Who doesn’t love a book under the Christmas tree? Or just as something to enjoy during a quiet weekend. Add to that books about dance and you have the perfect match. So, what are some of the best books on dance for your 2020 reading list?
Best dance books for kids
Strictly Come Dancing Annual 2020
This one is fun for the kids or for any fans of the show. The annual is a great chance to read exclusive interviews with both the dancers and their celebrity partners as well as hear from the judges and presenters. Learn about the dances and how the show is created and generally indulge in your love of Strictly!
Peril en Pointe, Helen Lipscombe
This fun novel is a cross between a ballet story and a detective novel and follows the life of a young lady who thinks her dream of becoming a dancer has gone. But she received an invitation to a ballet school, only to find it is a ballet school – for spies!
Best dance books for teens
Ballet, DK
If you have a teen who is interested in ballet or wants to learn more about the history of the dance, then this visual guide from Dorling Kindersley is the perfect solution. It covers more than 70 of the most well-known ballets, their stories and the dancers who have featured in them. Learn the history of ballet, the people and the places in this definitive history.
The Maddie Diaries: My Story, Maddie Ziegler
Maddie is the teen dance prodigy and Dance Moms star who always wanted to become a star but didn’t know how to do it. In her autobiography, the young star offers her honest and charming account of her rise to fame, the work she had to put in and stories from her life.
Best dance books for adults
In Strictest Confidence, Craig Revel Horwood
Another one for the Strictly fans, the adults anyway, this is number three in Revel Horwood’s autobiography and includes the highlights and downsides of working on the show, his views on the contestants and changes in personnel. He also talks about life away from the show, his own life and the work he does as a director and choreographer.
Darcy Bussell; Evolved
British Ballet’s most famous star and Strictly judge, Darcy Bussell’s latest book is a glimpse inside her life from the photos taken of her during her career. The pictures include on stage, rehearsals, fashion shoots and more and includes images and behind the scenes stories from the most famous photographers including Lord Snowdon and Annie Leibovitz.
Hope in a Ballet Shoe, Michaela DePrince
This autobiography details the story of Michaela DePrince. A child of worn-torn Sierra Leone, she was adopted by an American couple and wants to become a ballet dancer. The book details her life including the racism she faced as a dancer and the many challenges on her way to becoming a star for the Dutch National Ballet at just 19.