Overview

‘Ballet is woman’ said George Balanchine, the founder of New York City Ballet. For centuries, being a ballerina has been synonymous with being beautiful, obedient and feminine. The sexism seems built-in – and #MeToo rocked the ballet world with shocking revelations about harassment, physical abuse and eating disorders at top schools. But is there a different way of being a ballerina – a feminist one? Weaving together her own time at America’s most elite ballet school and the lives of the most famous ballerinas in history, Alice Robb interrogates what it means to perform ballet today. Robb confronts the all-consuming nature of ballet: the obsessive – and dangerous – practices to perfect the body; the embrace of submission; the idealisation of suffering. But ballet also gifts its practitioners ‘brains in their toes’, a way to fully inhabit their bodies and a sanctuary of control and routine away from the pressures of the outside world. Don’t Think Dear looks to figures like Misty Copeland and Alexandra Waterbury to carve out new paths for ballerinas. The art of ballet can be reimagined. But should it be?

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Reviews

'This addictive memoir is a vital account of the intoxicating appeal of ballet as an art form. Alice Robb tells the story of ballet in the twentieth century through her experience at the School of American Ballet and the cult-like legacy of its founding choreographer, George Balanchine, who dictated the lives of his dancers - shaping their bodies, selecting their perfumes, haunting their dreams - inspiring obsession and regret. We are left with the question: can the pursuit of ballet perfection justify the suffering depicted in this book?' -- Rebecca May Johnson, author of Small Fires 'A rigorous yet loving examination of a childhood passion told through a feminist lens. Don't Think, Dear is full of clarity, even about questions that will never get completely clear answers.' -- Rebecca Traister, author of Good and Mad 'I don't think I've ever felt so seen by an author: Alice Robb says aloud the conundrums I've been wrestling with since adolescence but wasn't able to put into words. Her storytelling prowess and sharp analysis help contextualize my own experience in the ballet in a way I didn't realize I needed. I wouldn't trust anyone but Alice Robb in handling a subject so close to my heart.' -- Sophie Flack, author of Bunheads 'Weaving together Robb's own story with her fellow students and ballet icons such as Misty Copeland and Margot Fonteyn, it's an overdue contemporary re-examination of this gruelling artform.' -- The Independent, 'Books to Look Forward to in 2023' 'Don't Think, Dear is an extraordinary book full of poignant storytelling and profound insights. Robb masterfully weaves memoir, reportage, and criticism into a superbly crafted meditation on ballet and its broader cultural impact.' -- Marisa Meltzer, author of Glossy and This is Big 'With intelligence and grace, Alice Robb offers a history of American ballet through the lens of her own nuanced, intimate relationship with a legendary New York City institution. Neither romanticising or decrying the dance world, Robb beautifully explores the push-pull of masochism and perfectionism - preoccupations not just relevant to aspiring dancers, but to anyone who's ever pursued an almost-impossible dream.' -- Ada Calhoun, author of Why We Can't Sleep '[Robb's] timely book is a critical yet personal examination of classical ballet - a performing art highly dependent on the talent of women - filtered through the lens of 21st-century feminism... she brings a welcome academic rigour to a subject clearly born of deeply held emotions.' -- The Times 'Here is a memoir, a love letter, a cultural history, and a long-awaited reckoning of the most iconic feminine ideal. Robb's intimate and frank examination of ballet's legacy-both in and outside of studios and performance halls-shows us all the many ways it continues to shape our lives and bodies. Chapter to chapter, this book is both brutal and beautiful, like its subject.' -- Sarah Gerard, author of Sunshine State and True Love 'Part memoir, part journalistic investigation, the book weaves [Robb's] early experiences as a dancer with those of her contemporaries, and of famous ballerinas... Don't Think Dear is powered by a fundamental love of the art form while exposing the toxic culture that runs through it.' -- Guardian

'With intelligence and grace, Alice Robb offers a history of American ballet through the lens of her own nuanced, intimate relationship with a legendary New York City institution. Neither romanticising or decrying the dance world, Robb beautifully explores the push-pull of masochism and perfectionism - preoccupations not just relevant to aspiring dancers, but to anyone who's ever pursued an almost-impossible dream.' -- Ada Calhoun, author of Why We Can't Sleep

