Folk dancing Books

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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Book SynopsisIn Africa Dances Gorer takes the reader on an odyssey across West Africa, in the company of Feral Benga, one of the great black ballet stars of 1930s Paris. It is a devastating critique of colonial rule, which is shown to be destroying African society just as effectively as Christian missionaries undermine indigenous morality. Africa Dances captures the rich physical and psychological detail of African village life from food and architecture to dance and magic. Gorer witnesses men diving for three-quarters of an hour without coming up for breath, witch-doctors conjuring thunderstorms out of clear blue skies, and chameleon fetishists whose skin changes from a dirty white to almost black. This is a place where if you believe, you can.Trade ReviewHe has made one of the most singular journeys of modern times, and he has given us a book which opens a window on a world that most of us hardly realise exists ...There are no reservations in this astonishing book. Sex, religion, politics the place of fetish and magic, wrestling, dancing and marriage ... A book I could not put down from the first page to the last. Daily Telegraph

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Book SynopsisUntil the 1930s no woman could perform in public and retain respectability in India. Professional female performers were courtesans and dancing girls who lived beyond the confines of marriage, but were often powerful figures in social and cultural life. Women's roles were often also taken by boys and men, some of whom were simply female impersonators, others transgender. Since the late nineteenth century the status, livelihood and identity of these performers have all diminished, with the result that many of them have become involved in sexual transactions and sexualised performances. Meanwhile, upper-class, upper-caste women have taken control of the classical performing arts and also entered the film industry, while a Bollywood dance and fitness craze has recently swept middle class India. In her historical on-the-ground study, Anna Morcom investigates the emergence of illicit worlds of dance in the shadow of India's official performing arts. She explores over a century of marginalisation of courtesans, dancing girls, bar girls and transgender performers, and de- scribes their lives as they struggle with stigmatisation, derision and loss of livelihood.Trade Review'Anna Morcom's extraordinarily compelling book represents one of the most significant interventions in the study of dance in contemporary South Asia. Masterfully bridging discourses on class, gender, globalization, economics, morality, and aesthetics, it effectively foregrounds the forms of inequality and power at work in the production, consumption, and politicization of dance in today's India.' - Davesh Soneji, McGill University, author of Unfinished Gestures: Devadasis, Memory and Modernity in South India 'This is a remarkable book, of great originality, rigour, and importance in the study of modern Indian popular culture. Combining extensive fieldwork, archival research, and astute interpretation, Morcom presents a rich exploration of the contradictory effects of modernity, nationalism, and bourgeois values on a diverse range of Indian dance traditions, old and new.' - Peter Manuel, Professor, Graduate Center of the City University of New York 'A hugely valuable addition to the literature on the performing arts in India, focusing as it does on communities of highly marginalized dancers who have received scant academic attention. Illicit Worlds of Indian Dance deals with a wide-ranging set of dance sectors including female hereditary performers, bar dancers, transgender erotic performers and kothi dancers, interpreting the author's rich ethnographic detail through a variety of theoretical lenses. On all counts, a very welcome and timely scholarly contribution.' - Prabha Kotiswaran, Senior Lecturer in Criminal Law, King's College London, and author of Dangerous Sex, Invisible Labor: Sex Work and the Law in India

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Book SynopsisDuring the patron saint fiesta in the town of San Jeronimo, Peru, crowds gather at sunset awaiting the entrance of the colourful dance troupes, or comparsas. The comparsas have become a powerful way for the local people to make sense of their place in the world. This text looks at this tradition.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Against a complicated history of Italian folk music and its recovery, Inserra provides an insightful account of tarantella in its home region of Campania and in its migration throughout and outside Italy, intertwining her fieldwork with existing scholarship." --Italian American Review"Gratifying to read. Makes a significant contribution--finally, in the English language, where few studies have been previously available--to the study of this rich, diverse, and globally relevant music phenomenon."--Luisa Del Giudice, coauthor of Performing Ecstasies: Music, Dance, and Ritual in the Mediterranean​"Enhances our understanding of southern Italian music and dance while also refining our general models of folklore revival. The book shows how musicians graft their performances onto ever-shifting contexts of reception among mobile Italian and international audiences. It richly demonstrates that local perspectives on musical tradition are every bit as tricky as global ones."--Dorothy Noyes, author of Humble Theory: Folklore's Grasp on Social Life"An invitation to appreciate the multiple outcomes of the recontextualized tarantella, Inserra's work explores new aesthetic and authorities related to this folk tradition. Global Tarantella is a rare publication in the English language that addresses this fascinating and complex cultural phenomenon of Southern Italy." --Journal of American Folklore

