Folk dancing Books

Book SynopsisA vivid and intricate study of dance music traditions that reveals the many contradictions of Syrian identity in the 21st century Dabke, one of Syria''s most beloved dance music traditions, is at the center of the country''s war and the social tensions that preceded conflict. Drawing on almost two decades of ethnographic, archival, and digital research, Shayna M. Silverstein shows how dabke dance music embodies the fraught dynamics of gender, class, ethnicity, and nationhood in an authoritarian state. The book situates dabke politically, economically, and historically in a broader account of expressive culture in Syria''s recent (and ongoing) turmoil. Silverstein shows how people imagine the Syrian nation through dabke, how the state has coopted it, how performances of masculinity revealand play withthe tensions and complexities of the broader social imaginary, how forces opposed to the state have used it resistively, and how migrants and refugees have reimagined it in their new homes in Europe and the United States. She offers deeply thoughtful reflections on the ethnographer''s ethical and political dilemmas on fieldwork in an authoritarian state. Silverstein''s study ultimately questions the limits of authoritarian power, considering the pleasure and play intrinsic to dabke circles as evidence for how performance cultures sustain social life and solidify group bonds while reproducing the societal divides endemic to Syrian authoritarianism.

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Book SynopsisFunny Moves: Dance Humor Politics explores the intersection of dance and humor and the political stakes that bodies incur when they dare to be both aestheticized and funny. The editors posit that funny moves are dance''s Other--the missteps or oversteps that don''t fit a particular dance form. Funniness in dance, whether gleeful, surprising, or odd, causes disruptions which may be progressive or conservative, inciting pleasures that counterbalance the artform''s often serious codes.Writing from Latin America, the Caribbean, South Asia, Europe, and the United States, the book''s ten authors provide diverse observational techniques and creative vocabularies for finding, analyzing, and theorizing funny moves across dance forms, dance scenes, and dance screens. Some of the authors find hope in the laughter of their artist subjects and their audiences, and some linger in the ambiguity and confusion so created. Each essay takes on a single surprise factor or a choreographic comic rupture, relishing in the amassed effects or affects across an absurdist cinematic, staged, or quotidian sequence. What is funny in each case pops up as a wildcard that evokes recognizable shared experiences, sometimes pushing back against dominant or mainstream logic and its supremacist laughter.

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Book SynopsisTraditional folk tales from all over Britain in which song or dance shapes the action

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Book SynopsisEveryone who viewed the opening ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games can understand the power of dance and mass movement in the service of politics. While examples of such public performances and huge festivals are familiar in Nazi Germany, the former Soviet Union and today's North Korea, this new book addresses the lesser known examples of Spain under Franco, the Dominican Republic, Iran, Croatia and Uzbekistan, all of which have been subjected to various political regimes. Dance and choreographed mass movement is the newest field of serious research in dance studies, particularly in the fields of politics and international relations and gender and sexuality. The author uses dance as a lens through which to study political, ethnic, and gendered phenomena so that the reader grasps that dance constitutes an important non-verbal lens for the study of human behaviour. This is the first study on dance and political science to focus specifically on authoritarian regimes. It is a significant and original contribution to scholarship in the field, with the key studies drawn from a variety of different geographical and historical backgrounds. In Spain under Franco, the Women's Section of the fascist Falange created a folk dance program that toured widely and through the performance of Spanish regional folk dances performed by virginal young Spanish women, embodying Catholic purity, permitted the regime to re-enter the world of polite diplomacy. The Dominican Republic dictator, Rafael Trujillo, himself a gifted dancer, raised the popular folk and vernacular dance, the merengue, to the level of the "national" dance, which became a symbol of his regime and Dominican identity, which merengue it still maintains. For over a thousand years, Croatia, has endured a series of authoritarian regimes – Hapsburg, Napoleon, the Yugoslav royal dictatorship, fascist, Josip Broz Tito's communist regime, Franjo Tudjaman – that ruled that small nation. For over 70 years, Lado, the National Folk Dance Ensemble of Croatia, has served as "the light of Croatian identity." Through its public performances of folk dances and music, Lado has become the face of a series of different regimes. In Iran, dance became banned under the Islamic Republic after serving the Pahlavi regime as a form of representation of its peasant population and its historic Persian identity. Uzbekistan currently has expanded the role of the invented tradition of Uzbek "classical" dance, created during the soviet period, as a representation of Uzbek identity, in national festivals. Thus, through these examples, the reader will see how dance and mass movement have become important as political means for a variety of authoritarian regimes to represent themselves. Primary readership will be dance scholars; particularly the growing number interested in ethno-identity dances of the second half of the twentieth-century Will be of interest to academic libraries and departments, with valuable information and interest also for scholars of ethnology, anthropology, cultural studies, history.Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction Dance and Ethnicity Dance and Nationalism Iran: The Shah’s New Dance Croatia: Lado—“Light of Croatian Culture” Spain: Women’s Work—The Sección Femenina and Spanish Folk Dance Dominican Republic: The Dictator’s Fancy Dance—Trujillo and Merengue Uzbekistan: Old Lamps for New—The Creation of Uzbek “Classical” Dance Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThe first book to illuminate how collaborations between dancers and painters shaped Mexico’s postrevolutionary cultural identity. K. Mitchell Snow traces this relationship throughout nearly half a century of developments in Mexican dance.Trade Review“A deep dive into the dance and visual art worlds of Mexico from the 1920s through the 1960s.”—Dance TeacherSnow’s thorough research is evident.”—Choice“Provides fresh perspectives on postrevolutionary Mexican culture. . . . A useful jumping-off point for future discussions of race, gender, and choreography in Mexico. . . . An accessible, interdisciplinary contribution to several fields.”—Hispanic American Historical Review“A generous invitation to further inquiry. Every chapter signals a wealth of conceptual and aesthetic questions that have yet to be plumbed. . . . A Revolution in Movement gives voice to the artists, performers, and cultural ambassadors who have long been stewards of Mexican modernity but who, until now, have been obscured behind the curtain.”—Latin American and Latinx Visual Culture

