Reading Dancing - by Susan Leigh Foster (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Winner of the Dance Perspectives Foundation de la Torre Bueno Prize

Recent approaches to dance composition, seen in the works of Merce Cunningham and the Judson Church performances of the early 1960s, suggest the possibility for a new theory of choreographic meaning. Borrowing from contemporary semiotics and post-structuralist criticism, Reading Dancing outlines four distinct models for representation in dance which are illustrated, first, through an analysis of the works of contemporary choreographers Deborah Hay, George Balanchine, Martha Graham, and Merce Cunningham, and then through reference to historical examples beginning with court ballets of the Renaissance. The comparison of these four approaches to representation affirms the unparalleled diversity of choreographic methods in American dance, and also suggests a critical perspective from which to reflect on dance making and viewing.

From the Back Cover

"An eloquent and articulate book."--Meredith Monk

"Reading Dancing is a generous and articulate gift to the world of dance/performance appreciation."--Deborah Hay, Artistic Director of the Deborah Hay Dance Company

"A valuable primer for dancers and choreographers."--Yvonne Rainer Choreographer/Filmmaker

Review Quotes

"Foster proposes a context from which the reader might make, see, or write about dance."-- "CHOICE"

"No other dance book had posited an alternative aesthetic and historical framework beyond its own disciplinary content. In advance of the turn to the body in social theory, dance therefore became a major contributor to the rethinking of history advanced by new historicists, and an art form that could be "read" within the context of history and politics. . . . Although dance studies is a growing field for undergraduate studies, its critical status depends on texts such as Reading Dancing that can be debated more widely."-- "Times Higher Education"

"Susan Foster is a new breed of dancer and choreographer."-- "New York Times"