Swan Dive
The Making of a Rogue Ballerina
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Narrated by:
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Georgina Pazcoguin
About this listen
This program is read by the author.
Award-winning New York City Ballet soloist Georgina Pazcoguin, aka the Rogue Ballerina, gives listeners a backstage tour of the real world of elite ballet—the gritty, hilarious, sometimes shocking truth you don’t see from the orchestra circle.
In this love letter to the art of dance and the sport that has been her livelihood, NYCB’s first Asian American female soloist Georgina Pazcoguin lays bare her unfiltered story of leaving small-town Pennsylvania for New York City and training amid the unique demands of being a hybrid professional athlete/artist, all before finishing high school. She pitches us into the fascinating, whirling shoes of dancers in one of the most revered ballet companies in the world with an unapologetic sense of humor about the cutthroat, survival-of-the-fittest mentality at NYCB. Some swan dives are literal: even in the ballet, there are plenty of face-plants, backstage fights, late-night parties, and raucous company bonding sessions.
Rocked by scandal in the wake of the #MeToo movement, NYCB sits at an inflection point, inching toward progress in a strictly traditional culture, and Pazcoguin doesn’t shy away from ballet’s dark side. She continues to be one of the few dancers openly speaking up against the sexual harassment, mental abuse, and racism that in the past went unrecognized or was tacitly accepted as par for the course—all of which she has painfully experienced firsthand.
Tying together Pazcoguin’s fight for equality in the ballet with her infectious and deeply moving passion for her craft, Swan Dive is a one-of-a-kind account that guarantees you'll never view a ballerina or a ballet the same way again.
A Macmillan Audio production from Henry Holt and Company
©2021 Georgina Pazcoguin (P)2021 Macmillan AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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"Don't expect just tulle and toe shoes. In this fascinating insider's tale, NYCB dancer Pazcoguin reveals her world. . . . A striking debut." —People
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If there’s one trait that makes someone well-suited to comedy, it’s being able to take a punch - metaphorically and, occasionally, physically. Told with a healthy dose of self-deprecation, A Very Punchable Face reveals the brilliant mind behind some of the dumbest sketches on television, and lays bare the heart and humor of a hardworking guy - with a face you can’t help but want to punch.
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Amazing
- By Erin E. Kace on 07-27-20
By: Colin Jost
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Stories I Only Tell My Friends
- An Autobiography
- By: Rob Lowe
- Narrated by: Rob Lowe
- Length: 9 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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A teen idol at 15, an international icon and founder of the Brat Pack at 20, and one of Hollywood's top stars to this day, Rob Lowe chronicles his experiences. Never mean-spirited or salacious, Lowe delivers unexpected glimpses into his successes, disappointments, relationships, and one-of-a-kind encounters with people who shaped our world over the last 25 years. These stories are as entertaining as they are unforgettable.
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Great Book and Great Story
- By Natalie J. Belle MD on 04-30-11
By: Rob Lowe
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On My Own Two Feet
- From Losing My Legs to Learning the Dance of Life
- By: Amy Purdy, Michelle Burford
- Narrated by: Amy Purdy, Jorjeana Marie
- Length: 7 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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In this poignant and uplifting memoir, Dancing with the Stars sensation Amy Purdy reveals the story of how losing her legs led her to find a spiritual path. When the Las Vegas native was just nineteen, she came down with bacterial meningitis and was given less than a two percent chance of survival. In a near-death experience, she saw three figures who told her: “You can come with us, or you can stay. No matter what happens in your life, it's all going to make sense in the end." In that moment, Amy chose to live.
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A Powerful Memoir of Truimph over Tragedy
- By ElizOF on 01-31-22
By: Amy Purdy, and others
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Every Day I'm Hustling
- By: Vivica A. Fox, Kevin Carr O'Leary
- Narrated by: Vivica A. Fox
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- Unabridged
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Vivica A. Fox is a dynamo who has created a lasting career on her own, through sheer, roll-up-your-sleeves DIY hustle. Every Day I'm Hustling is a personal book with a message Fox passionately believes in: that you make your own luck, that you never ever wake up in the morning thinking somebody's going to call you and offer you that part or ask you out on that date that's going to change your life, that you have to wake up and put on your longest eyelashes and fiercest heels and go out and make your life happen yourself.
