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Holding on to the Air - An autobiography by Suzanne Farrell and Toni Bentley. Suzanne Farrell is one of the greatest dancers of all times and Toni Bentley is one of the greatest writers of ballet books, so it has a lot going for it but it does bog down a little near the end. Still it’s a very fine read.

Once a Dancer - Allegra Kent details her dance career with lots of anecdotes about herself and other well-known dancers with the New York City Ballet. Like many autobiographies it entertains and bores in equal parts. You can buy a used copy on Amazon for as little as $3.45.

The Unmaking of a Dancer - Joan Brady - This is the biography of a woman who danced with Balanchine and didn't like it. It's another expose of the hardships, backbiting and tears of ballet with very few of the joys. But it is the real story of a woman who lived it.

Dancing on my Grave - Gelsey Kirkland wrote this autobiography and it ranks as the steamiest, most interesting book written by a ballet dancer ever. She was a principal dancer with the New York City Ballet and the ABT in the 1970s and a long time dance partner (as well as lover) of Mikhail Baryshnikov. Although the book near the end becomes somewhat like a journey into The Bell Jar when Kirkland has a mental breakdown, it does make for wild reading. This is sex, drugs and ballet.

Winter Season: A Dancer's Journal — A beautifully written book by dancer Toni Bentley describing a year with the New York City Ballet and Ballanchine. It’s the kind of book you always wished a ballet dancer would write and here it is.

Blood Memory - Martha Graham - The maven of modern dance's only book, dictated in the months just before her death in 1991 at age 96.

Martha: The Life and Work of Martha Graham - Agnes DeMille - An excellent biography written by Martha's friend and noted choreographer Agnes DeMille. Described as "eye-opening, riveting, enlightening, and uplifting."

Life in Dance - Darcey Bussell - Hard to find but interesting autobiography.

Mao's Last Dancer - Li Cunxin - From a poor village in northeast China, at age eleven, Li Cunxin was chosen by Madame Mao's cultural delegates to be brought to Beijing to study ballet. In 1979, the young dancer arrived in Texas as part of a cultural exchange, only to fall in love with America-and with an American woman. Two years later, through a series of events worthy of the most exciting cloak-and-dagger fiction, he defected to the United States. This is his story.

Margot Fonteyn: A Life - Meredith Daneman - Margot Fonteyn (1919–1991) earned her title of prima ballerina assoluta with her elegant presence, exquisite musicality and eloquent line. She was Frederick Ashton's muse, Rudolf Nureyev's partner and, for more than 40 years, the ideal of the English ballet style. As Daneman relates in this admiring and compulsively readable biography, well before forging her partnership with Nureyev, Fonteyn was a star, Britain's "Queen of Ballet." A fascinating life and book.

Margot Fonteyn: Autobiography - Margot Fonteyn - The fascinating autobiography by one of the most fascinating women ever to dance.

Dance Anecdotes: Stories from the Worlds of Ballet, Broadway, the Ballroom, and Modern Dance - Mindy Aloff - a marvelous collection of stories by and about dancers, including George Balanchine, Fred Astaire, Margot Fonteyn, Rudolf Nureyev, Savion Glover, Martha Graham, Bob Fosse, Cyd charisse, Gene Kelly, mark Morris and Lola Montez, and also stars from other arts--such as Akira Kurosawa and Bob Dylan--who have spoken about dancing with wit or illumination.

Vera Volkova: A Biography - Alexander Meinertz - Vera Volkova was central to the European ballet world for almost four decades as advisor, friend and, above all, teacher to iconic figures from dancers Margot Fonteyn, Erik Bruhn and Rudolf Nureyev to choreographers Sir Frederick Ashton and John Neumeier. Now this biography reveals Volkova's life and legacy. Brought up in Imperial St Petersburg, Volkova was one of the students upon whom Agrippina Vaganova developed her famous system.

Nureyev: The Life - Julie Kavanagh - Rudolf Nureyev (1938–1993) made headlines when he defected from Russia in 1961. His onstage partnership with the Royal Ballet's ballerina assoluta Margot Fonteyn received legendary acclaim. Formerly a Kirov star, trained by the famed ballet teacher Alexander Pushkin and inspired by Nijinsky and Stanislavsky, he shocked and seduced the West with his charismatic stage presence and his passionate, sometimes rough-edged dancing.

Irina: Ballet, Life And Love - Irina Baronova - Born in St. Petersburg in 1919 and narrowly evading the Russian Revolution, Baronova and her parents escaped to Bucharest, where she learned ballet. Spotted by George Balanchine, she became, at age 13, one of his three famous "baby ballerinas" with the Ballet Russe. As an actress in Hollywood, and then as a star with American Ballet Theatre, Baronova continued to work and play with luminaries Yul Brynner, Clark Gable, Laurence Olivier and Marilyn Monroe.

Leonide Massine and the 20th Century Ballet - Leslie Norton - A biography of Massine and a detailed analysis of his major ballets, including those for Diaghilev's Ballets Russes, the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, and American Ballet Theatre. The work integrates biographical study with an examination of Massine's works from an array of perspectives such as music, set design, and literary sources, as well as opera and theater of the period.

Getting Closer: A Dancer's Perspective - Rosalie O'Connor - An intimate look at one of America's greatest dance companies, a glimpse of unforgettable moments both behind the curtain and onstage during the author’s 15 years with the company

Ballet School of the Bolshoi Theatre - Yelena Bocharnikova - The first book about the Ballet School of the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. Its authors, Yelena Bocharnikova, the school's principal, and Mikhail Gabovich, art director, graduated from the school in the twenties and after successful careers on the Bolshoi Theatre stage returned to their alma mater to train new generations of ballet dancers.

In the Company of Stars: The Paris Opera Ballet - Gerard Uferas - For sheer beauty, this book of photographs is a collector's dream. All the delicacy and elegance of the artists of the Ballet de Opera de Paris backstage, onstage, in the wings, in rehearsal and on tour in Japan have been brought together as a tapestry of the company's repertoire since 2003.

In Classic Style: The Splendor of American Ballet Theatre - Nancy Ellison, Kevin Mckenzie – This over-sized, deluxe volume celebrating the exquisite spectacle that embodies the excellence of American Ballet Theatre, recognized by Congress as "America’s national ballet company," presents the unfolding beauty, grace, agility, and sheer force of its most recent productions.

Put Your Best Foot Forward: A Young Dancer's Guide to Life - Suki Schorer - An inspirational gift book for any girl who ever took dance classes and dreamed of being a ballerina. The book is a unique collection of wisdom and illustration, of life lessons set against a backdrop of dramatic full-color photographs of young dancers and whimsical, theatrical watercolors.

In Balanchine's Company: A Dancer's Memoir - Barbara Fisher - During her twelve years with Ballet Society and the New York City Ballet, Barbara Milberg Fisher worked under the direction of George Balanchine. She danced leading roles in Swan Lake and Illuminations, and performed in celebrated world premieres. In this memoir, she shares her recollections of Balanchine, his craft and his values, and lends insight into surprising aspects of his personality. Rich in anecdote, insight, and humor, it offers a unique perspective on one of ballet's giants.

Botany, Ballet and Dinner from Scratch: A Memoir with Recipes - Leda Meredith - Autobiographical tale of life of Leda Meredith who was a principal dancer with the Jennifer Muller/The Works, is now a professor of dance at Adelphi University, and is also a certified botanist. The book comes with recipes. Dancers can do anything.

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