41. To Dance: A Ballerina's Graphic Novel by Siena Cherson Siegel

TO DANCE: A BALLERINA'S GRAPHIC NOVEL by Siena Cherson Siegel (Atheneum Books, 2006)

Artwork by Mark Siegel

GENRE: Graphic Novel / Memoir

HONORS: Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Honor, ALA Notable Children’s Book, Beehive Award Master List

REVIEW:

As a young child growing up in Puerto Rico, Siena always loved to dance and, when the opportunity came to enroll in dance classes, she jumps at the chance.  After attending a performance of the Bolshoi Ballet, Siena cannot stop thinking about the prima ballerina as the dying swan and she realizes that she wants to become a ballerina.  Through her hard work and dedication, Siena is accepted at the School of American Ballet in New York.  Although it puts some strain on her family, they all move to New York so Siena can attend.  With her parents on the verge of divorce, Siena finds refuge in the ballet studio.  Attending the School of American Ballet until she is eighteen, an ankle injury helps Siena decide to go to college and experience new things.  However, she discovers that dancing fills a void in her and, even though she is not a prima ballerina, she still needs to dance.

OPINION:

Although I would have liked to learn more about Siena’s life outside of ballet, I’ve come to realize that the purpose of this graphic novel is to show the reader how she fell in love with dance and the journey on which it has taken her.  This is an enjoyable story that any young girl that wants to be a ballerina or loves going to ballets will love.  The illustrations are simply beautiful with many of the panels exuding the emotions that Siena is feeling.  In the drawings of Siena watching the ballet from the side of the stage, the colors and facial expressions convey the passion she feels for it as it seems to take her to another world.  To Dance gives a realistic view of ballerinas, showing the hours of practice, as well as the pain and injuries that come along with it.  Many tween girls will enjoy learning about Siena’s story, relating to her struggles in her home life and living vicariously through transformation into a ballerina.

IDEAS:

This would be a good choice for a library display of graphic novels for tween girls.  Also, a library program could be set up for tweens to read about different types of dance, with this graphic novel as one of them, and a dance instructor could lead a class, teaching them several of the dance techniques they have read about.