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Loved it!
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By: Vivica A. Fox, and others
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Will
- By: Will Smith, Mark Manson
- Narrated by: Will Smith
- Length: 16 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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One of the most dynamic and globally recognized entertainment forces of our time opens up fully about his life, in a brave and inspiring book that traces his learning curve to a place where outer success, inner happiness, and human connection are aligned. Along the way, Will tells the story in full of one of the most amazing rides through the worlds of music and film that anyone has ever had.
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Will sure loves Will
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By: Will Smith, and others
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Finding Me
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- Unabridged
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In my book, you will meet a little girl named Viola who ran from her past until she made a life-changing decision to stop running forever. This is my story, from a crumbling apartment in Central Falls, Rhode Island, to the stage in New York City, and beyond. This is the path I took to finding my purpose but also my voice in a world that didn’t always see me.
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Absolutely beautifully Written❤️
- By Love bug23 on 05-02-22
By: Viola Davis
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A Fine Romance
- By: Candice Bergen
- Narrated by: Candice Bergen
- Length: 14 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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A Fine Romance begins with Bergen's charming first husband, French director Louis Malle, whose huge appetite for life broadened her horizons and whose occasional darkness never diminished their love for each other. But her real romance begins when she discovers overpowering love for her daughter after years of ambivalence about motherhood.
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up the speed to 1.5 and Candace sounds way better
- By Susan M. Mitchell on 06-03-15
By: Candice Bergen
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I'm Hosting as Fast as I Can!
- By: Tom Bergeron
- Narrated by: Tom Bergeron
- Length: 6 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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In I'm Hosting as Fast as I Can!, Tom elaborates on the process by which he is able to sit calmly and patiently, without being distracted, at any time, no matter how hectic, as well as respond quickly (and hilariously) when Marie Osmond faints at his feet on live TV. Haven't seen it? Check it out on YouTube. The man is always in control.
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A wonderful "read"
- By Chrys on 04-29-09
By: Tom Bergeron
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Raising the Barre
- Big Dreams, False Starts, and My Midlife Quest to Dance the Nutcracker
- By: Lauren Kessler
- Narrated by: Hollis McCarthy
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When Lauren Kessler was 12, her ballet instructor crushed not just her dreams of being a ballerina but also her youthful self-assurance. Now, many decades and three children later, Kessler embarks on a journey to join a professional company to perform in The Nutcracker. Raising the Barre is more than just one woman's story; it is a story about shaking things up, taking risks, and ignoring good sense and forgetting how old you are and how you're "supposed" to act.
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Smug
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Life in Motion
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As the only African-American soloist dancing with the prestigious American Ballet Theatre, Misty Copeland has made history. But when she first placed her hands on the barre at an after-school community center, no one expected the undersized, anxious 13-year-old to become a groundbreaking ballerina. Life in Motion is a story of passion and grace for anyone who has dared to dream of a different life.
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Has Copeland heard this narration? Has Audible?
- By Debbie on 08-02-15
By: Misty Copeland
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What listeners say about Swan Dive
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- ZsaZsa's mom
- 10-21-21
Loved it!
You don’t need to know anything about ballet to enjoy this book. The author reads the story delightfully! It’s a fun, suspenseful, life in the ballet, a journey very unique. As a former ballerina I can attest to the patriarchal and lily white world. I love her imitation of Peter Martins!!! Golden. This is a darkly funny book and glimpse into The elite ballet company of the world. Thank you Georgina for telling your story, you are making the world a better place.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Barbara Marshall
- 06-27-22
A delight from start to finish!
Candid, hilarious, observant, delicious! What a wonderful journey narrated by the wry self effacing ballerina herself. A must listen. Enjoyed every minute of this.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Teri Asperin
- 08-02-21
It’s a hoot!
She’s smart, confident and sassy with great behind the scene tales of the upper echelon of the ballet world.
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3 people found this helpful
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- kgohl
- 11-06-22
An old dancer’s delight!
