To Dance, to Live

Carolyn J. Brown is a retired teacher, writer, editor, and independent scholar. She is author of The Artist's Sketch: A Biography of Painter Kate Freeman Clark and the award-winning biographies A Daring Life: A Biography of Eudora Welty and Song of My Life: A Biography of Margaret Walker and coeditor of A de Grummond Primer: Highlights of the Children's Literature Collection, all published by University Press of Mississippi. Find her at www.carolynjbrown.net. Carla S. Wall, a consultant in communications and public relations, has served on boards for theater, visual arts, ballet, and community organizations. She edited Art to Life: Welty and Theatre by art historian Patti Carr Black.

To Dance, to Live: A Biography of Thalia Mara tells the story of a woman's courageous path to become a ballerina after first seeing Anna Pavlova perform, eventually transitioning into a respected teacher who emphasized the 'total artist.' Her mantra 'to live is to dance' is captured in the story of her life's work, spanning from Chicago to New York, to Jackson, Mississippi. The legacy of her love and passion for ballet that she imparted to her students continues today, reaching countless dancers and nondancers alike, through one of her most recognized achievements: founding the USA International Ballet Competition, drawing thousands of ballet enthusiasts into Jackson every four years.--Ravenna Tucker Wagnon, former principal dancer with The Royal Ballet