Terpsichore in Sneakers: Post-Modern Dance (Wesleyan Paperback) - Tapa blanda

"Sally Banes writes criticism with a dancer's feel for dancing, a personal acquaintance with the choreographers she writes about, a solid knowledge of critical theory, and an awareness of the many relationships of post-modernism to the contemporary cultural context. Terpsichore in Sneakers is a first-rate contribution ... the best book we have on post-modern dance."--Milton H. Snoeyenbos, Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism "Banes' lucid assessment is a timely and extremely worthwhile book. Banes is highly respected as a dance critic, but she is also a conscientious historian, and it is this side of her that predominates the book."--Susan Reiter, American Dance Guild Newsletter "An impressive achievement and a valuable document of dance history ... Terpsichore in Sneakers is going to be in demand for a long time, both as a guide to one of the least predictable realms of art and as an example of dance criticism that truly helps us see."--Laura Shapiro, The Real Pape

Drawing on the postmodern perspective and concerns that informed her groundbreaking Terpischore in Sneakers, Sally Bane's Writing Dancing documents the background and development of avant-garde and popular dance, analyzing individual artists, performances, and entire dance movements. With a sure grasp of shifting cultural dynamics, Banes shows how postmodern dance is integrally connected to other oppositional, often marginalized strands of dance culture, and considers how certain kinds of dance move from the margins to the mainstream. Banes begins by considering the act of dance criticism itself, exploring its modes, methods, and underlying assumptions and examining the work of other critics. She traces the development of contemporary dance from the early work of such influential figures as Merce Cunningham and George Balanchine to such contemporary choreographers as Molissa Fenley, Karole Armitage, and Michael Clark. She analyzes the contributions of the Judson Dance Theatre and the Workers' Dance League, the emergence of Latin postmodern dance in New York, and the impact of black jazz in Russia. In addition, Banes explores such untraditional performance modes as breakdancing and the "drunk dancing" of Fred Astaire.