{"product_id":"raising-the-barre","title":"Raising the Barre","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eLike generations of little girls, Lauren Kessler fell in love with ballet the first time she saw \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Nutcracker\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\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.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFast forward four decades. Lauren — suddenly, powerfully, itchingly restless at midlife — embarks on a \"Transcontinental \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eNutcracker\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\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.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWhat ensues is not only a story about \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Nutcracker\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\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 \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Nutcracker\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\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.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Grand Central Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46264991809757,"sku":"9780306903274","price":20.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0467\/7822\/0711\/files\/71-KYNHkiaL._SL1500.jpg?v=1742996779","url":"https:\/\/giftedla.com\/products\/raising-the-barre","provider":"Gifted LA ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}