Dancers / choreographers Books

Book SynopsisYOU, THE CHOREOGRAPHER, Creating and Crafting Dance offers a synthesis of histories, theories, philosophies, and creative practices across diverse genres of concert dance choreography. The book is designed for readers at every stage of creative development who seek to refine their artistic sensibility.Through a review of major milestones in the field, including contributions to choreography from the humanities, arts, and modern sciences, readers will gain new perspectives on the historical development of choreography. Concise analyses of traditional fundamentals and innovative practices of dance construction, artistic research methods, and approaches to artistic collaboration offer readers new tools to build creative habits and expand their choreographic proficiencies.For learners and educators, this is a textbook. For emerging professionals, it is a professional-development tool. For established professionals, it is a companion handbook that reinvigorates insTrade Review"…a lovely and useful resource for anyone interested in the timeless art of choreography." — Christopher Wheeldon, The Royal Ballet, UK"…a cumulative reference for understanding the craft of choreography." — Hans van Manen, Dutch National Ballet, The Netherlands"…a practical guide to a supremely impractical endeavor: dancemaking." — Septime Webre, Hong Kong Ballet, Hong Kong"…inspiration to finding your individuality as a choreographer." — Jennifer Archibald, Cincinnati Ballet, and Faculty, Yale School of Drama, USA"…a meticulous and thoughtful handbook for anyone interested in choreography." — Neil Ieremia, Black Grace, New Zealand "…advice on how to begin, which is the most important part of the work." — Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Choreographer, The Netherlands "…an elegantly composed and comprehensive companion book with techniques of dance making." — Amelia Rudolph, BANDALOOP, USA"…a thoroughly researched manual to understanding choreographic skills." — Pontus Lidberg, Danish Dance Theatre, Denmark "…an opportunity for emerging choreographers to study the rules so they can stretch the rules." — Yuanyuan Wang, Beijing Dance Theater, China"…insight into the complexities of the creative process and a roadmap for direction." — Rafael Bonachela, Sydney Dance Company, Australia"…dance helps you to discover yourself and this book helps you discover how." — David Dawson, Dutch National Ballet, The Netherlands, and Semperoper Ballett, Germany"…a compass to explore choreography and direct dance." — Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Ballet of the Grand Théâtre de Genève, Switzerland, and Eastman, BelgiumTable of ContentsPart 1: Time Travel – Choreographing Through the Ages 1: Stone Age: The Dawn of Dance – Choreographing Ritual 2. Ancient Age: Gods and Muses in Motion – Choreographing Art 3. Medieval Age: Leaping into Group Identity – Choreographing Symbol 4. Renaissance and Baroque Age: Waltzing Kingdoms – Choreographing Culture 5. Industrial Age: Dancing the Self – Choreographing Expression 6. Information Age: Turning Against the Norm – Choreographing Experimentation 7. Integral Age: Conceiving Progressive Coherency – Choreographing Integration Part 2: Mind and Muscle – The Body, Intellect, and Creative Spirit 8. The Moving Body as a Work of Art – Corpus Cognitus 9. Inside the Brain of the Choreographer – Dissection of a Glorious Mind 10. Handling Perfect Imperfections – Intuitive Craftsmanship Part 3: Concept and Context – Innovation, Intentionality and Individuality 11. Inventive Creativity – In Art, Everything is Possible 12. Framing Content and Sorting Concepts – Logistics of the Unlimited 13. Choreographic Individuality and Artistic Identity – The Search for Who I Am Part 4: Form and Formlessness - Generating Movement Material 14. The Emergence of Movement – First Crawl and Walk, then Run 15. Dance Improvisation – Embracing Choreographic Adventures 16. Choreographic Phrase – Diving into the Movement Flow Part 5: Process and Progress – Developing Movement Material 17. Choreographic Devices and Operations – Growing A Dance Garden 18. Structure and Restructure, Construct and Deconstruct – Architecting A Dance 19. Physical Dramaturgy – Making A Monument Out Of Movement Part 6: Sonic Swing – Dance the Music, Music the Dance 20. Are Music And Dance Best Friends Forever? – Melody In Motion 21. Seeking, Choosing and Working with the Music – Attract and Retract 22. Dancing Silence, Noise, Soundscape and Spoken Word – Body of Sound Part 7: Picture Perfect - Venture Follows Vision 23. Nurturing Semantics – Naming a Newborn Dance and Raising a Brand 24. Think Costumes, Lights, and Scenic Design – Piecing A Production 25. A Career in Choreography – Dancing Decisions Moving Forward