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Book SynopsisHighlighting the importance of song and dance rituals to Sephardic Jewish religious practicesTrade Review"Taking the study of embodied Torah in women's movement and dance in an exciting new direction, this compelling and sophisticated book is of special interest to students and scholars of Judaism, ritual studies, women's studies, and dance."--Barbara A. McGraw, coauthor of Many Peoples, Many Faiths: Women and Men in the World Religions

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Book SynopsisA vital resource for historical and contemporary Caribbean dance practicesTrade ReviewA Choice Outstanding Academic Title, 2013. "A masterful synthesis that connects the dots between the varied places, genres, and performers throughout the stunningly diverse cultures of the Caribbean. Daniel impressively draws on local experts as well as scholars from across the region, which leads to a strong, in-depth analysis of dances such as quadrille and rumba."--Halbert Barton, professor of anthropology, Long Island University"A stunning, career-capping synthesis of extended fieldwork. . . . Compelling at every turn, the book treats important figures in Caribbean dance and dance studies and provides extensive taxonomies of performance modes. . . . Highly recommended."--Choice "A singular achievement that provides a definitive reference of the richness of practices and the resilience and dilemmas that confront dance in the Caribbean. Daniel effectively blends a dance insider's command of formal corporal and musical dimensions with a keen eye for cultural, historical, and sociopolitical context."--Randy Martin, author of Socialist Ensembles: Theater and State in Cuba and NicaraguaTable of ContentsChapter 1: Chart 1: Caribbean/Diaspora Dance Typology; Chart 2: American Colonial Heritages and African Dance Chapter 2: Chart 3: Spanish Caribbean Dance Typology; Chart 4: French/Kreyol Caribbean Dance Typology; Chart 5: English/Creole Caribbean Dance Typology; Chart 6: Dutch Caribbean Dance Typology Chapter 3: Chart 7: Caribbean/Diaspora Social And Popular Dances; Chart 8: Revised Circum-Caribbean Quadrille Continuum; Chart 9: Revised Sarandunga Form Chapter 4: Chart 10: Caribbean National Dances; Chart 11: National Dance Formation in Cuba Chapter 5: Chart 12: Caribbean Popular Dances Chapter 6: Chart 13: Circum-Caribbean Parading; Chart 14: Conga Rhythm Chapter 7: Chart 15: Sacred Diaspora Ritual Forms; Chart 16: Continuum of Sacred and Social Dance Chapter 8: Chart 17: Circum-Caribbean Combat Practices Chapter 9: Chart 18: Tourist and Concert Dance Performance

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Against a complicated history of Italian folk music and its recovery, Inserra provides an insightful account of tarantella in its home region of Campania and in its migration throughout and outside Italy, intertwining her fieldwork with existing scholarship." --Italian American Review "Gratifying to read. Makes a significant contribution--finally, in the English language, where few studies have been previously available--to the study of this rich, diverse, and globally relevant music phenomenon."--Luisa Del Giudice, coauthor of Performing Ecstasies: Music, Dance, and Ritual in the Mediterranean "Enhances our understanding of southern Italian music and dance while also refining our general models of folklore revival. The book shows how musicians graft their performances onto ever-shifting contexts of reception among mobile Italian and international audiences. It richly demonstrates that local perspectives on musical tradition are every bit as tricky as global ones."--Dorothy Noyes, author of Humble Theory: Folklore's Grasp on Social LifeTable of ContentsCoverTitleContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction1. A Brief History of the Tarantella Revival: Exploring Tarantella through the “Southern Question” Debate2. Exporting Southern Italian Festivals from South to North: The Post-1990s Tammurriata Revival3. Images of the Italian South within and beyond World Music: Eugenio Bennato’s Taranta Power Movement4. Tarantella for U.S., Italian American, and Cosmopolitan Markets: Alessandra Belloni’s Performance from New York City to HonoluluFinal ThoughtsNotesWorks CitedIndex

