New Releases by Rajka Kupesic

Possibly the best-loved of all ballets are “Giselle,” “La Bayadère,” and “Swan Lake.” Known as the White Ballets, they each tell stories of ethereal maidens costumed in floating white, who seem to be lovely creatures suspended somewhere between heaven and earth. It is every ballerina’s dream to dance “Giselle.” Despite being frail, the simple peasant girl, Giselle, can’t give up dancing. She is afraid that if she dies before she weds, she will become a Wili, a spirit maiden who haunts the forests seeking revenge on young men. Though she can’t change her own fate, she finds a way to save the one she loves. Nikiya is a beautiful temple dancer, a bayadère. She fights tradition when she falls in love with the warrior Solor. Solor has already been promised to a well-born girl, but he risks everything for Nikiya. “Swan Lake” is also about recognizing true love and risking everything for it. Prince Siegfried meets Odile by the shores of a mysterious lake and he vows to marry her. But Odile is under a curse: she must spend every day in the form of a swan and is only human for a few hours during the night. If they are to spend eternity together, Siegfried has to find a way to lift the curse. Rajka Kupesic, herself a dancer, has retold the stories and set them against her breathtaking art to create a book to cherish. Notes about the ballets are included.

La ballerine professionnelle, Karen Kain, présente cette nouvelle version du célèbre ballet Casse-noisette, l''histoire de Michel et Marie qui errent dans le monde magique des princes et des fées. À chaque page, une peinture de Rajka Kupesic, dont les tableaux sont exposés dans les plus grands musées du monde, enchantera tous les lecteurs. Un incontournable pour tous ceux qui aiment se souvenir à tout moment de l''ambiance du temps des fêtes.

A story of struggle and survival set near Peribonka, Quebec.

Claire is homesick visiting her great aunt in Chet camp, Cape Breton Island. But then she sees her Tante Marie hooking one of the beautiful wool rugs for which Chéticamp is famous. Claire starts her own rug and, stitch by stitch, she lets Tante Marie and all of Chéticamp into her heart, and a little bit of her heart into her work. Claire''s Gift combines lyrical storytelling with stunning illustrations to bring to life a community and its most cherished art form.

Claire passe ses vacances chez sa tante Marie, dans le village de Chéticamp, où elle apprend à « hooker » de merveilleux tapis.