Embracing dramatic similarities, glaring disjunctions, and striking
innovations, this book explores the history and context of dance on the
land we know today as the United States of America.
Designed for weekly use in dance history courses, it traces dance in the
USA as it broke traditional forms, crossed genres, provoked social and
political change, and drove cultural exchange and collision. The authors
put a particular focus on those whose voices have been silenced,
unacknowledged, and/or uncredited - exploring racial prejudice and
injustice, intersectional feminism, protest movements, and economic
conditions, as well as demonstrating how socio-political issues and
movements affect and are affected by dance. In looking at concert dance,
vernacular dance, ritual dance, and the convergence of these forms, the
chapters acknowledge the richness of dance in today's USA and the strong
foundations on which it stands.
Milestones are a range of accessible textbooks, breaking down the
need-to-know moments in the social, cultural, political, and artistic
development of foundational subject areas. This book is ideal for
undergraduate courses that embrace culturally responsive pedagogy and
seek to shift the direction of the lens from western theatrical dance
towards the wealth of dance forms in the United States.
