Dancing Many Drums: Excavations in African American Dance (Studies in Dance History)

New
Paperback
2002
$32.94

Few will dispute the profound influence that African American music and movement has had in American and world culture. Dancing Many Drums explores that influence through a groundbreaking collection of essays on African American dance history, theory and practice. In so doing, it reevalautes black and African American as both racial and dance categories. Abundantly illustrated, the volume includes images of a wide variety of dance forms and performers, from ring shouts, vaudeville and social dances to professional dance companies and Hollywood movie dancing. Bringing together issues of race, gender, politics, history and dance, Dancing Many Drums ranges widely, including discussions of dance instruction songs, the blues aesthetic, and Katherine Dunham's controversial ballet about lynching, Southland . In addition, there are two photo essays: the first on African dance in New York by noted dance photographer Mansa Mussa, and another on 1934 African opera Kykunkor, or the Witch Woman .

Synopsis

Few will dispute the profound influence that African American music and movement has had in American and world culture. Dancing Many Drums explores that influence through a groundbreaking collection of essays on African American dance history, theory and practice. In so doing, it reevalautes black and African American as both racial and dance categories. Abundantly illustrated, the volume includes images of a wide variety of dance forms and performers, from ring shouts, vaudeville and social dances to professional dance companies and Hollywood movie dancing. Bringing together issues of race, gender, politics, history and dance, Dancing Many Drums ranges widely, including discussions of dance instruction songs, the blues aesthetic, and Katherine Dunham's controversial ballet about lynching, Southland . In addition, there are two photo essays: the first on African dance in New York by noted dance photographer Mansa Mussa, and another on 1934 African opera Kykunkor, or the Witch Woman .

$32.94

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More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 384
Edition: illustrated edition
Publisher: University of Wisconsin Press
Published: 01 Feb 2002
ISBN 10: 0299173143
ISBN 13: 9780299173142

Media Reviews

Dancing Many Drums unearths many artists and performance companies whose work should be made available to the scholarly community and the general public. DeFrantz presents new scholarship by new writers who are well versed in the history of African American dancing, many through actual dance practice. Anita Gonzalez, Florida State University

Dancing Many Drums unearths many artists and performance companies whose work should be made available to the scholarly community and the general public. DeFrantz presents new scholarship by new writers who are well versed in the history of African American dancing, many through actual dance practice. --Anita Gonzalez, Florida State University

Author Bio

Thomas F. DeFrantz is associate professor of music and theater arts at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In addition to scholarly articles, he has written on dance for the Village Voice and Philadelphia Inquirer. He is a dancer and choreographer and directs the dance history program at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center.