Behind the glitz and glamour, Wayne has always felt like an outsider. Sleep reveals the difficulties for a working-class, gay man in handling the prejudices of his generation and living through the Aids epidemic. Wayne was also the shortest principal dancer in the Royal Ballet – he had to spin twice as fast and jump twice as high to succeed.

In this moving – but also laugh-out-loud and gossip filled – memoir, Wayne Sleep shows how he danced his way to success, fulfilment and love, and how he overcame obstacles and prejudice along the way.

‘Scintillating . . . fizzes with balletic energy.’ Daily Mail

‘Gripping . . . bursting with extraordinary characters and anecdotes.’ Sunday Telegraph

‘An extraordinary tale, enthrallingly told.’ Gramophone

Such was the credo of the ruthlessly manipulative and resourceful Serge Diaghilev – the Russian impresario who created the modern art form of ballet. Commissioning such legendary names as Nijinsky, Fokine, Stravinsky and Picasso, he produced a series of radically original works that had a revolutionary impact throughout the Western world. Off stage there was scandal and sensation, collaboration and competition, tempestuous affairs and a wild carousel of mayhem.

The Ballet Russes left a matchless artistic legacy, ending with the abrupt death of Diaghilev in 1929. But the achievements of its heroic prime would continue to set the standards for the next era.

Champion dancer and Strictly Come Dancing professional Johannes Radebe has captured our hearts with his mesmerising talent, bringing joy to millions of fans and wowing the most critical of judges. He is loved not only for his dancing, but for his beautiful, infectious spirit and energy.

Jojo: Finally Home is his never-before-told story, where he shares the experiences and challenges he’s faced – from growing up in Zamdela, a township in South Africa, as a young boy with a passion for dance (and playing with Barbies), to becoming the star he is today. Dance transformed Jojo’s future, giving him a tool to express himself – but as you will learn, this was not always easy.

Captivating and moving, these are Jojo’s tales of euphoric highs and all-time lows, of making history, of grief, love, family and opportunity. It is a celebration of him finally feeling at home in his own skin. These are the personal moments that have shaped him into the man he is today – someone who lives life to the full and believes that no mountain is insurmountable.

‘Beautiful, difficult, and compelling.’  VANITY FAIR

‘Don’t think, dear,’ said Balanchine. ‘Just do.’

For centuries, being a ballerina has been synonymous with being beautiful, thin, obedient and feminine. It is the crucible of womanhood, together with the harassment, physical abuse and eating disorders endemic at top schools. Can we abide this in a post #MeToo world?

Weaving together her own time at America’s most elite ballet school with the lives of renowned ballerinas throughout history, Alice Robb interrogates what it means to perform ballet today. She confronts the all-consuming nature of the form: the obsessive and dangerous practices to perfect the body, the embrace of submission and the idealisation of suffering.

Yet ballet also gifts its dancers ‘brains in their toes’, a way to fully inhabit their bodies and a sanctuary of control away from the pressures of the outside world. Perhaps it is time to reimagine its liberating potential.

***

‘Part memoir, part journalistic investigation, the book weaves [Robb’s] early experiences as a dancer with those of her contemporaries, and of famous ballerinas? Don’t Think, Dear is powered by a fundamental love of the art form while exposing the toxic culture that runs through it.’ GUARDIAN

‘[Robb’s] timely book is a critical yet personal examination of classical ballet – a performing art highly dependent on the talent of women – filtered through the lens of 21st-century feminism? she brings a welcome academic rigour to a subject clearly born of deeply held emotions.’  THE TIMES

‘A study of an obsession remarkable for its nuance and insight? It might be easy? to assume that Don’t Think, Dear is Robb’s litany of grievances about a demanding art form in which she failed to flourish. Rather, it is a book about love, even if that love is ultimately unrequited? fascinating.’  TLS

Featuring exclusive interviews with the celebs, judges, presenters and pro dancers, fun quizzes to test your ballroom knowledge and behind-the-scenes features to give you a glimpse into the glitz and glamour, this is your perfect partner for all things Strictly.

Experience a day in the life of a Strictly dance expert with choreographer Jason Gilkison, get the lowdown on the record-breaking feats performed by the Strictly pro dancers over the years, and find out how Strictly has been going green behind the scenes. This fun and glamour-packed annual is not to be missed by Strictly fans!

Jojo: Finally Home is his never-before-told story, where he shares the experiences and challenges he’s faced – from growing up in Zamdela, a township in South Africa, as a young boy with a passion for dance (and playing with Barbies), to becoming the star he is today. Dance transformed Jojo’s future, giving him a tool to express himself – but as you will learn, this was not always easy.

Captivating and moving, these are Jojo’s tales of euphoric highs and all-time lows, of making history, of grief, love, family and opportunity. It is a celebration of him finally feeling at home in his own skin. These are the personal moments that have shaped him into the man he is today – someone who lives life to the full and believes that no mountain is insurmountable.

For centuries, being a ballerina has been synonymous with being beautiful, thin, obedient and feminine. It is the crucible of womanhood, together with the harassment, physical abuse and eating disorders endemic at top schools. Can we abide this in a post #MeToo world?

Weaving together her own time at America’s most elite ballet school with the lives of renowned ballerinas throughout history, Alice Robb interrogates what it means to perform ballet today. She confronts the all-consuming nature of the form: the obsessive and dangerous practices to perfect the body, the embrace of submission and the idealisation of suffering.

Yet ballet also gifts its dancers ‘brains in their toes’, a way to fully inhabit their bodies and a sanctuary of control away from the pressures of the outside world. Perhaps it is time to reimagine its liberating potential.

In snow white covered St. Petersburg, young dancer Stana‘s dreams have finally come true – she has been chosen to play the lead role in Tchaikovsky’s new ballet,  The Nutcracker. But with all eyes looking at her, can Stana overcome her nerves and dance like she’s never danced before?
 
From the author of the bestselling  The Sinclair Mysteries, Katherine Woodfine, and Waterstone’s Book Prize winner, Lizzy Stewart, this sumptuous and magical retelling of  The Nutcracker  will transport you on a journey fay beyond the page.  

Praise for Katherine Woodfine’s The Sinclair’s Mysteries series:
‘A wonderful  book, with a  glorious heroine  and a true spirit of adventure’ Katherine Rundell, award-winning author of Rooftoppers
‘Dastardliness on a big scale is uncovered in this well-plotted, evocative novel’ The Sunday Times
‘It’s a dashing plot, an atmospheric setting and an extensive and imaginative cast. Katherine Woodfine handles it all with aplomb’ The  Guardian

Praise for Lizzy Stewart’s There’s a Tiger in the Garden (Winner of the Waterstones  Children’s Book Prize 2017, Illustrated Books Category):
‘A journey of discovery’  The Guardian
‘A stunning testament to the power of imagination’  Metro