{"product_id":"9780738218328","title":"Raising the Barre: Big Dreams, False Starts, and My Midlife Quest to Dance the Nutcracker","description":"Like generations of little girls, Lauren Kessler fell in love with ballet the first time she saw \u003ci\u003eThe Nutcracker\u003c\/i\u003e, and from that day, at age five, she dreamed of becoming a ballerina. But when she was twelve, her very famous ballet instructor crushed those dreams-along with her youthful self-assurance-and she stepped away from the barre.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFast forward four decades. Lauren-suddenly, powerfully, itchingly restless at midlife-embarks on a \"Transcontinental \u003ci\u003eNutcracker\u003c\/i\u003e Binge Tour,\" where attending a string of performances in Chicago, New York, Boston, and San Francisco reignites her love affair with the ballet-and fuels her girlhood dream.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhat ensues is not only a story about \u003ci\u003eThe Nutcracker\u003c\/i\u003e itself, but also an inside look at the seemingly romantic-but oh-so-gritty-world of ballet, about all that happens away from the audience's eye that precedes the magic on stage. It is a tale told from the perspective of someone who not only loves it, but is also seeking to live it. Lauren's quest to dance \u003ci\u003eThe Nutcracker\u003c\/i\u003e with the Eugene Ballet Company tackles the big issues: fear, angst, risk, resilience, the refusal to \"settle in\" to midlife, the refusal to become yet another Invisible Woman. It is also a very funny, very real look at what it's like to push yourself further than you ever thought you could go-and what happens when you get there.","brand":"Da Capo Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47076860723440,"sku":"9780738218328","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9780738218328_p0.jpg?v=1763629689","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9780738218328","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}