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Book SynopsisIn Styling Blackness in Chile, Juan Eduardo Wolf explores the multiple ways that Black individuals in Arica have performed music and dance to frame their Blackness in relationship to other groups of performers—a process he calls styling. Trade ReviewWolf's work is exemplary as he critically addresses twenty-first-century deliberations on identity and cultural diversity across the African diaspora. -- Yvonne Daniel, Smith College * Journal of American Folklore *Wolf 's text is a solid contribution to current narratives of self-determination and positioning of Chile's Afro-descendant population. The book highlights the achievements that music and dance represent for social and cultural processes in Chile, which makes it useful to understanding other Afro-American narratives across the Americas. -- Fernando Palacios Mateos * Ethnomusicology *The book itself will not only prove useful for academics interested in the music of Chile, Latin America, the African Diaspora, Blackness, and in semiotics, but is also written in a style that is accessible to upper-level undergraduates and above -- P. Judkins Wellington - City University of New York * Journal of Folklore Research *Table of ContentsAcknowledgementsAccessing Audiovisual MaterialsIntroduction: Of Stereotypes and StylingPart I: Styling Blackness as Afro-descendant1. The Disappearance of Blackness and the Emergence of Afro-descendants in Chile2. Tumbe Carnaval: Styling Afro-descendant3. Self-Understanding as Motivation for Styling Afro-descendantPart II: Other Ways of Styling BlacknessAn Interlude on the Importance of Styling Blackness and the African Diaspora4. Styling Blackness as Criollo: Dancing the Intimate5. Styling Moreno: Taking Pride in Decent Steps6. Styling Blackness as Indígena: Racial Order as Carnivalesque?7. A Question of Success: Carnivalization and the Future of StylingBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisIn Styling Blackness in Chile, Juan Eduardo Wolf explores the multiple ways that Black individuals in Arica have performed music and dance to frame their Blackness in relationship to other groups of performers—a process he calls styling. Trade ReviewWolf's work is exemplary as he critically addresses twenty-first-century deliberations on identity and cultural diversity across the African diaspora. -- Yvonne Daniel, Smith College * Journal of American Folklore *Wolf 's text is a solid contribution to current narratives of self-determination and positioning of Chile's Afro-descendant population. The book highlights the achievements that music and dance represent for social and cultural processes in Chile, which makes it useful to understanding other Afro-American narratives across the Americas. -- Fernando Palacios Mateos * Ethnomusicology *The book itself will not only prove useful for academics interested in the music of Chile, Latin America, the African Diaspora, Blackness, and in semiotics, but is also written in a style that is accessible to upper-level undergraduates and above -- P. Judkins Wellington - City University of New York * Journal of Folklore Research *Table of ContentsAcknowledgementsAccessing Audiovisual MaterialsIntroduction: Of Stereotypes and StylingPart I: Styling Blackness as Afro-descendant1. The Disappearance of Blackness and the Emergence of Afro-descendants in Chile2. Tumbe Carnaval: Styling Afro-descendant3. Self-Understanding as Motivation for Styling Afro-descendantPart II: Other Ways of Styling BlacknessAn Interlude on the Importance of Styling Blackness and the African Diaspora4. Styling Blackness as Criollo: Dancing the Intimate5. Styling Moreno: Taking Pride in Decent Steps6. Styling Blackness as Indígena: Racial Order as Carnivalesque?7. A Question of Success: Carnivalization and the Future of StylingBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"This marvelous study of táncház dance is at once a social history of socialist and post-socialist Hungary, an ethnography of Hungarian folk culture, and a meditation on how culture can be galvanized as both a form of collective action and ethnonationalism. A lively and thought-provoking work."—Sujatha Fernandes, author of The Cuban Hustle: Culture, Politics, Everyday Life, author of The Cuban Hustle: Culture, Politics, Everyday Life"Combining ethnographic and historical detail with theoretical rigour, Mary Taylor uses her exploration of the Hungarian táncház movement, stretching from the socialist to the postsocialist period, to uncover complex relations between cultural form and practice, collective memory, citizenship, and state formation. By offering a refreshing critique of the global 'heritage regime,' her analysis also reveals how 'local' cultural practices and traditions are shaped by global economic and political forces."—Emilia Barna, co-editor of Popular Music, Technology and the Changing Media Ecosystem: From Cassettes to Stream, co-editor of Popular Music, Technology and the Changing Media Ecosystem: From Cassettes to Stream"Hungary is now an avant-garde case of 21st century neo-nationalist politics. Folk dance became one of its historical and contradictory venues, Mary Taylor explains, as she digs into the complex lived and danced history of the idea of the Magyar 'folk.'"—Don Kalb, University of Bergen, Norway, University of Bergen, Norway"Hungary's táncház movement, or folk dance revival, is an expression of nostalgia for the virtues of the agrarian past, a hotbed of ethnonationalism, a system for transmission of 'intangible cultural heritage' recognized by international organizations, and a social dance scene that can be an awful lot of fun. Taylor's meticulously researched book fleshes out the complex cultural and intellectual history for this movement, demonstrating through her fieldwork and documentary research how 21st-century folk dancing emerges from discourses and institutions that can be traced over 100 years, and how it participates in the maintenance and development of ideas of citizenship promoted by Hungary's populist politicians."