My Ballet Book invites you to experience the magical world of ballet and the life of a dancer. Step-by-step photographs featuring dancers from English National Ballet School show the five basic ballet positions as well as techniques involved in performing classical steps such as jumps arabesques and pirouettes. Moving from studio to stage My Ballet Book then takes you behind the scenes of English National Ballet's magical production of The Nutcracker. See the dancers apply their makeup and be fitted into their costumes; be captivated by the enchanting scenery of the Land of Snow and Kingdom of the Sugar Plum Fairy and meet characters such as Clara the Prince and the Sugar Plum Fairy. Read the stories of well-known ballets such as Giselle The Sleeping Beauty Swan Lake and Coppelia and find out about some of the world's best-loved dancers from Anna Pavlova and Vaslav Nijinsky to Natalia Makarova and Mikhail Baryshnikov.