Throughout her history, the ballerina has been perceived as the embodiment of beauty and perfection? the feminine ideal. But the reality is another story. From the earliest ballerinas in the 17th century-- who often led double lives as concubines-- through the poverty of the corps de ballet dancers in the 1800's and the anorexic and bulimic ballerinas of George Balanchine, starvation and exploitation have plagued ballerinas throughout history. Using...

A firsthand look at the realities of life as a professional ballet dancer, the forces that drive a person to study dance, and the dancer's continual quest to discover who they are as a person and an artist.

Diana White recounts how her dream of becoming a ballerina came true from her first dance class at age four to her work with the New York City Ballet.