Featuring The Sleeping Beauty Giselle Coppelia Swan Lake and The Nutcracker The Illustrated Book of Ballet Stories introduces the princes and princesses - as well as the heroes and villains - who dance their way through these classic ballets. Exquisite illustrations evoke magic of each ballet and make the characters dance on the page; each scene unfolds as if you were watching a real performance. Imaginative retellings bring the stories to life so readers can experience the sorrow that Odette feels when she is betrayed in Swan Lake or the joy of Princess Aurora when she is finally woken by the prince in The Sleeping Beauty. As well as being a captivating story book Ballet Stories is also a wonderful source of reference for every ballet enthusiast. The illustrations pay particular attention to the technical accuracy of the dancers' positions and feature the principal movements and steps for which each ballet is famous. Background information illustrated with dramatic colour photographs of ballet stars provides fascinating insight into the world of professional ballet both past and present. In addition notes on the music for each ballet explain how the main musical themes emphasize the action and create atmosphere. In a specially written foreword Darcey Bussell principal dancer with The Royal Ballet in London explains how she was first drawn into the world of ballet and how it feels to dance these magical roles.