'Beautiful, difficult, and compelling.' -- Vanity Fair 'Part memoir, part journalistic investigation, the book weaves [Robb's] early experiences as a dancer with those of her contemporaries, and of famous ballerinas... Don't Think Dear is powered by a fundamental love of the art form while exposing the toxic culture that runs through it.' -- Guardian '[Robb's] timely book is a critical yet personal examination of classical ballet - a performing art highly dependent on the talent of women - filtered through the lens of 21st-century feminism... she brings a welcome academic rigour to a subject clearly born of deeply held emotions.' -- The Times A study of an obsession remarkable for its nuance and insight... [Robb] succeeds in conveying, in a refreshingly unromantic way, what is still valuable about the art form... It might be easy... to assume that Don't Think, Dear is Robb's litany of grievances about a demanding art form in which she failed to flourish. Rather, it is a book about love, even if that love is ultimately unrequited... fascinating.' -- TLS '[A] nuanced, intimate mashup of memoir, reportage and cultural criticism.' -- Observer 'This addictive memoir is a vital account of the intoxicating appeal of ballet as an art form. Alice Robb tells the story of ballet in the twentieth century through her experience at the School of American Ballet and the cult-like legacy of its founding choreographer, George Balanchine, who dictated the lives of his dancers - shaping their bodies, selecting their perfumes, haunting their dreams - inspiring obsession and regret. We are left with the question: can the pursuit of ballet perfection justify the suffering depicted in this book?' -- Rebecca May Johnson, author of Small Fires 'Weaving together Robb's own story with her fellow students and ballet icons such as Misty Copeland and Margot Fonteyn, it's an overdue contemporary re-examination of this gruelling artform.' -- The Independent, 'Books to Look Forward to in 2023' 'A rigorous yet loving examination of a childhood passion told through a feminist lens. Don't Think, Dear is full of clarity, even about questions that will never get completely clear answers.' -- Rebecca Traister, author of Good and Mad 'I don't think I've ever felt so seen by an author: Alice Robb says aloud the conundrums I've been wrestling with since adolescence but wasn't able to put into words. Her storytelling prowess and sharp analysis help contextualize my own experience in the ballet in a way I didn't realize I needed. I wouldn't trust anyone but Alice Robb in handling a subject so close to my heart.' -- Sophie Flack, author of Bunheads 'Don't Think, Dear is an extraordinary book full of poignant storytelling and profound insights. Robb masterfully weaves memoir, reportage, and criticism into a superbly crafted meditation on ballet and its broader cultural impact.' -- Marisa Meltzer, author of Glossy and This is Big 'With intelligence and grace, Alice Robb offers a history of American ballet through the lens of her own nuanced, intimate relationship with a legendary New York City institution. Neither romanticising or decrying the dance world, Robb beautifully explores the push-pull of masochism and perfectionism - preoccupations not just relevant to aspiring dancers, but to anyone who's ever pursued an almost-impossible dream.' -- Ada Calhoun, author of Why We Can't Sleep 'Here is a memoir, a love letter, a cultural history, and a long-awaited reckoning of the most iconic feminine ideal. Robb's intimate and frank examination of ballet's legacy-both in and outside of studios and performance halls-shows us all the many ways it continues to shape our lives and bodies. Chapter to chapter, this book is both brutal and beautiful, like its subject.' -- Sarah Gerard, author of Sunshine State and True Love

