"Bentley writes as she once danced, with grace and elegance, as she captures the haunting beauty of an art form that exists to be seen and experienced . [she] saves her effusive descriptions for the dance, for her very personal experiences in the 10 years she spent with the company (from the mid-1970s to the '80s), and for the brilliance of Balanchine . A touching tribute to a master, this work will delight balletomanes." --Library Journal "A unique document about one of the greatest ballets ever created. Propulsive and rich in substance . Balanchine's image emerges powerfully, in wonderful detail . Personal, authentic, and revealing about what it took to be one of his dancers. A beautiful read.

" --Mikhail Baryshnikov "Toni Bentley's Serenade is in a category all its own--at once an ode to the rigor and passion necessary to create great art and a pointillist description of its making. It is also the story of the embracing yet exacting Balanchine, lending his genius to a young woman's life. It will consume anyone interested in the generative force that comes from the devoted pursuit of a vocation; you needn't know the difference between a tendu and an arabesque, a prima ballerina and a member of the corps, to be captured by its poetic prose and ingenious structure. This is a transporting reading experience, written with fervor and discernment, and a moving testament to the possibilities that lie within each of us." --Daphne Merkin, author of This Close to Happy "[A] touching and eloquent tribute . a rich elegy to Bentley's dancing career . Her command of ballet and its history is breathtaking, and her reverence for Balanchine's genius is consistently moving. This behind-the-scenes tour of a rarefied world will enchant.

" -- Publishers Weekly "Effervescent . Serenade endearingly captures Bentley's passion for ballet . A heartfelt tribute to an influential choreographer and one of his crowning achievements." -- Kirkus Reviews.