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“Comprehensive, rigorous, and accessible--qualities that don’t always coincide. This book tackles flamenco history, structure, and culture in a way that is professional and compassionate. Literature on flamenco often undiscerningly presents a jumble of facts, hypothesis, suppositions, stories, and legends; this work masterfully untangles these and even-handedly dissects several polemics. One of the most important contributions to the field.”--John Moore, flamenco guitaristTable of ContentsPreface Acknowledgments Part I. History 1 Pre-Flamenco Music 2 The Café Cantante Period, 1860-1920s 3 From Stagnation to Revival Part II. Structure and Forms in Flamenco 4 Structure 5 The Flamenco Repertoire: Description and Analysis 6 Flamenco Lyrics Part III. Flamenco Culture 7 The Contemporary Scene 8 Perspectives on Flamenco Culture Glossary Notes Bibliography Index

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book Synopsis'An epic of noble proportions' Spectator A thrilling journey in search of the legendary malambo dance of Argentina, and one Gaucho who faces the biggest contest of his life Every year, at the height of summer, the remote Argentinian village of Laborde holds the prestigious national malambo contest. Little known outside the Argentinian pampas, the malambo is a centuries-old gaucho dance, governed by the most rigid rules and shatteringly physically demanding. It is the object of obsession for thousands of young working-class men, who sacrifice their spare time, their bodies and what little money they have to try to win the title of Malambo Champion. The twist is that a Malambo Champion may never compete again. In 2011, Leila Guerriero travelled to Laborde for what was supposed to be a brief investigation into this intriguing contest. But on the second night, one dancer's towering performance takes her breath away - he doesn't win, but Guerriero, irresistibly drawn, spends the next year following him in his preparations for the 2012 festival. In this remarkable work of reportage Guerriero proves herself to be as sharp-eyed as Gay Talese, as lyrical as Norman Mailer.Trade ReviewAn epic of noble proportions... [Guerriero] is a mistress of the telling phrase or the revealing detail' Spectator [Guerriero] irrefutably proves that journalism can be one of the beaux arts -- Mario Vargas Llosa A brilliantly observed chronicle Lady Startling bit of journalism... a rich portrait into a little seen part of Argentina Wanderlust Moving Economist A formidable writer who does not need to resort to fiction to tell real stories that seem too fantastic to be true... her writing manages to express so much with so little El Periodico - Dominical Transcends parochialism to explore that common ground that has become the place of the human condition... Leila Guerriero is a maestro Canarias 7 Fascinating El Mercurio, Chile Captures your interest from the first page... An exciting work that mixes reportage and fiction; a book that is both moving and strangely familiar Blog Tiempo de Silencio en Antena3.com

