Olivia Book
Olivia Book (born 2003) is a Canadian professional ballerina with a congenital limb difference, a rarity in a field which traditionally holds rigid body standards.[1] She currently dances with Ballet West in Salt Lake City, having initially enrolled in their academy in 2019 and earning a promotion to the corps de ballet in February 2026.[2]
Early life and education
[edit]Book was born with a congenital limb difference[3] in 2003.[4] As a child, Book used assistive devices to skip rope, ride a bike, and kayak.[5] She showed interest in ballet from the age of three.[6] She found it helpful to attend ballet classes with a friend to protect against any potential social exclusion from classmates.[6] Her childhood ballet teacher had an adjustable-height barre made to accommodate her limb difference, and her father later built her an attachment that could be secured to any barre.[7] She told a reporter that balancing using one arm caused her to build strong back muscles.[8] Book attended Blessed Trinity Catholic High School in Grimsby, Ontario[4] and trained at Niagara Ballet School.[7] She was offered a spot at the Royal Danish Ballet Elite summer program in Copenhagen as soon as she reached the minimum age of 15.[4] Book's performance in a 2019 dance competition in Toronto prompted a judge, Adam Sklute, to offer her a position at Ballet West Academy in Salt Lake City, where he was artistic director. She enrolled that year.[6]
Career and impact
[edit]In 2023, Book joined the second company at Ballet West, and was thought to be the only dancer with a limb difference at a professional United States ballet company.[6] She was promoted to the corps de ballet in February 2026.[3]
Sophie Bress of the New York Times placed Book's impact in the context of ballet's "rethinking its relationship to diversity in areas like race and body type".[3] Bress quoted Bradford Chin, a scholar of dance at the University of Wisconsin, who studies ballet's image of a healthy body and what makes a qualified dancer. Chin cautioned that Book's notability should not hinge only on her limb difference, but on her artistry as a whole. Book acknowledged that other dancers with limb differences have named her as an inspiration, adding that she was glad to serve in this role.[3]
Personal life
[edit]Book has noted that having a "little arm" (her right arm) has necessitated relying primarily on her left arm for everyday tasks.[9] To maintain total independence in her professional routines, she developed custom methods for tying her own pointe shoe ribbons and styling her hair bun.[10]
References
[edit]- ↑ Bress, Sophie (May 29, 2026). "This Dancer Is Helping to Expand What a Ballet Body Can Be". The New York Times. Retrieved May 31, 2026.
- ↑ Mikita, Carole (November 2, 2023). "Ballet West dancer overcomes the odds despite a limb difference". KSLTV.com. Retrieved May 31, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 Bress, Sophie (May 29, 2026). "This Dancer Is Helping to Expand What a Ballet Body Can Be". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 31, 2026.
- 1 2 3 Hutton, Richard (April 30, 2018). "Olivia's ballet skills are on pointe". NiagaraThisWeek.com. Retrieved May 31, 2026.
- ↑ "Dancer Raising the Barre to New Heights" (PDF). Ballet West Front Row magazine. January 1, 2024. p. 8. Retrieved May 31, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 Mikita, Carole (November 2, 2023). "Ballet West dancer overcomes the odds despite a limb difference". KSLTV.com. Retrieved May 31, 2026.
- 1 2 Beard, Katherine (January 8, 2020). "Meet Olivia Book, the Ballet West Academy Student Who Isn't Letting Her Disability Stop Her". Pointe Magazine. Retrieved May 31, 2026.
- ↑ Fearns, Nick (June 27, 2023). "Grimsby dancer follows her ballet dream to Salt Lake City". NiagaraThisWeek.com. Retrieved May 31, 2026.
- ↑ Beard, Katherine (January 8, 2020). "Meet Olivia Book, the Ballet West Academy Student Who Isn't Letting Her Disability Stop Her". Pointe Magazine. Retrieved May 31, 2026.
- ↑ Wixom, Cassidy (July 28, 2024). "Standing out in the corps de ballet: How a Ballet West dancer is breaking barriers". www.ksl.com. Retrieved May 31, 2026.
External links
[edit]- @oliviabook on YouTube
