A Dance Like Starlight: One Ballerina’s Dream

While this book is not strictly categorized as “poetry,” the author is a poet, and the text of this book reads like free verse, as with this description of a ballet performance:

"When she glides onto the stage,
I don’t know
if I am dreaming,
if I am even breathing,
because she doesn’t seem to touch the floor.
She twirls and
my heart jumps up from where I’m sitting,
soaring, dancing,
opening wide with the swell of the music.”

The story is narrated by a fictional young African American girl in New York in the 1950's who dreams of becoming a prima ballerina. Her mother cleans and sews costumes for a ballet school, and the little girl dances in the wings as she waits for Mama. The Ballet Master lets her join lessons from the back of the show more room, but she is not allowed to perform on the stage with white girls.

One day she catches bits of a story in a newspaper about Janet Collins: “first colored prima ballerina… Metropolitan Opera House.”

Mama uses half the money she saved for a new sewing machine to take her daughter to see Janet Collins perform, and they are both inspired:

"Mama and I dance our way home
under the night sky,
and I don’t even try
to catch a glimpse of the first star.
no need to waste my wishes.
I’ve got dreams coming true.”

The award-winning illustrator, Floyd Cooper, known for his use of warm tones and historical accuracy, is the perfect choice for this story. His technique of “subtraction” to erase shapes from a background of paint, softens the pictures and gives them a gauzy quality, adding to the sense that this is a story from the past.

Discussion: Before you get to the Author’s Note at the conclusion of the book about who Janet Collins was and when she danced, there is no indication this story takes place in the early 1950’s. The Note provides brief background information on Ms. Collins, born in 1917 in Louisiana, who became the first African American to be hired full-time by the Metropolitan Opera in New York, initially performing in November, 1951.

Ms. Collins experienced a great deal of resistance in her attempts to perform in professional classical dance troupes. In 1932, for example, she was asked to join the prestigious Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, but she would have been required to paint her face and skin white to appear on stage. She turned down the offer. She was also not allowed to be on tour with the rest of her ballet company in parts of the Deep South. She retired in her forties and joined a Benedictine community.

The poetic prose is quite nice, and Cooper’s illustrations are lovely as usual, but I think it would help understanding of the story to know at the outset that it takes place in an earlier time.

Evaluation: Any story is enhanced by the outstanding artwork of Floyd Cooper, and the integration of ballet is a topic not often covered by other books. show less

The lyrical writing in this book reads as though you were watching a ballet. The beautiful line, "That's when hope picked up my dream from the floor of my heart," had me in tears. Brava! This book is a wonderful teaching tool for all elementary grades about the power of dreams, holding onto hope, and breaking barriers, no matter how big or impossible they may seem. Further, it is the testament to the power of hard work that goes on behind those big dreams.

In my opinion, this book is an inspiration for African American girls. The character is very believable as a young African American girl who lives in Harlem, New York City during the 1950s. Her Mother works long shifts sewing ballerina costumes and when they are there together the little girl develops a dream to become a dancer. One day her mother came home with tickets to see Janet Collins, the first African American hired to perform under contract with the Metropolitan Opera. The main reason I enjoyed this book was that of the passion that I felt the little girl had. When watching Janet Collins perform she said, "She twirls and my heart jumps up from where I'm sitting, soaring, dancing, opening wide with the swell of the music." From show more the word choices of the author, you can tell that this little girl has a love for dancing and is inspired. The second reason I liked this book was that of the illustrations. Each illustration felt authentic and brought each page to life. The big idea from this book is to not give up on hope and that the color of your skin cannot determine where your dreams can take you. show less

This is a lovely book with a powerful message about holding onto your dreams and overcoming barriers. The strength of the characters and the beautiful illustrations make it a book to return to and reread, and to be shared with others.

Curricular connections: African American history; a study of African American women (Janet Collins); segregation; 1950s; racism; following your dreams.

I enjoyed this inspiring story about the young girl who is wishing hard to make her dreams come true. The pixel-y illustrations help give it that old fashioned feel that it is set in. It was nice that they put an emphasis on how Janet Collins was the first "colored" prima ballerina. This is a great story for all who have wishes and dreams, and shows you that they can come true.

I really liked this book because of how the author expresses the central message. The central message of this book is hope, “Mama says wishing on stars is a waste anyhow, says you don’t need stars in the sky to make your dreams come true. Hope can pick your dream up she says, off the floor of your heart, when you think it can’t happen…” This quote is stated at the beginning of the book and the rest of the text is evidence of how hope can make your dreams come true. I like that every single illustration enhances the story and gives feelings to the words. For example, “But he took my face in his hands and looked into my eyes,” is a quote found on a page with only one picture. This picture is of the girls face, between two show more hands. When you look at the face, you can see emotions in her eyes—sadness, shame, and fear. I like how the author included an actual person to inspire the little girl, Janet Collins. Janet Collins is known for breaking the color barrier, and as this story shows, her accomplishments really impacted young African Americans who had dreams of becoming a dancer, “Hope puffs up my chest jut a bit. One day, those voices will be for me.” I really like how the main character opens up to the readers and allows you into her dreams, “In my heart I’m the one leaping across that stage, raising myself high on those shoulders, then falling slowly slowly slowly to the arms below.” In the book, the words “slowly” are written separately, each on their own line. This allows the reader to really focus on word. I think that the author wants the word slowly to symbolize how she feels about her dreams, and to show that even if things happen really slowly, they still happen. show less

This book is moving and has a powerful message about role models, confidence, drive, and determination. A young girl dreams of becoming a ballerina but can't see herself succeeding in her dream because she is African American. It feels like justice when she sees Janet Collins perform on stage, the first African American prima ballerina. The illustration of Janet and the little girl jumping up together is poignant and uplifting. A very optimistic and feel-good book for little girls anywhere.