With more than three hundred photographs of the New York City Ballet, a workout guide offers a holistic view of exercise using stretches and strengthening exercises, as well as a look at the philosophy of the New York City Ballet company. Simultaneous. Tour. Dancers get their beautiful bodies by dancing, right? Well, there's more to it than that. They also do specific exercises and stretches to build their strength and keep their magnificent physiques injury-free. This book offers 50 of those exercises, ranging from routine abdominal movements to "center exercises" (which develop coordination and stability) to advanced leg movements (which, of course, give you legs like a dancer). The book even offers suggestions for music to play while you follow the training tips. Want to add a little grace and dignity -- not to mention strength and flexibility- -to your workout? Pick up a copy of The New York City Ballet Workout (William Morrow, 1997). With exquisite black and white photos by Richard Corman and Paul Kolnik, the book illustrates the stretches and workout routines used by dancers of the world-renowned New York City Ballet (NYCB). "This is a full-body conditioning workout," says Melinda Roy, a former principal dancers with the NYCB and co-creator of the book. "It will help you strengthen and lengthen your muscles, and improve your posture." -- Fitness, December 1996 Peter Martins was born in Denmark and began his association with the New York City Ballet thirty years ago. George Balanchine appointed him a ballet master in 1981 and since 1990 he has been ballet master in chief. Acclaimed as a dancer and choreographer, he lives in New York City with his wife, Darci Kistler, and their daughter, Talicia. From the Foreword The body is our instrument. One thing to remember is that we all have the same instrument, whether some of us have shaped it into the body of a dancer or not.... When I began to develop a workout based on the principles of New York City Ballet, I kept thinking of Michelangelo's unfinished sculptures that are part stone, part dancer. You want to be a sculptor of your muscles in order to achieve maximum muscle tone. You want to relieve the body of its excesses in order to bring out what's best in yourself. Ballet does not bulk up the body, but rather refines it. That's where dancers differ from other athletes who need to care more about endurance than muscle tone, or about how fast they can get to the ball, or how high they can jump. In ballet you want to develop a given muscle to its fullest without its necessarily showing. That's why we think of the ballet regimen as bodysculpting as opposed to bodybuilding. Dance makes use of normally unused parts of the body. That's why nondancers can benefit from this workout and feel so much better. Many statistics say we only use a small percentage of our brains. I think the same can be said about the body. Dancers' heightened knowledge of them selves and their instrument-their body-gives them the ability to perform not only onstage but also to walk through life with elegance and confidence. Although it is very difficult to define perfection, I think dancers' bodies are as perfect as they come. One evening, while I was still a young dancer, a friend of mine from the company was walking near Lincoln Center with the great choreographer George Balanchine. They began to talk about the shape and balance of dancers' bodies. "Proportion," Mr. Balanchine said, "is everything. That's all that matters. Even the neck has to be perfect." Then he added, "I look for perfect dancers. And I don't have one yet because there is no such thing as perfection. Even your friend Martins is not perfect." "Oh, really, Mr. B. What's wrong with him?" "His knees are one inch too low." Later that night, upon hearing the news, I raced to the mirror and quickly undressed. I was startled. "Oh, my God!" I yelled. "He's right!" Used Book in Good Condition