Did you know that our beloved group fitness instructor Melissa Klapper is also an award-winning author?  When she’s not putting us through our paces at the J, Melissa is Professor of History and Director of Women's & Gender Studies at Rowan University.  She is the author of Jewish Girls Coming of Age in America, 1860-1920 (NYU, 2005); Small Strangers: The Experiences of Immigrant Children in the United States, 1880-1925 (Ivan R. Dee, 2007); and Ballots, Babies, and Banners of Peace:  American Jewish Women's Activism, 1890-1940 (NYU, 2013), which won the National Jewish Book Award in Women's Studies.  

Her most recent book, Ballet Class: An American History (Oxford, 2020), charts ballet's rise to prominence among America's most cherished childhood traditions.  Drawing on a wide variety of materials, including children's books, memoirs by professional dancers and choreographers, pedagogy manuals, and dance periodicals, in addition to archival collections and oral histories, this path-breaking study provides a deeply-researched national perspective on the history and significance of recreational ballet class in the United States and its influence on many facets of children's lives, including gender norms, consumerism, body image, children's literature, extracurricular activities, and popular culture.

Join us for a compelling and engaging conversation with Melissa via Zoom.