Description
Book SynopsisCompetitive ballroom is much more than a style of dance. Rather, it is a continually evolving and increasingly global social and cultural arena: of fashion, performance, art, sport, gender, and more. Ballroom explores the intersection of dance cultures, dress, and the body. Presenting the author's experiences at an international range of dance events from Europe, the US and UK, as well as featuring the views of individual dancers, the book shows how dancing influences mind and body alike. For students of anthropology, dance, cultural, and performance studies, Ballroom provides an ethnographic picture of how dancers and others live their lives both on and off the dance floor.
Trade ReviewBallroom is a deeply layered and compelling account of competitive ballroom dance, combining Jonathan Marion's insightful roles as ethnographer, photographer, and accomplished ballroom dancer. The book should be read by everyone curious about the fundamental nature of dance in human society, no matter what their particular dance passion may be. Anyone interested in the world of competitive ballroom dance will find Ballroom an invaluable resource. Anya Peterson Royce, Indiana University With the ethnographic authority of a ballroom dancer, Jonathan Marion takes us to the world of competitions in this exciting dancesport. Ballroom is an absorbing book. It reveals how this dance form indexes broader issues of performance and costume as well as gender, transnationality and the visual. Helena Wulff, Stockholm University A welcome addition to a growing body of literature about competitive and social dance forms ... not only contributes to our understanding of ballroom dance but also furthers and suggests the continuing promise of dance research carried out through interdisciplinary methodologies. American Ethnologist
Table of ContentsIntroduction Part 1: Setting the Stage Chapter 1: What is Competitive Ballroom Dance? Chapter 2: A Brief History of Ballroom Chapter 3: Judging Ballroom Dance Part 2: Performing Dancesport Chapter 4: Ballroom as Spectacle Chapter 5: Ballroom as Art Chapter 6: Ballroom as Sport Part 3: Ballroom Competitions as Events Chapter 7: Competitions as Festival and Celebration Chapter 8: Competitions as Ritual Part 4: Costs, Consequences, and Outcomes Chapter 9: Costumes and Conduct Chapter 10: Performing Gender Chapter 11: Living the Dancesport Life Conclusion
