Clothed in Movement

Author Siena Cherson Siegel and illustrator Mark Siegel combine their talents to tell a coming-of-age novel about the joys and fears of a ballet dancer. Siena’s life has never been predictable, but what she loves is ballet. As a ballerina she can move and live through music, dreaming of becoming a dancer in the New York City Ballet. When she pushes herself too hard after an injury, her choices may lead to the end of her dreams. Siena must find the strength in herself to find out what she really wants in life, and find her love of dancing again.

Mark Siegel’s art is given a dreamlike quality thorough shades of purple lightly water coloring the background and characters. While each inky figure is sketched in a loose cartoon style. Siena’s visions of ballet are drawn in darker shades, hinting at her out of reach dreams. After her injury, the colors turn to a sad shade of blue until the end where she comes to terms with her past and present. Siena Cherson Siegel does not over burden the story with words, but flows with movement as Siena reflects upon her life. Beautifully describing her passion of ballet in each description of the performances Siena watches.

As Siena grows up her dreams change, and when she loses her passion for dancing Siena struggles with her sense of worth. Including insecurities about her weight, so a bit of a warning for a starvation type eating disorder. Siena’s struggles are relatable as she figures out relationships with her family, friends, and boyfriend. Not all of her choices lead to happy outcomes, but she learns to open up to people when she struggles with the pressure of succeeding. In the end forgiving herself, moving on to find a new passions, and a renewed love of dancing. ( )

The artwork was kind of generic. I did enjoy the purple shades. The story itself was very typical and I kept hoping for more. This is a good inbetween graphic novel to read that is geared towards a younger audience. I would have appreciated this more 15 years ago. Good message though.

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I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. ( )

(Full disclosure: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through Goodreads' Early Reviewers program.)

https://www.flickr.com/photos/smiteme/51795193224/

Siena Cherson Siegel first discovered her love of dance as a seven-year-old, frolicking on the beaches on San Juan. Next came several years of ballet classes, an audition at the prestigious School of American Ballet, and the family's relocation to New York City, so Siena could pursue her passion.

Well, partial relocation; her older brother, Adam, was already attending school in Massachusetts, and her father maintained a home in San Juan, rarely visiting Siena and her mother in NY. Unsurprisingly, the couple would divorce years later. In addition to instilling her with confidence, strength, and a sense of purpose, ballet helped pull Siena through some of the darker periods of her life, including childhood bullying and her parents' contentious relationship.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/smiteme/51793876912/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/smiteme/51794949238/

Then an injury sidelines Siena just as her future looks its brightest. Though her ankle slowly recovers, she's beset by doubt and insecurity. As beautiful as ballet is, Siena starts to wonder if it's worth the tremendous price it demands of its stars. When she finally makes the difficult decision to quit, Siena must forge a new path in a forest of seemingly endless possibilities.

There's a lot to love in TINY DANCER. Even though I'm not really a fan, Cherson Siegel does a commendable job of conveying the allure, artistry, and promise of ballet. Her descriptions are at times breathtaking, and are complemented nicely by Mark Siegel's illustrations (rendered whimsically in shades of purple - my favorite!).

https://www.flickr.com/photos/smiteme/51793876872/

I had hoped to find more inspiration in her journey, perhaps because I've been feeling rather aimless and adrift myself. For whatever reason, though, her injury and subsequent comeback never felt that high stakes to me. Maybe it was because she was so young, with her entire life ahead of her, and her parents (well, mother) supported her and presented her with a ton of options? (Spoiler alert: Cherson Siegel ended up attending college, and I don't think she even graduated that much later in life than if it'd been her expected path all along?) TINY DANCER just failed to inspire and captivate me the way I thought it would, though I suspect that young athletes and ballet aficionados may get more out of Cherson Siegel's story. ( )

This is basically an memoir, which is always hard to judge/review. I did ballet as a kid, but I didn't have this all-consuming passion to dance as Siena did. You can imagine how life-altering it is, when she decides to stop dancing.

I loved the use of purple.

2.5 ( )

Siena Cherson Siegel's graphic memoir isn't bad, but offers little beyond the typical ballet tropes: aspiration, competitive drive, stress, eating disorder, family drama, career-threatening injury, existential crisis. I've seen and read too many ballet dramas to find anything special here, but ballerinas and other young readers will probably find it more interesting.

The art is fine except for the eyes which get all distractingly giant and googly every few panels. ( )