California State Long Beach Dance Professor Lorin Johnson set out to bridge the gap between technique and history in his new book, Ballet Practice and History (Oxford University Press Academic US, 2026.). The book is designed for new dancers; college level and adult beginners. The approach is novel. The first third of the book is a technical manual, with actual classes, intended to be taken accompanied by provided videos. The second third is an overview of ballet history, concluding with the current ballet landscape. The premise is ambitious, but this reviewer questions whether or not the book actually works.
Book Cover – Photo courtesy of the author.
The opening chapters are designed to introduce ballet practice to beginners. It is a bit ambiguous if the intention is to replace a beginning class or to prepare for it. As an introduction to prepare a student for a Ballet One in a university setting, it could be a helpful supplement. This is how the section concludes, with proper caveats. Professor Johnson is an experienced educator and the exercises are appropriate to a beginning ballet student. The photos and dancers represent a lovely cross section of well-trained university dance majors. The classes are well laid out, with the purpose, action, and “performance cues” identified for each step. The classes progress from simple plié and tendu combinations facing the barre to a full class that devotes from pliés at the barre, to a full grande allegro in center. The concept of a coda is also addressed. Each of the eight classes is augmented with photos of concepts and vocabulary at the end of the chapter. Finally, there are videos to help guide the student, but they are difficult to access. They are only available via the publisher’s site. They did not always load easily, and if you have the hard copy book, would be even more inaccessible. If the student is using these classes to augment in person training, they could be beneficial, but if students expect to fully grasp what a ballet class is and to gain facility as a dancer, these eight classes are not sufficient and progress too quickly. Giving advice that continuing asynchronous classes online as a substitute for in person study may give students a false sense of possibility.
Image from “Ballet Practice and History” by Lorin Johnson – Photo courtesy of the author.
In addition to the technical instruction, there are nods to many of the issues that are currently prevalent in the dance landscape. These issues are not fully explored, which seemingly lessens their importance. Undergarments are addressed in regard to male identifying dancers, but not female or non-binary. Cultural appropriation is touched on in both the technical and historical sections of the book, but with no more depth than a magazine article. The dearth of female choreographers is also touched upon, but the source is a 2016 New York Times article, rather than one of the numerous available and more timely studies.
Image from “Ballet Practice and History” by Lorin Johnson – Photo courtesy of the author.
The history section, which covers the second two thirds of the book, is a bit stronger, but also suffers from some superficiality. Once again, this is a small volume, and to cover 700 years of history is impossible when only a few paragraphs are devoted to each era. This could pique interest in further study and gives a good overview of the trajectory of ballet history. The photos are complementary and show today’s stars in classic and romantic roles. A standout section covers the shift from romanticism to classical ballet and then again to modern interpretations of those foundational works.
Image from “Ballet Practice and History” by Lorin Johnson – Photo courtesy of the author.
There is a place for Ballet Practice and History in some curriculums, particularly overview courses that are not intended for dance majors. Those who want more than a cursory understanding of the art form will have to look elsewhere.
Lorin Johnson – Photo by Lisa Johnson.
To purchase a copy of Lorin Johnson’s Ballet Practice and History, please click HERE.
Written by Nancy Dobbs Owen for LA Dance Chronicle.
Featured image: Image from “Ballet Practice and History” by Lorin Johnson – Photo courtesy of the author.