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Book SynopsisWhile there are books about folk dances from individual countries or regions, there isn't a single comprehensive book on folk dances across the globe. This illustrated compendium offers the student, teacher, choreographer, historian, media critic, ethnographer, and general reader an overview of the evolution and social and religious significance of folk dance.The Encyclopedia of World Folk Dance focuses on the uniqueness of kinetic performance and its contribution to the study and appreciation of rhythmic expression around the globe. Following a chronology of momentous events dating from prehistory to the present day, the entries in this volume include material on technical terms, character roles, and specific dances. The entries also summarize the historical and ethnic milieu of each style and execution, highlighting, among other elements, such features as:originspurposerituals and traditionspropsdressholidaysthemesTrade ReviewThis encyclopedia must have been a challenge for prolific compiler Snodgrass, covering as it does such an expansive topic—folk dance worldwide from all time periods. Each entry, however, offers sufficient detail to serve as an good introduction for students and more advanced researchers. One of the best features of the work is the explanation of terms used to describe individual dance practices, customs, and change over time; there is also a separate, helpful glossary of terms. An illustrative example would be the polka, also known by the Polish krakowiak. The author provides historical perspective on this dance and how it varies in different periods and parts of the world (e.g., its Scandinavian version gammeldans). Each entry has the source of the information listed, often derived from primary resources. The bibliography includes both primary works and secondary books and articles, and there is an appendix of state and national dances. The author provides a chronology covering 5000 BC to 2016—an interesting feature, but lacking sufficient detail for most research needs. The work's exhaustive index, on the other hand, is especially important for interrelating topics (e.g., under ‘Jewish dance,’ one can find the two-page main entry bolded, with multiple mentions in other entries and pointers to five unique Jewish subgroups). Summing Up: Recommended. All readership levels. * CHOICE *Snodgrass examines 'the placement of folk dances within world history' in this useful reference. Each entry cites its source(s) at the end. Some summaries place folk dance within a subject, as in 'Art, Folk Dance In' or 'Film, Folk Dance In.' Examples of dances mentioned include the czardas, the mazurka, the polonaise, the Highland fling, and the hula as well as Native American dances such as the sun dance and the ghost dance. There are general entries ('Greek Dance'; 'Jewish Dance'), along with more intriguing ones (e.g., 'Dragon Dance'; 'Parasol Dance'). Rituals—coming-of-age, nuptials—are covered as well. Shamanic dance, worship dance, and sacrificial dance give yet additional perspectives on movement as ceremony. This resource is noteworthy for its interweaving of dances with information on their respective countries/cultures and their purposes and meanings. Students doing reports will benefit from the helpful bibliography, which separates primary and secondary sources, and from the glossary and chronology. Color and black-and-white photographs provide examples. Often one has to research a country to find out more about its traditions, but this book offers an overview that is subject specific, making it a strong option for those seeking folk dance materials. Verdict: An excellent introduction for anyone looking for information on world folk dance and its terminology. * Library Journal *The Encyclopedia of World Folk Dance spans the globe to provide a comprehensive, single-source exploration of multiple aspects of folk dance. . . .Overall, the encyclopedia is a user-friendly resource. . . .A notable strength of this resource is its global perspective; folk dances from around the world are considered in terms of their relationships to each other. This informative, well-researched encyclopedia will meet the needs of students, teachers, and historians and would be a welcome addition to academic or large public libraries. * American Reference Books Annual *The encyclopaedia begins with a chronology, before 347 pages on an alphabetical series of subjects ranging from nationalities to dance form (e.g. veiled dance, clogging or branle), taking in other topics as wide-ranging as censorship and ceilidhs. A brief appendix lists national and state dances, alphabetically by dance rather than by nation. This is followed by a four-page glossary of necessary terms that might be unfamiliar to the average enquirer, such as ‘bel canto’ – a singing style – or the act of ‘reverence’ made to spectators at the end of certain dances. There is an eight-page bibliography divided into primary and secondary sources: books, journals and electronic sources; the vast majority of the secondary sources were published in the past 15 years. A very detailed index finishes off the book. Additionally, the book is well-supplied with both black and white and eye-catching colour illustrations…. The book is undoubtedly of value. * s *

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