This peek inside what it takes to become a Russian ballet dancer will inspire appreciation for Womack's dogged determination to achieve her dream.

Library Journal

Vivid and engaging memoir … Her [Womack] story is one of passion, perseverance, and determination.

Booklist

Raw and real about the demands of ballet, the politicization of culture in Putin’s Russia, the corruption at the Bolshoi, and the risks – to body, to mind – of chasing placement and promotion.

Simon Morrison, author of Bolshoi Confidential

A vulnerable, generous memoir. From Evangelical churches in Texas to hospitals in Moscow and the halls of the Bolshoi, Joy Womack offers fascinating insights into the many cloistered worlds she has traversed.
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Alice Robb, author of Don't Think, Dear: On Loving and Leaving Ballet

Vivid, compelling, fascinating, candid, unique, and exceptionally well written and presented, Behind the Red Velvet Curtain is the simply riveting life story of Joy Womack and her experiences living and working in Russia as a professional ballerina for the world famous Bolshoi Ballet theater in Moscow . . . Of special and particular interest to fans of ballet and soviet culture, this deftly crafted and articulate memoir is a highly recommended pick for community and college/university library Contemporary American Biography/Memoir collections.”

Midwest Book Review