Synopsis
This collection of writings addresses the impact of multiculturalism on the dance world. The opportunities and difficulties afforded by the increasing use of non-Western traditions in dance are the focus of the 14 essays by leading dancers, historians, and critics that editor David Gere has collated in this book. Emphasizing the artistic rewards of incorporating non-Western dance into the repertoire, this collection provides artists, academics, and audiences a means of understanding and coming to terms with the issues of multiculturalism in the arts.
Reviews
In this book, the result of the 1990 conference of the Dance Critics Association, a group dedicated "to promot[ing] excellence in dance criticism through education, research, and the exchange of ideas," the contributors?all dance writers and dancers?share their perspectives on multicultural dance. The essays that comprise this volume take a fresh look at the study of dance and the way we interpret the art form; they challenge the rigid canon of dance as Western ballet and modern dance, debate the perceived presence/absence of prejudice in representations of unfamiliar dance forms, evaluate the roles of critics vs. ethnographers, and present alternatives to the proscenium stage presentation. The scholarly essays are diverse, as indicated by a sampling of titles: "More Than Art: The Politics of Performance in International Cultural Exchange," "Part of the Problem: Language and Truth in Dance?World Politics," "Looking at Dance: World Dance on Western Stages," and "What Is Classicism: International Critics Look at Javanese Bedhaya." Readers will be stimulated by the thoughtful questions that are raised. Recommended for specialized academic collections.?Joan Stahl, National Museum of American Art, Washington, D.C.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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