The Brainy Ballerina Book Club
For as long as I can remember, I have loved to read. I dreamed of growing up to be either a ballerina or a librarian. When I was young, I set up my own personal library, each book meticulously labeled by the Dewey Decimal System, and demanded kindly invited my family members to come check out books.
Even though I didn’t end up pursuing library science professionally, reading is still one of my greatest loves. A lifelong learner, I crave new challenges, ideas, and experiences. I am fascinated by other’s stories and am always applying the lessons I learn in books to my own life, both personally and professionally. I truly believe that an insatiable curiosity is one of the hallmark traits of a truly “brainy ballerina”.
Whether you are an avid reader or looking to get into the habit, The Brainy Ballerina® Book Club welcomes you with open arms! We are a community of dance lovers who are eager to expand our knowledge, feed our souls, and make meaningful connections.
There are two ways to get involved. Check out the options below, then choose one or the other or go all in and sign up for both! Either way, I’m happy you’re here!
💛 Caitlin, CEO & Founder of The Brainy Ballerina®
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July/August 2025 Book of the Month
Being a Ballerina by Gavin Larsen
Inspiring, revealing, and deeply relatable, Being a Ballerina is a firsthand look at the realities of life as a professional ballet dancer. Through episodes from her own career, Gavin Larsen describes the forces that drive a person to study dance; the daily balance that dancers navigate between hardship and joy; and the dancer’s continual quest to discover who they are as a person and as an artist.
An ideal read for aspiring dancers, Larsen’s memoir will also delight experienced dance professionals and fascinate anyone who wonders what it takes to live a life dedicated to the perfection of the art form.
Past Book Club Picks
2025
2024
2023
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December 2022 Mao’s Last Dancer by Li Cunxin
November 2022 Winter Season: A Dancer’s Journal by Toni Bentley
October 2022 Soar: A Life Freed by Dance by David McAllister
September 2022 More Than A Body: Your Body Is an Instrument, Not an Ornament by Lindsay Kite, PhD & Lexie Kite, PhD
August 2022 Raising the Barre: Big Dreams, False Starts & My Midlife Quest to Dance the Nutcracker by Lauren Kessler
July 2022 Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily Nagoski, Ph.D. & Amelia Nagoski, D.M.A.
June 2022 Turning Pointe: How a New Generation of Dancers Is Saving Ballet from Itself by Chloe Angyal
May 2022 Final Bow For Yellowface: Dancing Between Intention & Impact by Phil Chan with Michele Chase
April 2022 The Body is Not an Apology: The Power of Radical Self Love by Sonya Renee Taylor
March 2022 The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It For Life by Twyla Tharp
February 2022 Life In Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina by Misty Copeland
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