Gallatin professor Lise Friedman’s new children’s book “Becoming a Ballerina” takes readers behind the glamorous lights, costumes and fairy tale world of the classic ballet “The Nutcracker” to the difficult yet rewarding audition process.
The book follows 13-year-old ballerina Fiona Wada-Gill as she embarks on a difficult journey to follow her dreams and perform as Clara in the Boston Ballet.
“Put simply, ‘Becoming a Ballerina’ is the story of an ordinary girl’s extraordinary life as a young ballerina,” Friedman said.
In the book, Friedman observes Wada-Gill and shares details about her successes and struggles from her first audition for the show through to the opening night.
Readers begin to see that despite how tough the lifestyle may be, Wada-Gill puts her heart and soul into doing what she loves and somehow manages to balance rehearsals, classes, homework, family and friends.
While the main focus of the book is how Wada-Gill perfects her dancing for her performance in “The Nutcracker,” the message is much deeper. Readers can derive different messages from the book depending on the their age and mindset.
A recurring theme in the book is that in life, people must always follow their dreams and pursue their passions even in difficult, overwhelming moments.
Friedman, a former dancer herself, is an accomplished author who co-wrote the book “Letters to Juliet,” which inspired the 2010 film of the same title. She teaches magazine publishing courses in Gallatin.
Friedman worked closely on “Becoming a Ballerina” with Mary Dowdle, a talented photographer and a friend of Friedman’s. Friedman and Dowdle previously collaborated on a book called “Break a Leg!: The Kid’s Guide to Acting and Stagecraft,” which was published in 2002.
Dowdle, who is credited for all of the photography in “Becoming a Ballerina,” admires Friedman’s dedication to creativity.
“Not only is Lise an eloquent writer, she was a professional dancer, and a mother of a young dancer,” Dowdle said. “She is also a great editor of photography.”
Dowdle said she hopes readers will draw inspiration from the book.
“‘Becoming a Ballerina’ will inspire children and teenagers to pursue their dreams,” Dowdle said. “Whether they want to be an Olympic athlete, a high school captain of a soccer team, or just … get a part in the play or production that they’ve always wanted.”
Gallatin freshman Jessica Soares, an actress and former ballerina, enjoyed the book.
“Reading this book truly helped me feel inspired,” Soares said. “It was crazy how much I could relate to Fiona and, in a way, even idolize her.”
A version of this article appeared in the Monday, Oct. 22 print edition. Kimberly Schu is a staff writer. Email her at [email protected].
