Advice for Dancers: Emotional Counsel and Practical Strategies

By Linda H. Hamilton

Book Overview

Dancers experience pain, joy, frustration, rapture, failure, applause, and are above the worldly concerns of food, money, and financial security. They live only to dance. Or do they? The reality is dancers of all ages, types, and skill levels often experience incredible physical and psychological stress and have traditionally bore their pain in stoic silence. In this much needed new book, Dance Magazine 's Linda Hamilton offers dancers the same type of advice and understanding they have come to trust from her popular monthly column. Psychologist Hamilton--a former dancer with New York City Ballet under the legendary George Balanchine--offers a complete resource for coping with the day to day pressures of being a dancer. Page after page is filled with the insight that can only come from a person who has been intimately involved in the world of dance. Hamilton outlines strategies for dancers for dealing with a variety of common physical and psychological issues and shows how to be true to your passion and bring back the joy in dancing. The book is filled with answers to dancer's most often asked questions and offers practical methods for dealing with such difficult problems as eating disorders, substance abuse, ruthless competition, and performance anxiety. Advice for Dancers will teach you how to: Achieve you physical potential and select the dance technique that's right for you Find out which teaching practices you can trust and why Learn how to reach your optimal weight without compromising your energy, health, and career Develop healthy relationships both inside and outside the dance studio Use a variety of resources to get work, roles, and promotions Perform technical feats in front of an audience even when you are frightened Advice for Dancers is a result of Hamiltion's extensive research and years clinical work with dancers and includes information for a survey of more that 1,000 dancers from across the country.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0787940437
• ISBN13: 9780787940430
• Release Date: June 1998
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Helpful and Informative for any Level

I was lucky enough to have picked up this book at the bookstore and read through a bit before I decided I'd like to buy it as well. While it does bring up some diffrent forms of dance and what's required, it is focused a little more towards ballet, which was nice in my case. I soon found myself highlighting sentences and facts I wanted to make sure I remembered. An excellent read for a any who is thinking about dancing, or has been dancing for years.

Great Help for Dancers

Hamilton's advise comes from a clearly sympathetic and supportive voice, and when put to use in earnest is very effective. Dancers are often without a strong positive voice working on their behalf to support their self-image and self-esteem. Even though dancers have the absolute least influence in the dance world, with Hamilton's words in my head I feel more empowered in my profession.

This is the best book out there for all dancers of any age !

I found that this book is the ONLY book that I can trust with for ALL of my dancing questions. I have read numerous other books on dance and none of the them compare to this. Mrs.Hamilton has helped me through all of the struggles that every dancer goes through from audiioning advice to how to break in my pointe shoes more effectively to improving my tecnique and many, many others. I would HAVE to give this book a 5 stars. ADVICE FOR DANCERS is a definate must have for every dancer out there!!!

EXCELLENT!

EXCELLENT! IT WAS A GREAT FOR MY EMOTIONAL STRUGGLES THROUGH DANCING. I FELT VERY SUPPORTITED BY MRS HAMILTON, IT MADE ME A BETTER DANCER EMOTIONALLY AND PHYSICALLY, I RECOMMEND IT TO ALL DANCERS, IT WILL HELP YOU! WITHOUT A DOUBT 5 STARS!

A RESOURCE DIRECTORY THAT DANCERS CAN REALLY USE!

Dr.Linda Hamilton writes the most effective and pragmatic advice for dancers today.Her advice goes beyond technical, and more importantly, into issues that are physical, politcal, and practical. Her RESOURCE DIRECTORY is a treasure trove of information.The listings in there are worth the price of the book.BUY IT,KEEP IT, SHOW IT TO A VERY GOOD DANCING FRIEND!