Thank you so much, Pantheon Books and Toni Bentley for the opportunity to read this book!

“Ballet, you see, provides the most fantastic future for every devotee, something far beyond the promise of public acknowledgment or the flicker of fame. It provides the prospect of conquering one’s own self to find, possibly transcendence.”

Serenade by Toni Bentley is a walkthrough of the ballet but also a mix of history, biography, and memoir. Serenade is the first ballet choreographed by George Balanchine to Tchaikovsky. George Balanchine co-founded the New York City Ballet. The book begins with Toni Bentley, who was a former ballerina, visiting Balanchine on his deathbed. She then goes into the history of ballet, like how Louis XIV established the first National Ballet School in history. The book dives into Balanchine as a child. He was born in 1904 in Russia. This was a very tumultuous time for Russia, as the revolution was not that far away. Balanchine revered Tchaikovksy and it shows with the choreography of his famous pieces. But mainly, we get to see the effects that this ballet had on one of its very own ballerinas.

This book is definitely for those with knowledge of the Ballet company, interest in its history, or interest in ballet in general. It is very obvious from the very beginning that the author is very passionate. There is even a dramatic way to the writing as if there is no way she can convey how much ballet means to her. There are some slow parts. For example, there is an entire two pages dedicated to describing Bentley and Balanchine holding hands while on his death bed. Not conversation, just holding hands. But there are so many interesting facts about Serenade. For instance, the blue tutus used during the production inspired the name of the crater on Mercury, named Serenade.

There are lots of pose-by-pose descriptions of the ballet that I could not really grasp or picture because I am not a dancer. But it has always been a dream of mine to go to the ballet, so when I finally do, I will be able to appreciate it all the more. It is obvious that the author has great respect for Balanchine but also is aware of his faults, but didn’t give much credence to rumors. Overall, for me, it was very educational, so I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars.