Boys Dancing: From School Gym to Theater Stage

Follow four energetic boys as they train for and take the stage in a community dance performance celebrating classic kids' books.

Can you emote like an angry pirate from Treasure Island -- and even act out a fake swordfight? When four boys join their schools' dance teams, that's just one of the numbers being rehearsed for a performance directed by the National Dance Institute of New Mexico, inspired by favorite books such as The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Where the Wild Things Are, The Thousand and One Nights, and Oh, the Places You'll Go Trailing the four enthusiastic dancers is photographer George Ancona, whose copious images capture the infectious spirit of the boys as they learn to dance, act, sing, leap, pretend-fight, change costumes, work hard, and above all, have fun, together with vivacious boys and girls from many other schools.

George Ancona is the award-winning author and photographer of more than one hundred books for children, many about arts and cultures. Most recently he wrote and photographed Can We Help? Kids Volunteering to Help Their Communities and It’s Our Garden: From Seeds to Harvest in a School Garden, which was a Latino Book Award winner and a Booklist Top Ten Book on Sustainability for Youth. George Ancona lives in New Mexico.