—Lynn M. Hooker, author of Redefining Hungarian Music from Liszt to Bartók, Purdue University, author of Redefining Hungarian Music from Liszt to Bartók, Purdue University"This empirically grounded and historically informed analysis of a revived folk dance practice introduces an innovative approach to studying the perplexing relation between nationalism, culture, neoliberalism and heritage politics in the socialist and post-socialist Hungary and the present-day European context."—Ioannis Manos, University of MacedoniaTable of ContentsPrefaceIntroduction: The Aesthetic Nation1. Making the Nation-State in 19th and 20th Century Hungary2. What Kind of Nation? Folk National Cultivation in the Interwar Period3. Socialist Cultural Management, Civic Cultivation, and Associational Life in Late Socialism4. The Táncház Revolution: Reviving Folk Dance As Social Dance5. Folk Dance as Mother Tongue: National Conduct and The Production of Collective Memory6. Socialist State Formation, Táncház Frameworks of Sense, and the Origins of the Postsocialist Cultural Turn7. The Place of Heritagization: Culture Talk amid Shifting Property and Citizenship RegimesConclusionBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"This marvelous study of táncház dance is at once a social history of socialist and post-socialist Hungary, an ethnography of Hungarian folk culture, and a meditation on how culture can be galvanized as both a form of collective action and ethnonationalism. A lively and thought-provoking work."—Sujatha Fernandes, author of The Cuban Hustle: Culture, Politics, Everyday Life, author of The Cuban Hustle: Culture, Politics, Everyday Life"Combining ethnographic and historical detail with theoretical rigour, Mary Taylor uses her exploration of the Hungarian táncház movement, stretching from the socialist to the postsocialist period, to uncover complex relations between cultural form and practice, collective memory, citizenship, and state formation. By offering a refreshing critique of the global 'heritage regime,' her analysis also reveals how 'local' cultural practices and traditions are shaped by global economic and political forces."—Emilia Barna, co-editor of Popular Music, Technology and the Changing Media Ecosystem: From Cassettes to Stream, co-editor of Popular Music, Technology and the Changing Media Ecosystem: From Cassettes to Stream"Hungary is now an avant-garde case of 21st century neo-nationalist politics. Folk dance became one of its historical and contradictory venues, Mary Taylor explains, as she digs into the complex lived and danced history of the idea of the Magyar 'folk.'"—Don Kalb, University of Bergen, Norway, University of Bergen, Norway"Hungary's táncház movement, or folk dance revival, is an expression of nostalgia for the virtues of the agrarian past, a hotbed of ethnonationalism, a system for transmission of 'intangible cultural heritage' recognized by international organizations, and a social dance scene that can be an awful lot of fun. Taylor's meticulously researched book fleshes out the complex cultural and intellectual history for this movement, demonstrating through her fieldwork and documentary research how 21st-century folk dancing emerges from discourses and institutions that can be traced over 100 years, and how it participates in the maintenance and development of ideas of citizenship promoted by Hungary's populist politicians."—Lynn M. Hooker, author of Redefining Hungarian Music from Liszt to Bartók, Purdue University, author of Redefining Hungarian Music from Liszt to Bartók, Purdue University"This empirically grounded and historically informed analysis of a revived folk dance practice introduces an innovative approach to studying the perplexing relation between nationalism, culture, neoliberalism and heritage politics in the socialist and post-socialist Hungary and the present-day European context."—Ioannis Manos, University of MacedoniaTable of ContentsPrefaceIntroduction: The Aesthetic Nation1. Making the Nation-State in 19th and 20th Century Hungary2. What Kind of Nation? Folk National Cultivation in the Interwar Period3. Socialist Cultural Management, Civic Cultivation, and Associational Life in Late Socialism4. The Táncház Revolution: Reviving Folk Dance As Social Dance5. Folk Dance as Mother Tongue: National Conduct and The Production of Collective Memory6. Socialist State Formation, Táncház Frameworks of Sense, and the Origins of the Postsocialist Cultural Turn7. The Place of Heritagization: Culture Talk amid Shifting Property and Citizenship RegimesConclusionBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisHow did flamenco—a song and dance form associated with both a despised ethnic minority in Spain and a region frequently derided by Spaniards—become so inexorably tied to the country’s culture? Sandie Holguín focuses on the history of the form and how reactions to the performances transformed from disgust to reverance over the course of two centuries.Trade Review“Holguín’s well-written, witty, and scholarly book on flamenco and the shaping of modern Spanish national identity helps us understand the enigmatic tension between Spaniards’ often ambivalent attitudes toward flamenco and the art form’s enormous success beyond Iberia.” —Enrique Sanabria, University of New Mexico“As bracing as the clicking of castanets, this book plunges the reader into the history of flamenco and charts how this art form became quintessentially Spanish. Holguín demonstrates how music and dance take on nationalist overtones—and does so with such verve.” —Clinton Young, author of Music Theater and Popular Nationalism in Spain, 1880–1930

