The literature of dance history has been enhanced with the publication of this extensively researched, well-written, and richly illustrated title, which is the companion volume to an eight-part series scheduled for public television beginning in April 1993. Rhoda Grauer, executive producer for the series, enlisted the assistance of many scholars, performers, advisers, and researchers, as well as the talents of Jonas, a veteran staff writer for The New Yorker , in this collaborative effort. The result combines history/criticism, traditionally applied to Western dance, with ethnology/anthropology, traditionally applied to non-Western dance, and draws cross-cultural comparisons based upon the way in which dance functions in societies (e.g., as an expression of religious worship, social order, or classical art). The examples span six continents and include Japanese kabuki and bugaku , Balinese wayang wong , Native American tribal dance, Indian bharata natyam , ballet, and modern dance . The expansive research is underscored by 275 illustrations, nearly half of which are in color. With innovative research and visuals to be savored, Dancing is highly recommended for both general and specific collections.-- Joan Stahl, National Museum of American Art, Washington, D.C.
This beautifully illustrated volume is the print companion to an eight-part series of the same name produced for public television. Gerald Jonas, cultural maven and staff writer for "New Yorker" as well as author of four previous books, writes about the history of dance, a universal yet profoundly personal and culture-based art, with verve and clarity. He circles the globe, pausing for in-depth descriptions and interpretations of the roles dance plays in various cultures and communities. Jonas defines the many forms and powers of dance from dances of prayer and transcendence (often in a trance state) to dances of healing, celebration, ritual, storytelling, and instruction. From the ancient and still-vital dances of India and Africa to the spiritual dances of native Americans, the courtly dances of Java, the elaborate dance-dramas of Japan, the ballets of Europe, and even the ballroom dancing of Arthur Murray, dance alters our relationship to our bodies, gravity, and time. Jonas discusses the difference in attitudes toward the body--and hence toward dance--in Eastern and Western cultures and describes the rigors of training and particulars of costume, setting, and accompaniment. A marvelous and lively survey.
