The first in a series that introduces three major dance families: ballet, hip-hop, and jazz, from a world-renowned early childhood educator and performer.
This first introduction to classical dance begins with a simple explanation of what defines a classical dancer. Young readers are then invited on a global exploration of different classical dances, from ballet to synchronized swimming to Kabuki; the ways dancers move; and who they move with.
This encouraging dance series will inspire young children to dance in their home or in their community, in socks or ballet shoes, and alone or with others. Dr. Rekha S. Rajan is a musical theater and operatic performer, an arts educator, a music teacher, a professor, a dancer, and the author of six academic books and over twenty articles on arts and education. She holds a doctorate in music education from Teachers College, Columbia University, a master's in early childhood education, and a bachelor's in vocal performance from Roosevelt University. She is the recipient of several grants, including awards from the Chicago Community Trust, and is the principal investigator on a two-year research grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. She has also written for several publications, including the Journal of Dance Education, about how dance benefits children's social-emotional development.
Ariela Rudy Zaltzman is a multilingual and multicultural children's literature expert. She is the translator of several books and is also the coauthor of the flight anxiety journal Why Are We Inside a Cloud? Ariela was born and raised in Mexico City, Mexico, and now lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Chris Park has been a professional illustrator for over twelve years. Some of his previous clients include TBS, Team Coco, Rolling Stone, American Greetings Co., Cloudco Entertainment, Pro Publica, Sleeping Bear Press, Usborne Publishing, and Lightspeed Magazine. He coauthored and illustrated his debut picture book, Little Sock, with his wife, Kia. Chris lives in Minnesota with his wife and two sons.
