Born to Dance: Celebrating the Wonder of Childhood

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Ms. Powell's and Mr. Ford's son Peter Ford wrote an excellent biography of Glenn Ford, and it is recommended as a companion piece to "Born to Dance." It is even-handed concerning Glenn Ford's choices made. I believe a documentary film about the Fords was made in the past, but I have not seen it to date. This book by authors Broussard and Royere covers the life and career of Eleanor Powell. Powell is often overlooked in the history of musicals and dance on film but she was the greatest female tap dancer to appear in the movies. Many will argue (including me) that she was the greatest tap dancer in film, period. From Jordan Matter, YouTube star and New York Times– bestselling author of Dancers Among Us , a celebration of what it means to be young and full of possibility, featuring gorgeous photographs of well-known dancers (including Tate McRae and Sofie Dossi) as well as stars in the making. Bonus Scan the QR code next to dozens of photos and watch behind-the-scenes videos documenting the shoots. The book is a thorough examination of Eleanor and her life, from growing up with a single mother, to her work on Broadway, and then her relatively short 8-year career at MGM. Also covered is her personal life and several aborted engagements to a couple of men before her heart was thoroughly taken by up-and-coming actor Glenn Ford. Eleanor firmly believed she could not balance a career and raising a child, so when her son Peter was born, she effectively retired from film. She ended up taking a show on the road and appearing independently in a few films and even a Vegas show over the next 15 years to help pay the bills, all while Ford was cheating on her with his leading ladies.

Jordan Matter is known to millions for his 10 Minute Photo Challenge YouTube videos. Now, in one dazzling photograph after another, he portrays dancers—ages 2 through 18—in ordinary and extraordinary pursuits, from hanging with friends to taking selfies, from leaping for joy to feeling left out. The subjects include TV and internet stars like Chloé Lukasiak, Kalani Hilliker, Nia Sioux, and Kendall Vertes, as well as boys and girls from around the neighborhood. What they all share is the skill to elevate their hopes and dreams with beauty, humor, grace, and surprise. Paired with empowering words from the dancers themselves, the photographs convey each child’s declaration that they were born to dance. The actress, who went toe-to-toe with Fred Astaire as a dancer during Hollywood's golden era, is the subject of a new book, "Eleanor Powell: Born to Dance," which puts a spotlight on her life and career. Authors Paula Broussard and Lisa Royère, who began their research in the '70s, spoke to numerous sources who knew and worked with Powell, as well as Powell herself.

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This book beautifully captures young dancers on and off stage. Everyday life seems inseparable from a dancer’s heart/body connection. Each young person featured here told the photographer that they were born to dance. Dance had chosen them. I received a digital copy of 'Born to Dance' from NetGalley in exchange of an honest review. All opinions are my own. Thank you! I approached "Born to Dance" as many readers have or will, not knowing a great deal about Ms. Powell and perhaps having some unanswered questions about her life and times.

I love, love, love movie musicals. One of my early memories is me and my dad watching Swing Time with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers on public television. I was instantly smitten. As I grew older, I devoured books on the subject and watched as many musicals as I could. One of the things I always wondered was why I couldn’t find a decent biography on one of the best dancers of the silver screen, man or woman, in Eleanor Powell. I’m glad to say that Born to Dance is the biography I’ve been waiting for. Eleanor Powell) exuded not only a wholesomeness and perfectionism that no one in Hollywood could rival, but a kind of immaculate aura. I can't remember reading a more moving biography."

Fans of the Hollywood musical–rejoice. There is finally a new biography about the great Eleanor Powell, one of classic Hollywood's most notable dancers. Paula Broussard and Lisa Royère have filled a significant gap in classic Hollywood literature by telling Powell's story. Eleanor Powell: Born to Dance is exceptionally thorough, impressively researched, and beautifully told. It is easily the best resource documenting her life and career.