The Dancer Within

April 14, 2008
Photographer and author Eichenbaum trains her lens on 40 dancers in this collection of photographs, short essays and interviews. She covers a wide range of artists, from the worlds of Hollywood, Broadway, ballet and modern dance. While some, such as Rasta Thomas and Ethan Stiefel, are young, most are veterans—Rita Moreno, Cynthia Gregory, Liza Minnelli and Dudley Williams. Despite a certain level of fawning (to Mitzi Gaynor: “Mitzi, you’ve still got it”; to Russ Tamblyn: “You look almost exactly as you did in West Side Story
”), the dancers mostly transcend this with thoughtful comments. The section on Mikhail Baryshnikov is peculiar, relating Eichenbaum’s failed pursuit of an interview and the restrictions placed on her photographing the star. And there are some glaring omissions—no Balanchine ballerinas? So few young dancers? Still, there’s a constant refrain that links the disparate artists together, summarized succinctly by Jean Butler, star of Riverdance
: “At the end of the day, I just want to dance.” This is recommended for dance aficionados. 40 b&w illus.

May 1, 2008
Eichenbaum, who previously profiled choreographers in "Masters of Movement", here presents conversations with and photographs of 40 dancers. They come from various dance areas including ballet (Jacques d'Amboise), modern (Eiko and Koma), Hollywood (Leslie Caron), and Broadway (Joel Grey). The interviews are short (four to five pages) and are accompanied by a black-and-white portrait. Eichenbaum and her subjects explore a dancer's early life, training, feelings during performance, professional and life choices, aging, and legacy. Mitzi Gaynor calls dancers "the pylons of the theater," and Shirley MacLaine considers them "artistic soldiers." Rita Moreno reflects upon the joy of getting a truly great Latina role (Anita in "West Side Story") during an era when Latina roles barely existed. Mikhail Baryshnikov proves elusive to Eichenbaum: she gets a photo but no interview. Russ Tamblyn surmises, "I don't think most people really know what an artist is. You only know when you become onewhen you find your voice and see the world differently." Eichenbaum's compilation is filled with interesting insights from a dancer's perspective and captures the artistic sensibility. It also provides a window for YAs into the art and profession of dance. Recommended for all libraries.Barbara Kundanis, Longmont P.L., CO

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