Dance: Reference

Offering an up-to-date and comprehensive examination of modern dance, this reference offers alphabetically arranged essays, selected, written and reviewed by expert contributors.

In six volumes, with nearly 2,000 articles written by scholars from over fifty countries, the Encyclopedia offers authoritative coverage of the full spectrum of dance, including theatrical, ritual dance-drama, folk, traditional, ethnic, and social dance.

This new dictionary by two leading and authoritative writers on dance will provide the information necessary for dance fans to navigate the diverse modern dance scene.

Volume One: Fair Terpsichore to the Ghost Dance, 1607-1900
This two volume set relates the history of the most popular social dances, where they began, which dances survived the test of time and why, and what attracted American men and women to social dancing in these periods.

Volume Two: Lindy Hop to Hip Hop, 1901-2000

Whether through acting, dancing, music, or other forms of performance, these bold women challenged cultural standards merely by seeking the limelight, and many of them, upon achieving stardom, would influence and change public opinions about what women can do.

From soaring ballet leaps to the simple swaying at a high school prom, dance is the wedding of movement to music. It is a means of recreation, and of communication for the purpose of expressing an idea or emotion, releasing energy, or simply taking delight in the movement itself.

A concise adaptation of the celebrated Oxford Encyclopedia of Theatre and Performance, covering styles and movements, buildings, organizations, regions and traditions, and in particular, a strong focus upon biographies of actors, playwrights, directors, designers, and critics.

Includes essays on concert dance (ballet, modern and postmodern dance, tap, kathak, and classical khmer dance), popular dance (salsa and hip-hop), site-specific performance, digital choreography, and lecture-performances. It is a vital resource for anyone interested in understanding dance from a global and contemporary perspective.