Prodigal Son - by Edward Villella (Paperback)

About the Book

As critics and audiences alike will testify, there has never been an American ballet dancer like Edward Villella. Now the greatest male star in the history of American ballet reveals his tempestuous life in the tough world of dance--and his struggle to earn the respect of master choreographer George Balanchine. 32 pages of photographs.

Book Synopsis

A leading advocate for the arts in America and recent recipient of the 1997 National Medal of the Arts, the 1997 Kennedy Center Honors, and the George Abbott Carbonell Award for Achievement, Edward Villella was recently inducted into the State of Florida Artist Hall of Fame. Villella also received the Frances Holleman Breathitt Award for Excellence for his contributions to the arts and to education, the thirty-eighth annual Capezio Dance Award, and Award for Lifetime Achievement, becoming only the fourth dance personality to receive National Endowment for the Arts advisory artistic director of the Miami City Ballet, which has won worldwide acclaim under his direction.

Review Quotes

A welcome addition to Balanchine chronicles. Frank, fair, earthy, direct . . . A true prodigal, Villella emerges triumphant from Balanchine's unique academy of hard knocks.-- "Publishers Weekly"

Villella appears as his immensely talented, intelligent, self-absorbed, and opinionated self: a clear-eyed account of a most remarkable career in a remarkable time.-- "Kirkus Reviews"

About the Author

Edward Villella is America's most celebrated male dancer, associated with many of the greatest roles in the New York City Ballet repertory.