Hope (Indigo Ballet #2) by Grier Cooper

Indigo is living the life she’s always imagined at the famed New York School of Ballet. Or is she? Although she hopes she’ll be chosen for the company, her ballet teachers aren’t talking and their silence is confusing.

Description:

Published: April 26th, 2016

Indigo is living the life she’s always imagined at the famed New York School of Ballet. Or is she? Although she hopes she’ll be chosen for the company, her ballet teachers aren’t talking and their silence is confusing.

When Indigo is singled out for a coveted solo she feels her dreams are finally within reach, until she finds out she’s dancing with Felipe Gonzalez, the school’s smolderingly hot rising star. In the days that follow, Indigo questions everything she thought was true and finds herself making surprising choices.

After a fateful piece of paper reveals the truth, Indigo must ask herself the hardest question of all: can she take control of her own future to create the life she wants?

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Real & Fiction 

One of my favorite parts about writing the Indigo Ballet Series is the chance to share an insider's perspective on what it's like to be a professional dancer, so it's not necessary to know anything about ballet before you read HOPE. Ballet has brought me many places in the world, from New York to Israel, from San Francisco to Ecuador. It's a lot of fun to weave little tidbits of my dance life into my books. Whether you're a seasoned pro, look back fondly on the years you spent in ballet classes, have a secret wish to be a dancer...or none of the above, this is ultimately a story written for young adults (and there's a glossary in the back to help you decipher any ballet terminology).

You don't have to be a dancer to relate to a story about finding your place, figuring out who your friends are, and navigating the highs and lows of dating. These themes are all explored in HOPE. But you'll also get to read about what it's like to wear pointe shoes, and compete for a position in a prestigious dance company while you're still in high school.

Here's are a couple of interesting facts about the reality of ballet: 

• Most dancers have to decide if they want a ballet career before they begin high school. Many move away from home to study dance at top ballet schools in cities like New York, San Francisco, and Miami.

• The School of American Ballet conducts an annual 20-city tour where over 2,000 dancers compete for 200 spots for the Summer Intensive. Only a small percentage of these Summer Course students are invited to become permanent students. From that group approximately 20 students each year sign contracts with companies across the U.S. and around the world.

• Most dancers are working in professional ballet companies before they turn 20. Most retire in their late 30s or early 40s.

Ultimately HOPE is a story about discovering your inner strength and going for your dreams without losing yourself. And hey, you might learn some ballet terminology while you're at it.

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About the author:

Grier began ballet lessons at age five and left home at fourteen to study at the School of American Ballet in New York. She has performed on three out of seven continents with companies such as San Francisco Ballet, Miami City Ballet, and Pacific Northwest Ballet, totaling more than thirty years of experience as a dancer, teacher and performer.

Her work has been praised as “poignant and honest” with “emotional hooks that penetrate deeply.” She writes and blogs about dance in the San Francisco Bay Area and has interviewed and photographed a diverse collection dancers and performers including Clive Owen, Nicole Kidman, Glen Allen Sims and Jessica Sutta. She is the author of Build a Ballerina Body and The Daily Book of Photography.

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