In this special crossover episode, Melissa Klapper, sits down with Barry Kerollis the host of Pas de Chat podcast to talk about her new book, Ballet Class - An American History. Listen in for a fun and educational conversation on recreational dance in the United States.

Dr. Melissa R. Klapper is Professor of History and former Director of Women’s and Gender Studies at Rowan University in Glassboro, NJ. She teaches American and women's history, with a focus on the late 19th and early 20th century and additional research interests in the history of childhood, the history of education, and American Jewish history. Dr. Klapper is the author ofJewish Girls Coming of Age in America, 1860-1920 (NYU Press, 2005); Small Strangers: The Experiences of Immigrant Children in the United States, 1880-1925 (Ivan R. Dee, Publisher, 2007); and Ballots, Babies, and Banners of Peace: American Jewish Women's Activism, 1890-1940 (NYU Press,2013). Her scholarship has been awarded grants and fellowships from an array of sources, including the American Jewish Archives, the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Schlesinger Library on the History of Women at Harvard University, and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research.

This episode explores the wave of Soviet dancers who defected to the United States and the West during the Cold War.

Dr. Melissa R. Klapper is Professor of History and former Director of Women’s and Gender Studies at Rowan University in Glassboro, NJ. She teaches American and women's history, with a focus on the late 19th and early 20th century and additional research interests in the history of childhood, the history of education, and American Jewish history. Dr. Klapper is the author ofJewish Girls Coming of Age in America, 1860-1920 (NYU Press, 2005); Small Strangers: The Experiences of Immigrant Children in the United States, 1880-1925 (Ivan R. Dee, Publisher, 2007); and Ballots, Babies, and Banners of Peace: American Jewish Women's Activism, 1890-1940 (NYU Press,2013). Her scholarship has been awarded grants and fellowships from an array of sources, including the American Jewish Archives, the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Schlesinger Library on the History of Women at Harvard University, and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research.

This episode covers the Dance boom in the United States that lasted from the mid-1960s through the mid-1970s.

Dr. Melissa R. Klapper is Professor of History and former Director of Women’s and Gender Studies at Rowan University in Glassboro, NJ. She teaches American and women's history, with a focus on the late 19th and early 20th century and additional research interests in the history of childhood, the history of education, and American Jewish history. Dr. Klapper is the author ofJewish Girls Coming of Age in America, 1860-1920 (NYU Press, 2005); Small Strangers: The Experiences of Immigrant Children in the United States, 1880-1925 (Ivan R. Dee, Publisher, 2007); and Ballots, Babies, and Banners of Peace: American Jewish Women's Activism, 1890-1940 (NYU Press,2013). Her scholarship has been awarded grants and fellowships from an array of sources, including the American Jewish Archives, the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Schlesinger Library on the History of Women at Harvard University, and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research.

This episode is about the dance boom in the United States that lasted from the mid-1960s through the mid-1970s.

Dr. Melissa R. Klapper is Professor of History and former Director of Women’s and Gender Studies at Rowan University in Glassboro, NJ. She teaches American and women's history, with a focus on the late 19th and early 20th century and additional research interests in the history of childhood, the history of education, and American Jewish history. Dr. Klapper is the author ofJewish Girls Coming of Age in America, 1860-1920 (NYU Press, 2005); Small Strangers: The Experiences of Immigrant Children in the United States, 1880-1925 (Ivan R. Dee, Publisher, 2007); and Ballots, Babies, and Banners of Peace: American Jewish Women's Activism, 1890-1940 (NYU Press,2013). Her scholarship has been awarded grants and fellowships from an array of sources, including the American Jewish Archives, the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Schlesinger Library on the History of Women at Harvard University, and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research.

Today's episode was brought to you by:

Body Wrappers

Audible

For questions or more information on the show stop by:

Premier Dance Network

This is the second of two episodes exploring the early history of American ballet.  This episode covers some important developments at the beginning of the twentieth century that set up the growth of ballet in America.

Dr. Melissa R. Klapper is Professor of History and former Director of Women’s and Gender Studies at Rowan University in Glassboro, NJ. She teaches American and women's history, with a focus on the late 19th and early 20th century and additional research interests in the history of childhood, the history of education, and American Jewish history. Dr. Klapper is the author ofJewish Girls Coming of Age in America, 1860-1920 (NYU Press, 2005); Small Strangers: The Experiences of Immigrant Children in the United States, 1880-1925 (Ivan R. Dee, Publisher, 2007); and Ballots, Babies, and Banners of Peace: American Jewish Women's Activism, 1890-1940 (NYU Press,2013). Her scholarship has been awarded grants and fellowships from an array of sources, including the American Jewish Archives, the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Schlesinger Library on the History of Women at Harvard University, and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research.

