© Tarcher/Penquin 2004 Renee Renouf review of 'Attitude!' Alvin Ailey company reviews reviews by Anjuli Bai

However, the questions she seeks to answer are good ones and they are:

How are the talented children who undertake dedicated study of dance different from "ordinary" children?

How does the "environment of concentrated dance study affect individuals differently according to their temperament and background?"

"What makes a talented dancer....?"

"How and how early does dance talent show itself?"

When watching children "How does an expert pick it up?"

What are the roles that families play, genetically and supportively?

How does a life in dance or deciding upon a dance career differ between boys and girls?

In the first chapter the author begins with an audition that is taking place to consider applicants for various scholarships and levels of instruction at the school of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre.  She then opens out her description to include the structure of the school, its levels, capacities, curriculum, historical background, and the expectations it has of its students.  However, the first day of the new semester begins with the morning of the tragedy of September 11th, 2001, so this is no ordinary school year.

One is immediately caught up in the tight schedules of the students at the Ailey school in addition to regular schooling taken at a professional performing high school.  The day begins with dance classes at the high school and then progresses through more classes at the Ailey studios. If on a scholarship/fellowship the students work several hours a week at different tasks, such as aiding teachers or clerical work, as a part of the scholarship contract.  It's a long and difficult day filled with commuting, school work, dance classes at two locations, study and contract fulfillment. 

© Tarcher/Penquin 2004

The author is intrigued with the process of learning, but also how the teachers and others who control the learning process view the students.  She questions how talent is spotted, how it is nurtured and if it is possible to predict success.  Several manifestations of intelligence are discussed: mental as well as physical attributes and in what way these interrelate to produce success in the dancer.  The author explores other essential elements: dedication, focus, desire, and goal orientation.  Discussing dance in particular is not the author's quest it is only the means of her study.  It is examination as to what assets and liabilities go into the entire compendium of attributes necessary to set a career in motion at so young an age.

Eight students are followed through a school year.  Enough of an historical background of each is given for the reader to get a picture of the life that student as well as the goals the student aspires to or changes as the year proceeds. 

Also examined is the atmosphere of the Ailey environment and the adults who create it.  They demand certain discipline from the students, but they also encourage as well as admonish, offering both mentoring and correction.  However, one does get the feeling that in the end the result slips out of the control of the teaching faculty due to outside circumstances.  The students are at the mercy of many stresses and tensions beyond any teacher's ability to foresee or forestall. 

Rather disconcerting is the following.  The author cites a psychological study of male dancers that includes this statement: "male dancers may be reacting to the basic inequalities that exist within the ballet company, since this essentially serves as a showcase for the ballerina, while limiting the male to partnering and occasional moments of technical display."

That statement may have been true fifty years ago, but certainly not today.  Male dancers are eagerly sought from the moment they turn up at the door of a dance school - as even Fishman mentions in previous pages a number of times.  The knowledgeable reader will know that boys and men are given every advantage in progressing in their study of dance to include financial help, coaching, and encouragement.  Most schools and teachers will bring every resource to bear to keep male students in the ballet world. 

I did enjoy the following statement which was used to describe what dance can provide for young people: "structure and release, creative outlet and consistency of routine, and hard work along with expressive play."  In the course of her research the author cited additional positives that await a young student in a focused study of dance.

The milieu of a dance school is used as the place for the author's quest, but this is not a book about dance per se.  I am not sure how one would use the conclusions which the author draws at the end.  However, I would not hesitate to recommend the book to anyone teaching talented children in fields of study where there are so many stresses and demands.  It's a good reminder that the students we see in our classrooms can have a complicated life outside our immediate vision.

A note about the author:
Previously authored two books: "Behind the One-Way Mirror, Psychotherapy and Children" and the "Computer Establishment."  She has written for the Atlantic Monthly, New York, Town and Country, Lingua Franca and other publications.  A member of PEN and a past president of the American Society of Journalists and Authors, the author resides in Brooklyn, New York.

Addenda:  275 pages plus Index and bibliography