Illustrations and rhyming text celebrate boys who dance, from their very first day of stretching at the barre while dreaming of the exciting roles they might one day play.--

"Open the envelope to discover [one's] very own invitation to the ballet, asking [the reader] to take a tour and peek behind the scenes to see what goes on between performances. Explore the lesser known areas of the theatre, such as the shoe room, the rehearsal studio and the healthcare suite. Open the gatefolds to display the costume department, the set-building workshops and a performance live on stage. Learn about famous ballets such as Romeo and...

"From a desperately poor village in northeast China, to a career that took him across the world, this is the incredible story of Li Cunxin -- a story that almost vanished, like so many other peasants' lives, amid revolution and chaos. At age eleven, Li was chosen by Madame Mao's cultural delegates to be taken from his rural home and brought to Beijing, where he would study ballet. In 1979, the young dancer arrived in Texas as part of a cultural exchange,...

An introduction to ballet features facts on the dance discipline's history, basic steps, costumes, and famous dancers, and includes details of iconic performances from the Royal Ballet.