News in Brief

Bettijane Sills’ Memoir of Ballet and Balanchine Released

Broadway, Balanchine, and Beyond, the debut book by SUNY Purchase College dance professor Bettijane Sills, will be released by University of Florida Press this month. The memoir traces Sills’ start as a child actor in television and on Broadway, through her training at Balanchine’s School of American Ballet in her teen years and her time spent climbing the ranks to soloist in New York City Ballet. In her memoir, she writes of working with Balanchine, dancing in the original cast of iconic productions and a historic tour of the Soviet Union during the Cold War. These accounts include explorations of jealousy among company members, body image struggles, Balanchine’s relationships, and growing older in such a physically demanding career.

Bettijane Sills’ Memoir of Ballet and Balanchine Released

Broadway, Balanchine, and Beyond, the debut book by SUNY Purchase College dance professor Bettijane Sills, will be released by University of Florida Press this month. The memoir traces Sills’ start as a child actor in television and on Broadway, through her training at Balanchine’s School of American Ballet in her teen years and her time spent climbing the ranks to soloist in New York City Ballet. In her memoir, she writes of working with Balanchine, dancing in the original cast of iconic productions and a historic tour of the Soviet Union during the Cold War. These accounts include explorations of jealousy among company members, body image struggles, Balanchine’s relationships, and growing older in such a physically demanding career.

A version of this article first appeared in the March issue of ArtsNews, ArtsWestchester’s monthly publication. ArtsNews is distributed throughout Westchester County. A digital copy is also available at artsw.org/artsnews.