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Book SynopsisThis is the story of English Country Dance, from its 18th century roots in the English cities and countryside, to its transatlantic leap to the U.S. in the 20th century, told by not only a renowned historian but also a folk dancer, who has both immersed himself in the rich history of the folk tradition and rehearsed its steps.In City Folk, Daniel J. Walkowitz argues that the history of country and folk dancing in America is deeply intermeshed with that of political liberalism and the old left.' He situates folk dancing within surprisingly diverse contexts, from progressive era reform, and playground and school movements, to the changes in consumer culture, and the project of a modernizing, cosmopolitan middle class society.Tracing the spread of folk dancing, with particular emphases on English Country Dance, International Folk Dance, and Contra, Walkowitz connects the history of folk dance to social and international political influences in America. Through archival reseTrade ReviewCity Folk brings matters of class, nation, and whiteness front and center, reframing the kinds of questions that can be fairly asked of English Country Dancing in the twentieth-century U.S. and Britain. Turning a keen eye on urban cohorts who embraced this dancing, Walkowitz provides a model for joining consideration of things political with things culturalspecifically with practices of the bodyand for doing so across disciplinary divides. -- Linda J. Tomko,University of California, RiversideRichly informative, conceptually exciting, and strikingly original. Walkowitz narrates the stories of compelling characters in the history of English Country Dance, particularly Cecil Sharp and the various figures, mostly women, with whom he dances through the complexities of organizing a movement in two countries. Walkowitz follows this story up to the present, combining analytic, ethnographic, and autobiographical reflections on the recent and contemporary folk dance scene. His authorial stance permits him to engage major questions about modern society, the middle class, and the role culture and cultures play in how people negotiate structural change over time. City Folk will be of interest to a diverse readership that stretches from general readers interested in folk dance and dancers and modern cultural history more broadly, to academic readers in fields including folklore, anthropology, performance, cultural studies, social history, and transatlantic perspectives. -- Michael Frisch,University at Buffalo, State University of New YorkWalkowitz brings the joy of a dancer together with the analytical acuity of a scholar to create a fascinating picture of how English Country Dance reflected the shifting terrain of twentieth-century liberalism. City Folk is a model study of culture and politics. -- Lizabeth Cohen,author of A Consumers Republic: The Politics of Mass Consumption in Postwar AmericaWalkowitz has drawn from a plethora of primary and secondary sources, and from his own experience, to produce a fascinating, wide-ranging history of English country dance in Great Britain and the US. . .The transatlantic approach is groundbreaking; no comparable studies exist. The book includes numerous illustrations, detailed endnotes, and a helpful bibliography. Summing Up: Highly Recommended. * Choice *[] Walkowitzs conclusion that the English Folk Revival emerged from belief in & the redemptive power essential Englishness is both succinct and credible; his summary of attitudes within its American equivalentis persuasive. * Folklore *Table of ContentsAbbreviations Preface Acknowledgments Introduction I Anglo-American Urban Folk Revivals 1 Revival Stories 2 Orderly Bodies: Dancing New York, 1900-1914 3 Orderly Bodies: Dancing London, 1900-1914 4 Planting a Colony in America 5 The American Branch I I Liberalism and Folk Reimaginings 6 The Second Folk Revival 7 Re-Generation 8 Modern English Country Dance and the Culture of Liberalism Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index About the Author

