Janet Collins wanted to be a ballerina in the 1930s and '40s, a time when racial segregation was widespread in the United States. From her early childhood lessons to the height of her success as the first African-American prima ballerina in the Metropolitan Opera, this is the story in rhyme of her artistic career.

"As a young girl in Cuba, Alicia Alonso practiced ballet in tennis shoes. Within a few years, she was in New York City, with a promising ballet career. But her eyesight began to fail. When Alicia needed surgeries to save her vision, dancing was impossible, but she wouldn't give up her dream. She found the strength and determination to return to the stage and become a prima ballerina. This is the true story of a woman who overcame her challenges, mastered...

As the first African American woman to become a principal dancer for a major ballet company, Misty Copeland has broken barriers in the world of dance. Biography fans will learn about Copeland's rise from challenging circumstances to premier ballerina, including her childhood, her early dance lessons, and difficulties she overcame. Fast facts and intriguing sidebars teach students about Misty Copeland's influences, her perseverance, and the ways she...

Text and photographs present the activities at a ballet studio where young children warm up, practice the five basic positions, exercise at the barre, and watch teenage ballet dancers perform.

Presents the life of the African-American dancer, describing her childhood, her ballet training, and her work with the American Ballet Theatre.

Ready to Fly is the true story of Sylvia Townsend, an African American girl who falls in love with ballet after seeing Swan Lake on TV. Although there aren't many ballet schools that will accept a girl like Sylvia in the 1950s, her local bookmobile provides another possibility. A librarian helps Sylvia find a book about ballet and the determined seven-year-old, with the help of her new books, starts teaching herself the basics of classical ballet....

In illustrations and rhyme describes the dancing of Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, one of the most famous tap dancers of all times.

"At the age of three, Michaela DePrince found a photo of a ballerina that changed her life. She was living in an orphanage in Sierra Leone at the time, but was soon adopted by a family and brought to America. Michaela never forgot the photo of the dancer she once saw, and quickly decided to make her dream of becoming a ballerina come true."--Amazon.com.

Belinda competes with a very ambitious new dancer for the title role in the ballet "Cinderella."

When Belinda's magnificently large ballet shoes get lost en route to Paris, she must find another pair before her performance in the Paris Opera.