Book Talk and Book Signing with Orel Protopopescu, author of Dancing Past the Light: The Life of Tanaquil Le Clercq
This event is co-sponsored by the Friends of the Weston Public Library, the League of Women Voters of Weston, and the Weston Historical Society.
This event takes place at the Weston Public Library. It is also offered via Zoom. Registration to attend in person and on Zoom is required.
“The Triumph of Tanaquil Le Clercq, Balanchine Ballerina”
Saturday, March 26, 2022 at 3pm
Weston Public Library 56 Norfield Road, Weston, CT
Free event but Registration Required: Register here to attend this exciting author talk!
In honor of Women’s History Month, the Friends of the Weston Public Library, the League of Women Voters of Weston,and the Weston Historical Society are partnering to host the lecture, “The Triumph of Tanaquil Le Clercq, Balanchine Ballerina”, with author Orel Protopopescu on Saturday, March 26, 2022 at 3:00pm at the Weston Public Library, 56 Norfield Road, Weston, CT. Protopopescu will be signing copies of her new biography, Dancing Past the Light: The Life of Tanaquil Le Clercq (University Press of Florida, 2021), which will be for sale at the event.
Tanaquil “Tanny” Le Clercq, George Balanchine’s muse and last wife, a longtime summer resident of Weston, triumphed on stage and off. Hers was a unique fusion of comical wit and dramatic allure. She never lost her sense of fun, even after polio, when she could only dance with her hands and voice, while seated in a wheelchair, to demonstrate steps to her students at the Dance Theatre of Harlem. The qualities that made this legendary ballerina unforgettable, especially her ability to give herself completely to a role, a moment, or a person, also enabled her to triumph over personal tragedy. Protopopescu will share a few extracts from films, as well as some exquisite pieces of this intimate biography made from more than a thousand sources, including letters, articles, drawings, interviews and photos, some never before published. Be prepared to be dazzled and inspired by a woman who managed to triumph in every sense of the word, before and long after her dancing days ended.
Orel Protopopescu, poet, author, educator and translator, has written prize-winning works for children and adults. A Thousand Peaks, Poems from China (with Siyu Liu, Pacific View Press, 2002), is a New York Public Library Best Book for the Teen Age. Poet laureate Billy Collins deemed A Word’s a Bird, Orel’s bilingual poetry app for iPad, “a wondrous learning experience.” It was chosen by School Library Journal as one of the ten best children’s apps of 2013. Orel won the Oberon poetry prize in 2010 and 2020. Her poems have been published in a chapbook, print and online journals, and anthologies. Dancing Past the Light: The Life of Tanaquil Le Clercq (University Press of Florida, 2021) is her first biography.
Review of Protopopescu new biography, Dancing Past the Light: The Life of Tanaquil Le Clercq (University Press of Florida, 2021) in Library Journal: “This thoughtful and elegant narrative is full of wonderful stories about the world of ballet. A fitting tribute to the life and legacy of a beloved dancer that will enthrall balletomanes everywhere.” — Carolyn M. Mulac, Starred Review, Library Journal
Photo 1 Credit: Tanaquil Le Clercq, backstage at City Center, ca. 1954, ©Anton Alterman/Harold Roth Photography