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Book Synopsis*The accompanying CD / downloadable album can also be purchased from the Mike Ruff Music website and from The Endless Bookcase website. This book looks at the practicalities of maypole dancing. Designed for teachers with little or no experience of teaching dance, the traditional dances are laid out in a clear and easy to use format with photos, diagrams and a Dance at a Glance feature. Maypole dancing is constantly changing and growing, and so a number of modern dances are also included, graded from simple to challenging. Issues of inclusivity, creativity and cross-curricular work are addressed in detail, along with non-ribbon dances from the Victorian and Tudor periods which are great for bringing history to life. A website and lively CD complete the package. "Easy to use manual, even for a novice" - Folkestone Primary Academy "This is an excellent, clearly presented maypole teaching resource which is attractively and thoughtfully presented, user-friendly and modern in its outlook. I am very happy to recommend this for anyone wanting the essential information on how to lead maypole dancing with young people and adults alike." - Rachel Elliott, Education Director, English Folk Dance and Song Society "This is the answer to our prayers! A really well written book and entertaining music CD to get people of all ages maypole dancing" - Paul James, Formally Halsway Manor, National Centre for the Folk Arts *The accompanying Maypole Manual Music album can be purchased as a CD or as a download, or as single track downloads.

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Book SynopsisBased on eighteen months of intensive participant-observation, Ring of Liberation offers both an in-depth description of capoeira--a complex Afro-Brazilian martial art that combines feats of great strength and athleticism with music and poetry--and a pioneering synthetic approach to the analysis of complex cultural performance. Capoeira originated in early slave culture and is practiced widely today by urban Brazilians and others. At once game, sport, mock combat, and ritualized performance, it involves two players who dance and battle within a ring of musicians and singers. Stunning physical performances combine with music and poetry in a form as expressive in movement as it is in word. J. Lowell Lewis explores the convergence of form and content in capoeira. The many components and characteristics of this elaborate black art form--for example, competing genre frameworks and the necessary fusion of multiple modes of expression--demand, Lewis feels, to be given body as well as voice.In response, he uses Peircean semiotics and recent work in discourse and performance theory to map the connections between physical, musical, and linguistic play in capoeira and to reflect on the general relations between semiotic systems and the creation and recording of cultural meaning.

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Book SynopsisDuring the patron saint fiesta in the Andean town of San Jeronimo, Peru, crowds gather at sunset in the town square, eagerly awaiting the entrance of the colorful dance troupes, or comparsas. Offering a look at a tradition, this title is a compelling example of the anthropology of performance.

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Book SynopsisDuring the patron saint fiesta in the town of San Jeronimo, Peru, crowds gather at sunset awaiting the entrance of the colourful dance troupes, or comparsas. The comparsas have become a powerful way for the local people to make sense of their place in the world. This text looks at this tradition.