I snarfed this book right up and loved every second of it. If you’re not an ex-ballet dancer I can see how you might think this book is over the top, but really, it’s not. And if you are an ex-ballet dancer it’ll have you rooting around in your closet and wondering what happened to that last pair of shoes and leg warmers you were hanging onto.
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- SL Triolo
- 06-26-23
A Powerful & Unapologetic Look Inside Elite Ballet
Whether one likes Georgina's Pazcoguin's brash language or not, a reader who truly understands - or wants to - the life of a top level female ballet dancer in one of the world's best ballet companies will certainly find deeply fascinating, yet sadly boorish & misogynistic truths written in these pages. Gina's writing is humble, transparent, enlightening, sometimes a bit immature & dryly humorous. In a point, she is brave & is willing to risk her own image & possibly her future career in order to help change the racial & sexist environment for future dancers. I also find her narration the only one that could possibly make sense - who else but the author herself could do justice to her dry humor & timing; the narration is certainly "en pointe" & while her trashy language can get a LOT MUCH, it's easier to overlook in order to mine the deepest themes of her book which is really what her memoir is all about. It's the perfect time for a book like this in the wake of the #MeToo movement, the obviously suspicious timing of Peter Martins' "retirement" as NYCB's Artistic Director, & the greater movement toward diversity & inclusion in all aspects of society's art & culture.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 07-31-21
Pure joy!
I never leave book reviews, but I loved this book. It lifted my spirits while working while also providing a tale of a wild life filled with memories, beauty, art, heartache, struggle, and resilience. I’ve never been to a professional ballet, but after this book I will have to make it a priority. Georgina’s voice is a dream I would listen to her read any book ever. Seriously this woman needs her own podcast. Receiving the inside story about such a guarded treasure as the New York City Ballet made this Wyoming gal feel both fancy and realize that anyone can become as graceful as a ballerina if she puts her mind to it. This audiobook was amazing and I will definitely be listening (living vicariously through it) to it again.
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6 people found this helpful
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- Laura
- 08-09-22
Whinny ballerina
A note to the author:
YES, the art and sport of ballet is punishing. But there are hundreds of people who would have loved to take your place.
So, you had liposuction. Poor girl. Many others with deformed bodies have lipo so they can fit into a pair of pants like regular folk. Some people have it so they can look NORMAL! The ballet was demanding, because it demands perfection. Was the culture at the American Ballet cruel at times? Maybe... in your eyes. You got to travel the world. People applauded at your talent, and you got to see and hear it all the time. A lot of white people in ballet? Yes. It's changing. Ballet world is a microcosm. Not once did I feel sorry for you or felt you REALLY suffered emotional abuse. You have a chip on your shoulder, it was obvious.
To the potential reader:
Though this book is not a bad listen, Georgina comes across as the suffering ballerina who blames her race for her problems with the ballet company. She started as a very young girl with the ballet and maybe with a little adult guidance, would have fared better. If you have been a ballet goer, it does shed light on the endless grueling work a ballerina goes through. Most of what you hear about is how ballerinas starve themselves to maintain weight. (Most normal young woman, ages 15 to 40, do the same thing on a daily basis!). The real message of this book is for future girls to know what the real "JOB" of a ballerina entails and how hard this dance form is on the body.
It is an interesting story, but I never once felt sorry for the tortured swan. It's hard to feel sorry for overly privileged/talented individuals who never really act grateful for their position. It might have been better if she had not narrated her own book. Do not, not listen to this. It does have entertainment value. But, I was glad when it was over.
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2 people found this helpful
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- meg
- 10-08-21
Horrible narration
Intriguing inside view of behind the scenes at New York City ballet and what it takes to be a member of this company. Although I enjoyed the story very much I couldn’t stand the author’s narration finding her to be completely annoying. Also profane language throughout which was just not necessary and seemed contrived.
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1 person found this helpful
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- RRobinR
- 07-30-21
amazing life, drive & integrity
The behind the stage look at the world of ballet is intricate and embracing. the challenges and rewards seem to be boundless you have to comparison to the other Arts is overwhelmingly interesting. very good read.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Emily P
- 08-06-21
A beautiful swan
I loved listening to Gina tell her story. Her bravery and shining personality come to life in this book.
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1 person found this helpful