'A rigorous yet loving examination of a childhood passion told through a feminist lens. Don't Think, Dear is full of clarity, even about questions that will never get completely clear answers.' -- Rebecca Traister, author of Good and Mad 'I don't think I've ever felt so seen by an author: Alice Robb says aloud the conundrums I've been wrestling with since adolescence but wasn't able to put into words. Her storytelling prowess and sharp analysis help contextualize my own experience in the ballet in a way I didn't realize I needed. I wouldn't trust anyone but Alice Robb in handling a subject so close to my heart.' -- Sophie Flack, author of Bunheads 'Don't Think, Dear is an extraordinary book full of poignant storytelling and profound insights. Robb masterfully weaves memoir, reportage, and criticism into a superbly crafted meditation on ballet and its broader cultural impact.' -- Marisa Meltzer, author of Glossy and This is Big 'With intelligence and grace, Alice Robb offers a history of American ballet through the lens of her own nuanced, intimate relationship with a legendary New York City institution. Neither romanticising or decrying the dance world, Robb beautifully explores the push-pull of masochism and perfectionism - preoccupations not just relevant to aspiring dancers, but to anyone who's ever pursued an almost-impossible dream.' -- Ada Calhoun, author of Why We Can't Sleep 'Here is a memoir, a love letter, a cultural history, and a long-awaited reckoning of the most iconic feminine ideal. Robb's intimate and frank examination of ballet's legacy-both in and outside of studios and performance halls-shows us all the many ways it continues to shape our lives and bodies. Chapter to chapter, this book is both brutal and beautiful, like its subject.' -- Sarah Gerard, author of Sunshine State and True Love

'This addictive memoir is a vital account of the intoxicating appeal of ballet as an art form. Alice Robb tells the story of ballet in the twentieth century through her experience at the School of American Ballet and the cult-like legacy of its founding choreographer, George Balanchine, who dictated the lives of his dancers - shaping their bodies, selecting their perfumes, haunting their dreams - inspiring obsession and regret. We are left with the question: can the pursuit of ballet perfection justify the suffering depicted in this book?' -- Rebecca May Johnson, author of Small Fires 'A rigorous yet loving examination of a childhood passion told through a feminist lens. Don't Think, Dear is full of clarity, even about questions that will never get completely clear answers.' -- Rebecca Traister, author of Good and Mad 'I don't think I've ever felt so seen by an author: Alice Robb says aloud the conundrums I've been wrestling with since adolescence but wasn't able to put into words. Her storytelling prowess and sharp analysis help contextualize my own experience in the ballet in a way I didn't realize I needed. I wouldn't trust anyone but Alice Robb in handling a subject so close to my heart.' -- Sophie Flack, author of Bunheads 'Weaving together Robb's own story with her fellow students and ballet icons such as Misty Copeland and Margot Fonteyn, it's an overdue contemporary re-examination of this gruelling artform.' -- The Independent, 'Books to Look Forward to in 2023' 'Don't Think, Dear is an extraordinary book full of poignant storytelling and profound insights. Robb masterfully weaves memoir, reportage, and criticism into a superbly crafted meditation on ballet and its broader cultural impact.' -- Marisa Meltzer, author of Glossy and This is Big 'With intelligence and grace, Alice Robb offers a history of American ballet through the lens of her own nuanced, intimate relationship with a legendary New York City institution. Neither romanticising or decrying the dance world, Robb beautifully explores the push-pull of masochism and perfectionism - preoccupations not just relevant to aspiring dancers, but to anyone who's ever pursued an almost-impossible dream.' -- Ada Calhoun, author of Why We Can't Sleep '[Robb's] timely book is a critical yet personal examination of classical ballet - a performing art highly dependent on the talent of women - filtered through the lens of 21st-century feminism... she brings a welcome academic rigour to a subject clearly born of deeply held emotions.' -- The Times 'Here is a memoir, a love letter, a cultural history, and a long-awaited reckoning of the most iconic feminine ideal. Robb's intimate and frank examination of ballet's legacy-both in and outside of studios and performance halls-shows us all the many ways it continues to shape our lives and bodies. Chapter to chapter, this book is both brutal and beautiful, like its subject.' -- Sarah Gerard, author of Sunshine State and True Love

Author Information

Alice Robb is the author of Why We Dream and a contributing writer for Women in the World, the website launched by Tina Brown in partnership with The New York Times.  From 2013 until early 2015 she was a staff writer at New Republic.  Since then she has been writing regularly for New Statesman and has also contributed to Foreign Policy, Elle, Vice, Bustle, Fusion, Vulture and The Cut. She lives in London.

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