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This title in the American Dance Floor series provides an overview of the origins, development, and current status of Latin social dancing in the United States.Latin dance and music have had a widespread influence upon the development of other social dance and music styles in the United States. As a result, Latin dance styles are among the most important dance forms in America.Latin Dance addresses every major style of Latin dance, describing the basic steps that characterize it as well as its r...

This work chronicles the history of the tango in the United States, from its antecedents in Argentina, Paris, and London to the present day. It covers the dancers, musicians, and composers, and the tango's influence on American music. Chapters are dedicated to Vernon and Irene Castle, Rudolph Valentino, Arthur Murray, Xavier Cugat, the Big Band and jazz singers who incorporated tangos with English lyrics into their repertoires. Other chapters cover Juan Carlos Cobian, the influence of World War...

This book commences with the history of Indian, Egyptian, Arab, and flamenco dance, then compares and contrasts the history of both classical ballet and flamenco. The book outlines the early roots of flamenco in India, and the journey of the Romani through the Middle East and Europe up to their final destination in Spain. Alongside this, the history of classical ballet is detailed from its beginning in Italy to its later development in France. The book spans the period from the temples of India...

During the patron saint fiesta in the Andean town of San Jeronimo, Peru, crowds gather at sunset in the town square, eagerly awaiting the entrance of the colorful dance troupes, or comparsas. At the crossroads of folklore and ritual, mass media and local preferences, and regional and national identity, the comparsas - presented here on on this DVD companion to Zoila S. Mendoza's "Shaping Society through Dance" - have become a powerful way for the local people to make sense of their place in Peru...

In this book, scholars and performers debate the dynamic interplay between innovation and tradition in the world of Irish dance. ""Close to the Floor"" brings together a distinguished and diverse cast of dance ethnographers, dancers, teachers, choreographers, and dance historians to discuss and reflect on a variety of topics in the world of Irish step dance and related percussive dance forms. This volume includes essays that originated at a symposium held at New York University in 2006 to commem...

The amazing mix of martial arts, dance and gravity-defying acrobatics makes capoeira one of today's most fascinating dance styles. Make sure it's on your radar! Look inside to discover step by step guides to some of the popular moves to get you started, learn about the history of this fascinating dance, read an interview with a leading capoeira coach and the real life story of a young capoeirista! Are you on the radar?

The rich, diverse cultures of the Middle East have long inspired fascination among outsiders. That interest, coupled with misunderstanding, has sometimes led to mythical and exaggerated interpretations of regional dances that are far from authentic. This new edition of Middle Eastern Dance clearly and colorfully showcases the many dances of the region that have been performed for thousands of years, such as the spiritual spinning dances of the Whirling Dervishes and the dabkeh line dance of the...

The dream of pure freedom in the South Pacific islands has never died on the mainland; sometimes it’s more of an ache than a dream. Over time and through the mill of popular culture, the dream has been distilled into two enduring images: the hula dancer and the tiki god. This book displays over 500 color images of collectible hula dancers and tiki gods with which readers can have a little exotic fun and maybe catch a tropical thrill along the way. The hula dance provided an escape in its origi...

This book engages with the role of dance in Irish culture and society over the course of the twentieth century. The book adopts a perspective that sees dance as a prism through which to view key aspects of Irish society over the period under review. Partly thematic, partly chronological this account of dance in Ireland emerges out of a broader interest in the body in society as well as in the construction of national and gender identities. It comprises seven chapters each of which addresses a pa...

How did flamenco-a song and dance form associated with both a despised ethnic minority in Spain and a region frequently derided by Spaniards-become so inexorably tied to the country's culture? Sandie Holguin focuses on the history of the form and how reactions to the performances transformed from disgust to reverance over the course of two centuries. Holguin brings forth an important interplay between regional nationalists and image makers actively involved in building a tourist industry. Soon...

Every year, countless young adults from affluent, Western nations travel to Brazil to train in capoeira, the dance/martial art form that is one of the most visible strands of the Afro-Brazilian cultural tradition. In Search of Legitimacy explores why “first world” men and women leave behind their jobs, families, and friends to pursue a strenuous training regimen in a historically disparaged and marginalized practice. Using the concept of apprenticeship pilgrimage—studying with a local master a...

Dance theatre has become a site of transformation in the Irish performance landscape. This book conducts a socio-political and cultural reading of dance theatre practice in Ireland from Yeats' dance plays at the start of the 20th century to Celtic-Tiger-era works of Fabulous Beast Dance Theatre and CoisCéim Dance Theatre at the start of the 21st.