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Book SynopsisEmploys twenty-five years' worth of rich interviews with black and white Virginians, Tennesseeans, and Kentuckians to explore the evolution and social uses of dance practices in each region.Trade ReviewWeatherford Award (Nonfiction), Berea College and the Appalachian Studies Association, 2014. "While each of these six community profiles can stand on its own, together they reveal the diversity as well as the commonalities and continually evolving nature of the dance traditions in rural Appalachia. . . . Spalding's study, however, does more than simply describe the dance traditions of these communities. It reveals much about the broader history and culture of these rural Appalachian communities. I highly recommend Susan Spalding's Appalachian Dance, not only to those with an interest in traditional dance, but also to anyone with an interest in the traditional culture of Appalachia."--The Old-Time Herald"In Appalachian Dance: Creativity and Continuity in Six Communities, Susan Eike Spalding draws the reader into a sorely needed conversation about dance scholarship and Appalachian studies, fields that Spalding argues rarely speak to one another. . . . Appalachian Dance is a useful text, merging dance and Appalachian studies, highlighting cultural diversity, and providing a unique lens through which to understand Appalachian history."--Register of the Kentucky Historical Society"Appalachian Dance is a well-researched and elegantly written academic work that will appeal to a broad audience of scholars as well as the general public. Spalding presents a complex picture of Appalachia through dance that productively complicates myths of isolation, poverty, and homogeneity often associated with this area. This is a compelling book."--Journal of Appalachian Studies "This is one of those rare scholarly works that is both readable and fascinating to read. For anyone interested in the history of folk dance in the twentieth century, this book is a must-read."--CDSS (Country Dance and Song Society) News"Spalding gives us a wealth of information, not only about the role of dance in six communities (in Tennessee, Virginia, and Kentucky) but also about how history, culture, geography, industrialization, urbanization, and even desegregation influenced its survival and/or revival. . . . Spalding's book is clearly organized and eminently readable."--The Journal of American History"Spalding provides an illuminating study of the social issues as well as the evolution of the dancing."--Western Folklore"Appalachian Dance is an important contribution to the field of folklore, dance studies, and Appalachian studies."--Journal of American Folklore"An exceptionally full account of the Appalachian communities in which dance plays a role. The historical documentation is thorough and the ethnographic work sensitively used to support Spalding's argument. Spalding has a lively writing style and demonstrates a warmth of engagement that is very appealing. Readers will learn a great deal about a region that is still widely misunderstood--and they will find themselves wanting to kick up their heels."--Erika Brady, author of A Spiral Way: How the Phonograph Changed Ethnography "Spalding's ability to portray the cultural diversity of various geographical areas within Appalachia and the differing dance traditions that emerged in those locations is outstanding. This book not only makes a major contribution to understanding the dance traditions of Appalachia, but it shows in turn what a study of dance traditions reveals about Appalachian communities."--Elizabeth Fine, author of Soulstepping: African American Step Shows

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Book SynopsisFollow the story of one of America''s most unique immigrant communities! The Isleños of Louisiana, Spanish Canary Islanders who immigrated to Louisiana in the late 18th century, are one of the most unique ethnic groups in the American South. They are one of the best preserved immigrant cultures in the United States, having safeguarded their traditions into the 21st century. A key to this cultural preservation was the dance halls. Sustained into modern day by weekly dances in nightclubs and across St. Bernard Parish, this rich history is dying out as younger members of the community fail to pick up its traditions. Follow the history of the Isleños through their immigration to the 20th century Dance Hall Era that has become their legacy.

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Book SynopsisA rite of passage for Filipino American college students, Filipino Cultural Night challenges official accounts of the pastTable of ContentsAcknowledgments Prologue Introduction 1. The Art of the State: Inventing Philippine Folkloric Forms (Manila, 1934) 2. “Take It from the People”: Dancing Diplomats and Cultural Authenticity (Brussels, 1958) 3. Dancing into Oblivion: The Pilipino Cultural Night (Los Angeles, 1983) 4. Repetitive Motion: The Mechanics of Reverse Exile (San Francisco, 1993) 5. Making a Mockery of Everything We Hold True and Dear: Exploring Parody with Tongue in a Mood’s PCN Salute (San Francisco, 1997) Conclusion Epilogue: Memoria Notes Bibliography Index

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