About this item
Highlights
- "Dancing makes you feel heaps better" - DianaIn 1981, after the wedding of the century, Anne Allan, a dancer, and ballet mistress with the London City Ballet, was offered an unusual assignment.
- Author(s): Anne Allan
- 206 Pages
- Biography + Autobiography, Royalty
Description
Book Synopsis
"Dancing makes you feel heaps better" - Diana
In 1981, after the wedding of the century, Anne Allan, a dancer, and ballet mistress with the London City Ballet, was offered an unusual assignment. Her Royal Highness Diana, the Princess of Wales, wanted dance lessons. Would Anne be her teacher?
Anne and her royal pupil were soon meeting at a private studio for the first of hundreds of secret weekly one-hour lessons that were never on the princess's official schedule and never be discovered by the ever-lurking press. Under Anne's direction, Diana mounted her spectacular debut on the stage of Covent Garden, videotaped a solo performance at Her Majesty's Theatre, and made clandestine backstage visits to ballets and West End shows for the Princess to get as close as she could to the lives and work of real dancers.
Over the course of nine years, teacher and pupil became close friends. Diana appreciated having an outsider to whom she could speak candidly about her personal challenges and her place in the royal world. They would talk, laugh, cry, and-always--dance.
Most importantly, Diana learned to express her true self in physical movement. By her last class, the Princess had learned to carry herself with confidence, poise, and grace, both inside and outside the studio. Dance, says Anne, had "nourished and renewed her soul."
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR
"I have often been bitterly disappointed with interviews regarding the Princess. There was always so much more to this incredible woman than what was depicted. I hope that anyone reading the book will appreciate this fresh look at the more personal side of Diana, enjoy hearing stories about our friendship and share in our fun times, as well as finding a deeper understanding of just how extraordinary she was." -Anne Allan
Review Quotes
Canadian ballet dancer, and former Artistic Director of the National Ballet of Canada
"In Dancing with Diana, Anne Allan offers an intimate look into the princess's private world through dance... The memoir captures how their lessons provided Diana with both joy and solace amid royal life." -PEOPLE Magazine
"In Dancing with Diana, Anne Allan provides an intimate look into her nine-year relationship with Princess Diana, sharing personal moments and struggles... The memoir captures both the joy and heartache Diana experienced, offering a deeper understanding of her humanity." --VANITY FAIR
"Dancing With Diana offers a deeply personal and emotional insight into Princess Diana's life... Allan's memoir reveals the royal's vulnerability, particularly regarding her troubled marriage to Prince Charles, making it a poignant and heartfelt read." --Mirror UK
"Dancing With Diana unveils the poignant, behind-the-scenes moments of Princess Diana's life through the eyes of her dance teacher, Anne Allan. This memoir reveals Diana's heartfelt confessions and the solace she found in ballet, offering a unique and touching perspective on the royal's personal struggles and emotional battles." --Daily Mail UK