Ballet is a sad, sad art form. It's beautiful and it's a lot of hard work, at a young age that can potentially destoy your body. Sad to read about rhuematiod arthritis of author, and ballet dancer. I know of a few people in ballet who have needed joint replacements, which I hear is pretty common and career ending at a much younger age than the general population,

I read this book thanks to NetGalley. I jump into it the moment I read the description, I've been reading ballet-related books, especially biographies more often since I enjoy a lot the different views of this hard and beautiful world.
I had some problems following the rhythm of the book since there are many moments involved in it. In general, I enjoyed the perspective of a retired dancer and her new life trying to stay in ballet teaching and writing.
I also enjoyed a lot the reference to the ABT NTC, the histories about Raymond Lukens, I felt very touched since I made my certification some years ago, I felt very connected with the writer at this point.
Thank you so much to the editorial and NetGalley for the opportunity.

This slim volume of personal essays dive into the author's love of dance, her growth as a dancer, her grief from the rheumatoid arthritis that caused her to be unable to dance, dealing with a disease that takes away the effortless control she had of her body as a dancer, and her (slow, messy, hesitant) rebirth as a writer and teacher and what it means to be more indirectly involved with the art that she loves. It felt like there were a few too many nostalgic "Dancer as self-doubting teenager" essays (although her chronicle of her time in Russia is great), but I was impressed that she avoided the cliché redemption motif when writing about her current teaching. What shines through in all of these stories in the joy in the work and the learning and the self-expression that seems common both to good writing and good dancing.

What a beautiful debut from Renee Nicholson. As a dancer myself, I definitely understood and related heavily to the author's struggles. I love that this was a true story, and that she is still involved in the dance community, in a different way than maybe she imagined. Rooting for you, Renee!

As a woman who grew through childhood training to become a ballet dancer under the tutelage of ‘Madame’, who herself trained at the Royal School of Ballet in London, I loved Renée K. Nicholson’s beautiful and candid memoir-in-essays, ‘Fierce and Delicate’.

As a seven-year-old girl I dreamed of becoming a prima ballerina dancing at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden. My childhood dreams were shortlived when ‘Madame’ advised me that I was too short to become a ballerina.

Thinking back on the many ballets I’ve watched and all I’ve read, it’s highly unlikely that I would’ve had the discipline, stamina, fierceness and passion in the face of relentless physical exhaustion and pain to live the life of a professional dancer. Nicholson writes about her dancing career being cut short by the development of rheumatoid arthritis and how this necessitated adjustments to her life.

Her lyrical and relentlessly honest essay collection is an exercise in fine reading whether or not you’ve had any dancing experience. If you would like to learn more about the lives of dancers, I highly recommend ‘Fierce and Delicate’.

Renée E. D’Aoust, the author of ‘Body of a Dancer’ writes: “Many dancers wrestle with one of the central questions of Renée Nicholson’s fabulous book: How does one live as an ex-dancer? The answers Nicholson explores will strongly resonate with those who long to lift the veil that shrouds creative pursuits in unnecessary mystique. I love Nicholson’s powerful prose: how the essays circle in and out of dance, the way movement comes alive on the page, and the articulate grace with which Nicholson writes about sudden disability. In ‘Fierce and Delicate’, Nicholson teaches us how to envelop our impossible dreams with gratitude for the life we have now.”

At the head of the author’s website are the words “create something extraordinary”. I believe she has done this with her essay collection.

A huge thank you to @NetGalley and @WVUPRESS for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. As a former ballet dancer myself I was taken back to early days of dance classes. I found it so relatable. The author captures the beauty and grace yet at the same time capturing all the contradictions of the reality of the work and sweat and competition.

I loved this quote from her, "Ballet sets an impossible standard. It is erotic. Beguiling. Sexy. Demure. Slender. Extended. Driven. A composed surface, insecurity underneath. As a dancer I loved and hated myself."

She writes beautifully and I would read another memoir from her if she writes one.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this in exchange for an honest review.
I was shocked when I read the reviews for this book- this was a touching, heart wrenching, and thoughtful memoir of a difficult relationship with ballet, and that is a rare thing. It is a memoir, it's not a study or scientific paper; it is a brutally honest set of memories of an artform that often decimates its artists.
Nicholson doesn't hide her challenges and setbacks, she doesn't make ballet appear as an angelic and easy path to take, as so many do. (We often see the "I just worked really really hard and it happened" narrative.) She also celebrates what she has learned and gained from ballet, and the positives that we can all take away from it.
I could not put this book down, and whether you are a dancer or someone interested in ballet, this is book you need to read!

A beautifully written book about the two sides of being a ballerina. The beauty of the performance, the elegance and grace. The flip side, hard work, performing with pain, concentration, torture. Great story!

Fierce and Delicate is Nicholson's memoir meditating on her life as a dancer and as someone whose early rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis cut short her plans to dance professionally. The biggest issue I had with Fierce and Delicate is that it often felt like Nicholson skirted away from making meaningful connections. There was a shallowness to both the essays individually and the collection as a whole that left me wanting. Also, in the earliest chapters detailing her younger life, mentions of pedophilia/grooming and disordered eating were so casually cast that they bordered on not taking such issues seriously. Overall, I felt that more engagement in the text was necessary for this to be a truly standout memoir.

This book is about Renee's journey from being a baby ballerina to a professional to giving it all up because her RA then finding herself in other ways.

The description promises a bit more drama glamour and emphasis on the ballerina phase but in reality much of it is focused on the post-ballet days - finding her new niche. This was a quick read and I always love ballet stories - I understand how strong ballerinas are and how hard the battle to become a professional is. The essays felt a little bit forced, like the writer wanted to create drama and emphasis where it didn't need to be..it felt like she was trying a bit too hard.

I do appreciate her journey and all that she has accomplished, this series of essays just felt a tad flat for me.

Dance, illness, theater, writing, non-fiction, essays.

* I received an arc in exchange for an honest review*

I wanted to read this book because I’m a former dancer, and I was excited to access a personal account of a retired ballerina’s career and life. This book brings up a lot of the negative things that come along with dance, such as body image issues and pain from overuse. The unglamorous parts of the dance world are important to understand and this narrative goes into the impacts of that world after one is no longer dancing. It’s a good choice to read if you don’t know much about dance, or if you know a lot about dance. However, the essays are dark and it is not an uplifting read. I’m impressed that the author reflected on and shared such personal experiences.

I got this book for the ballet. To get a look behind the curtain and what it actually takes to make it to the stage. The teachers, the training, the dieting, the abuse on the body, mind and soul. The other dancers, the mayhem backstage, the mayhem on stage, what happens when someone falls. The costumes, the patrons, the men, the lavish parties afterwards.

I'm glad all of this was touched on lightly but I really wanted more. The majority of this book is about the author's illness and her journey after ballet. It would definitely be an encouraging read for those going through a similar experience, to know that there is life after dance and there is also life when living with a chronic illness.

*Thank you to the West Virginia University Press, the author and NetGalley for granting me access to an e-arc in exchange for an honest review

This book is about a girl’s adventures while studying ballet. She later is diagnosed with RA and she shares her struggles through the failings of her body and how that changes her ability to perform. This story truly spoke to me as a former dancer. I was raised in the world of dance, and the author does an excellent job of describing the equal parts stress and love for this art form. Anyone who has dealt with injury or disability can relate, but what set this book apart for me was how I empathized with her since I know as a dancer it is such a therapeutic outlet and to have that taken away was crushing.