TINY DANCER

An exploration of one girl’s changing relationship with ballet.

Fans of the author’s 2006 graphic memoir, To Dance, will enjoy revisiting her life. As a girl in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in 1974, Siena began taking ballet classes, reveling in the strength and freedom she found in the art form. Eventually, she auditioned for a spot at the School of American Ballet and began training in New York City, where she made friends, relished the opportunity to immerse herself in ballet, and dreamed of dancing for the New York City Ballet. But as Siena grew older, her attitude toward ballet was no longer so uncomplicated, straining her relationships with her friends and her mother, who was embroiled in her parents’ bitter divorce, and causing her to question what her future would really hold. Through straightforward prose and narration, this work shows many of the highs and lows of ballet. While the narrative never veers into the melodramatic, it nevertheless portrays the complicated feelings that come with early dedication to this craft, including issues with body image, injury, and more. Small moments, such as mastering a step—but only on one side of the body—ring especially true. Evocative, purple-toned illustrations bring to life both the dynamism of ballet and the fearful images lurking within Siena’s head. Siena’s father came from Cuba; her mother’s ethnicity is not specified.

An understated and utterly believable account of a personal and creative journey.