Beyond the Dance: A Ballerina's Life

Shortlisted for the Rocky Mountain Book Award

Nominated for The Rocky Mountain Book Award (An Alberta Children's Choice Book Award)

Nominated for the 2003 Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Children’s Non-Fiction


An elegant, expressive dancer, Chan Hon Goh is one of the ballet world’s great stars. She is a brilliant technician possessing a delicate beauty and radiant stage presence. Born in Beijing to dancer parents, she tells the story of their flight to Canada from an oppressive regime that thwarted her father’s career, her rigorous training, and her battle to achieve acceptance as the only Chinese-born prima
ballerina in the history of the National Ballet.

This fascinating look at the life of a dancer will appeal not only to the legions of Chan Hon Goh’s admirers and to students of ballet, but also to young readers who understand what it is to pursue a dream.