There are the world's finest dancers, and this is a chronicle of their struggles for perfection, and sometimes their struggles just to make it through the season able to walk. - From the IntroductionWhat is it like to dance  at the highest level with the largest dance company in America? New York City Ballet dancer Kyle Froman knows. He has danced with the company for more than a decade, and he understands intimately the daily quest for excellence that propels professional dancers to astonishing achievements. Like his colleagues, he has overcome the multiple challenges, injuries and fatigue.In this beautifully designed volume, Froman explores the exhilarating, awe-inspiring, and physically demanding life of the New York City Ballet dancers. With the unprecedented behind-the-scenes access only a dancer has, his stunning color and black-and-white photographs offer an extraordinary glimpse into a special world that outsiders rarely see.From the rigors of daily training to the transcendent moments onstage at the end of the day, these images vividly capture both motion and emotions up close, through the eyes and sensibility of a fellow dancer. Whether it's Peter Martins passing on the intentions of parts he originated, Rebecca Krohn and Sebastian Marcovici working out the intricacies of a pas de deux, or simply young students peering into a company class, the pictures display the energy and anguish, the exhilaration and frustration of the company's daily pursuit of perfection.Beautifully complementing the photographs is Froman's personal diary of a typical dancer's day. From morning company class to rehearsal to performance, the text offers intriguing insights into the mental discipline and emotions that come into play in preparing for a show.Open In the Wings and you will see dance from a new perspective, behind the curtain. As Peter Martins says,"No house seat can compare to what you see from there."