Overview
I have always admired the extraordinary beauty, grace, and discipline of classical ballet. But watching ballerinas dance on the tips of their toes, stretch their bodies to extraordinary limits, and land from repeated jumps, I cannot help thinking about the physical price they pay, sometimes for the rest of their lives. Behind the apparent weightlessness is a human body enduring enormous stress. I see a troubling parallel with boxing, American football, and ice hockey, where athletes risk lasting damage, particularly to their brains, for our entertainment. I admire these performers deeply, and perhaps that is precisely why this troubles me. Must beauty and excitement come at such a price? In *The Price of Grace*, I question traditions we have learned to admire without sufficiently considering the lives and health of those who make them possible.