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Book SynopsisFor the first time, the choreographer of Michael Jackson, Madonna, Björk and many others reveals stage stories through his extraordinary journey.Vincent Paterson began his professional dancing career late in life. It would take an exceptional turn when he became one of the lead dancers in Michael Jackson's Beat It music video. Through hard work, he rises to the rank of choreographer and director for the world's greatest singers, but also for cinema and musical comedy.He tells with humility the fascinating universe of film sets, the rehearsal sessions where he had to orchestrate and synchronize dozens of dancers, life backstage where it is sometimes necessary to manage a few whims of the stars, his successes and his disappointments. It is a dive into the heart of the world of dance.Trade Review“Vincent’s work is always imaginative and exciting, from his choreography for pop stars to his direction of a production of Evita I saw in Vienna, for which he found heart and nuance in the characters I hadn’t seen before. I look forward to his sharing some of his ‘secrets’ in this book.”—Stephen Schwartz, composer of Wicked, Pippin, and Godspell “The collaborations between Vincent Paterson and Michael Jackson and Madonna are groundbreaking.”—Toni Basil, choreographer and performer (“Mickey!”)“The impressive history of Vincent Paterson’s work and collaboration with iconic artists is phenomenal and will last forever.”—Barbara Mandrell“Vincent’s depth as a director created an inspiring adventure on the creation of the opera, Manon.”—Anna Netrebko, Opera Diva“Vincent Paterson’s ingenious style of dance captivated millions of people.”—Paula Abdul“[The Way You Make Me Feel] surely is the best video ever made.” —Steven Spielberg“I look at your work and think how wonderful it is and how much you have given me and the picture (The Birdcage).” —Mike Nichols“You are so talented and it’s always a pleasure to collaborate with you.”—Madonna, The Blond Ambition Tour

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Book SynopsisFollowing an unorthodox first meeting in London in 1964, Patricia Boccadoro got to know Rudolf Nureyev on a personal basis after she moved to live in Paris in the 1970s. In this amusing, informative book, she recounts how exciting it was to see him dance in those heady London years, during his legendary partnership with Margot Fonteyn, before giving a lucid account of his directorship of the Paris Opera Ballet, making it into one of the finest companies in the world. The book culminates with his legacy, demonstrating how, with his extreme intelligence, glamour and passion, he changed the image of the male dancer, making them the equal of the ballerina. Above all, the lively reminiscences of those closest to him, along with a selection of photographs, many rarely seen or unpublished, bring Rudolf to life, casting off the image of a temperamental superstar, and painting a true picture of the immensely kind, fun-loving man behind one of the greatest artists of the twentieth century.

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Book SynopsisAs principal dancer with Montréal-based company La La La Human Steps, Louise Lecavalier was among the most iconic dancers of her generation: strong, muscled, androgynous, punk. Moving with spectacular speed, precision and an athletic physicality, her commitment to dancing would ultimately transform the potential of what bodies within Western concert dance could do. Drawing on extensive oral history accounts and archival material, the book follows Lecavalier's impact on the evolving aesthetic of La La La Human Steps, via the development of its early repertoire, and offers the first sustained account of her 1982 solo Non, Non, Non, je ne suis pas Mary Poppins. More, it tracks diverse influences and sources for the repertoire, complicating understandings of nationalism in Québec, while marking the significance of the collective in generating new aesthetics. What emerges is a portrait of the dancer as artist, icon, labourer and mover of cultural discourse. Featuring aTrade Review[Lecavalier's] extreme dance, filled with a fiery energy, caught the imagination of a whole generation. * New York Live Arts *Table of ContentsIntroduction: Letter from a Dancer Chapter 1: Off-Axis: Expressionist Legacies, Punk Realities Chapter 2: No No No: Re/Working Labour and Aesthetics Chapter 3: Icon/Street/City: From Dancer to Discourse Chapter 4: Black Aesthetics/White Dreadlocks: Love, Hate and Rehearsals of Culture Conclusion: Letter from A Dance Fan Bibliography Index

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