Today's episode was brought to you by:

Body Wrappers

Audible

For questions or more information on the show stop by:

Premier Dance Network

Today is the first of two episodes about the early history of ballet in America.  It covers the colonial period through the late nineteenth century.

Dr. Melissa R. Klapper is Professor of History and former Director of Women’s and Gender Studies at Rowan University in Glassboro, NJ. She teaches American and women's history, with a focus on the late 19th and early 20th century and additional research interests in the history of childhood, the history of education, and American Jewish history. Dr. Klapper is the author ofJewish Girls Coming of Age in America, 1860-1920 (NYU Press, 2005); Small Strangers: The Experiences of Immigrant Children in the United States, 1880-1925 (Ivan R. Dee, Publisher, 2007); and Ballots, Babies, and Banners of Peace: American Jewish Women's Activism, 1890-1940 (NYU Press,2013). Her scholarship has been awarded grants and fellowships from an array of sources, including the American Jewish Archives, the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Schlesinger Library on the History of Women at Harvard University, and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research.

Today's episode was brought to you by:

Body Wrappers

Audible

For questions or more information on the show stop by:

Premier Dance Network

On today's episode of Pirouettes from the Past, Dr. Klapper explores the history of ballet in the movies. 

Dr. Melissa R. Klapper is Professor of History and former Director of Women’s and Gender Studies at Rowan University in Glassboro, NJ. She teaches American and women's history, with a focus on the late 19th and early 20th century and additional research interests in the history of childhood, the history of education, and American Jewish history. Dr. Klapper is the author ofJewish Girls Coming of Age in America, 1860-1920 (NYU Press, 2005); Small Strangers: The Experiences of Immigrant Children in the United States, 1880-1925 (Ivan R. Dee, Publisher, 2007); and Ballots, Babies, and Banners of Peace: American Jewish Women's Activism, 1890-1940 (NYU Press,2013). Her scholarship has been awarded grants and fellowships from an array of sources, including the American Jewish Archives, the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Schlesinger Library on the History of Women at Harvard University, and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research.

Today's episode was brought to you by:

Body Wrappers

Audible

For questions or more information on the show stop by:

Premier Dance Network

Today Dr. Klapper discusses the Ballet in children's books.

Dr. Melissa R. Klapper is Professor of History and former Director of Women’s and Gender Studies at Rowan University in Glassboro, NJ. She teaches American and women's history, with a focus on the late 19th and early 20th century and additional research interests in the history of childhood, the history of education, and American Jewish history. Dr. Klapper is the author ofJewish Girls Coming of Age in America, 1860-1920 (NYU Press, 2005); Small Strangers: The Experiences of Immigrant Children in the United States, 1880-1925 (Ivan R. Dee, Publisher, 2007); and Ballots, Babies, and Banners of Peace: American Jewish Women's Activism, 1890-1940 (NYU Press,2013). Her scholarship has been awarded grants and fellowships from an array of sources, including the American Jewish Archives, the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Schlesinger Library on the History of Women at Harvard University, and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research.

Today's episode was brought to you by:

Body Wrappers

Audible

For questions or more information on the show stop by:

Premier Dance Network

Today Dr. Klapper discusses the second of two episodes on the history of dance competitions in the US.  The first episode dealt with dance competitions more generally; this episode focuses on ballet competitions specifically.

On this first of a two part series, Dr. Klapper discusses dance competitions in the United States. Today's episode focuses more generally on competitions as a whole while next month's episode will focus specifically on ballet competitions.

Dr. Melissa R. Klapper is Professor of History and former Director of Women’s and Gender Studies at Rowan University in Glassboro, NJ. She teaches American and women's history, with a focus on the late 19th and early 20th century and additional research interests in the history of childhood, the history of education, and American Jewish history. Dr. Klapper is the author ofJewish Girls Coming of Age in America, 1860-1920 (NYU Press, 2005); Small Strangers: The Experiences of Immigrant Children in the United States, 1880-1925 (Ivan R. Dee, Publisher, 2007); and Ballots, Babies, and Banners of Peace: American Jewish Women's Activism, 1890-1940 (NYU Press,2013). Her scholarship has been awarded grants and fellowships from an array of sources, including the American Jewish Archives, the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Schlesinger Library on the History of Women at Harvard University, and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research.

Today's episode was brought to you by:

Body Wrappers

Audible

For questions or more information on the show stop by:

Premier Dance Network