Big Dreams, False Starts, and
My Midlife Quest to Dance the Nutcracker
The moment Kim and I step into The Dancers’ Closet I feel as if I’m in a nine-year-old girls’ fantasy – my fantasy when I was that age: pink tutus hanging on the wall, glittery embellished toe shoes displayed like pieces of art, a gorgeous Black Swan costume hugging a torso-only mannequin, circular racks of brightly colored leotards, some sequined, others feathered. A little girl and her mother are shopping. The girl is prancing around in a sapphire blue leotard with the price tag hanging off one delicate shoulder. Her mother is smiling and nodding, her arms full of other choices, all jewel-toned.
People Magazine Best New Books
This mid-life quest to dance The Nutcracker is both harrowing and hilarious, an exploration of what it means to renounce moderation, test your own limits and raise the bar(re) on your own life.
The Reviews are In…
“Lauren Kessler grand jétés out of her comfort zone in this fascinating, funny, and inspiring book. It’s about dancing The Nutcracker only in passing; the true theme of this extraordinary, galvanizing narrative is how to conquer fear, step up, and summon the courage to pursue excellence at any age.”
—Karen Karbo, The Gospel According to Coco Chanel
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Kessler has a wonderfully self-conscious mettle, not to mention a deft hand with the evocative expression of her inner feelings. An amusingly shrewd memoir of following a lifelong dream.
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Kessler, an author and journalist, was enjoying a very active midlife both professionally and personally when she decided to take up ballet again. This thoughtful shake-up of her autopilot existence brought about a new attitude toward accepting one’s flaws while embracing fear and change. As she pushes her exhausted body further from its comfort zone and closer to opening night, she inspires readers as she realizes that “you can’t feel the thrill unless you take the risk.”
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Breezy…Inspiring…Kessler’s experience…will resonate with lots of readers. Self-reflective and funny, Kessler has an infectious enthusiasm, and her struggle to [find] balance will be amusingly familiar to many.
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[An] adventurous immersion into the subculture of ballet, this is a great, inspirational story for someone who is looking for a push to take that leap and do that thing they have been putting off for a really long time.
“Raising the Barre is not unlike The Nutcracker itself: a delicious confection, a fast-paced romp.”
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