wellness will help them learn and apply important wellness concepts as presented through the in-depth research conducted by the International Association for Dance Medicine & Science (IADMS) and their experts from around the world. Four Primary Areas Dancer Wellness covers four primary topics: Foundations of dancer wellness, which explores the dancer’s physical environment, the science behind training, and conditioning Mental components of dancer wellness, which investigates the psychological aspects that influence a dancer’s training—imagery, somatic practices, and the ways that rest, fatigue, and burnout affect learning, technique, and injury risk and recovery Physical aspects of dancer wellness, which examines dancer nutrition and wellness, including the challenges in maintaining good nutrition, addressing body composition issues, bone health, injury prevention, and first aid Assessments for dancer wellness, which offers guidance in goal setting, screenings, assessing abilities, and designing a personal wellness plan Each chapter offers learning objectives at the beginning and review questions at the end to help readers recall what they have learned. Sidebars within each chapter focus on self-awareness, empowerment, goal setting, and diversity in dance. “Dancer Wellness meets the needs of dancers in any setting,” says Virginia Wilmerding, one of the book’s editors from IADMS. “Our authors are leaders in the field, and they thoroughly investigate their areas of specialization. Through that investigation we have provided theoretical concepts and practical information and applications that dancers can use to enhance their health and wellness as part of their dance practice.” This text offers foundational information to create a comprehensive view of dancer wellness. “Wellness defines the state of being healthy in both mind and body through conscious and intentional choices and efforts,” says coeditor Donna Krasnow. “Anyone interested in the health and wellness of dancers can benefit from this book, regardless of previous training or level of expertise. This book covers each aspect of dancer wellness, whether environmental, physical, or psychological.” A web resource is included with all new print books and some ebooks. For ebook formats that don’t provide access, the web resource is available separately.

The Nazis burned books and banned much modern art. However, few people know the fascinating story of German modern dance, which was the great exception. Modern expressive dance found favor with the regime and especially with the infamous Dr. Joseph Goebbels, the Minister of Propaganda. How modern artists collaborated with Nazism reveals an important aspect of modernism, uncovers the bizarre bureaucracy which controlled culture and tells the histories of great figures who became enthusiastic Nazis and lied about it later. The book offers three perspectives: the dancer Lilian Karina writes her very vivid personal story of dancing in interwar Germany; the dance historian Marion Kant gives a systematic account of the interaction of modern dance and the totalitarian state, and a documentary appendix provides a glimpse into the twisted reality created by Nazi racism, pedantic bureaucrats and artistic ambition.

A friend who read The Dancer, said she felt like she was right in the story. When the Dancer danced, she danced. But perhaps you don’t relate to the Dancer, there are plenty of other main characters you can relate to. There’s the Dancer, who is now called the Dancer Magnifique, or just Magnifique for short. There’s her husband, Straight-Spear, the Chief’s son. He dances on his horse, Rides-Like-Thunder. Rides-Like-Thunder is a god. Magnifique and Straight-Spear’s daughter is now Dancer, following in her mother’s footsteps. However, she will dance atop Rides-Like-Thunder, while her mother will not. There’s the Shaman and the Director. Their first meeting didn’t go well, as she swung Dancer’s shoes at him and knocked him out. But now they’re buddy-buddy. They act as Grandparents to Dancer. And there’s Ramon and Raul – Magnifique’s boyfriends before she met Straight-Spear. Now they’re buddy-buddy. In the fourth story, Dancer is left all alone. She is old enough to be all alone. But she’s used to being among several adults, whom she can rely on for help, most of the time. She doesn’t need their help, but just in case. All the adults in her life have left, including Rides-Like-Thunder. They’ve all gone to other worlds for various reasons. They will be back, but for she is alone. And it’s enough to make the Author cry (I forgot to mention that the Author is one of the main characters.) She was all alone, so she did what she always did – she danced. She danced for joy, she danced for strength, she danced for sorrow, she danced for weariness. She danced because she didn’t know what else to do. She had been dancing ever since they left. What had it been, 7, maybe 8 days now? She didn’t know. At some point, she would fall exhausted, asleep, and stop dancing. But not yet. She felt she could go on for ages. Rated G; Reading level very easy 5th grade; Longest word - categorization

Dance Psychology for Artistic and Performance Excellence helps dancers develop psychological strength to maximize their performance. The book covers the key mental aspects of dance performance and offers practical exercises that will make dancers’ minds their most powerful tools.