This popular core textbook offers a clear introduction to community dance practice today, preparing students for the realities of employment in this dynamic and widely studied field. The text is edited by a highly-regarded professional with an international reputation for best practice in community dance, and includes chapters written by an expert panel of contributors, comprising dance artists, practitioners and academics. It combines lively discussion with practical advice on the duty of care, inclusive practice and project coordination. With its stimulating range of case studies, interviews and resources, the reader is encouraged to apply the facts and theories to their own practice. This text is aimed at undergraduate and postgraduate students on community dance degree programmes, as well as undergraduate and postgraduate students of dance, theatre and performance studies who are taking specific courses on community dance. It is also accessible to emerging and professional community dance practitioners.

Each unit contains core ideas, a series of journaling and discussion topics, improvisation experiments, biographical sketches of the choreographers, and a presentation of-class material. At the end of each chapter, questions and experiments offer basic ideas that you can use to further your understanding of the choreography presented. --

In most forms of dancing, performers carry out their steps with a distance that keeps them from colliding with each other. Dancer Steve Paxton in the 1970s considered this distance a territory for investigation. His study of intentional contact resulted in a public performance in 1972 in a Soho gallery, and the name "contact improvisation" was coined for the form of unrehearsed dance he introduced. Rather than copyrighting it, Paxton allowed it to evolve and spread. In this book the author draws upon her own experience and research to explain the art of contact improvisation, in which dance partners propel movement by physical contact. They roll, fall, spiral, leap, and slip along the contours and momentum of moving bodies. The text begins with a history, then describes the elements that define this form of dance. Subsequent chapters explore how contact improvisation relates to self and identity; how class, race, gender, culture and physiology influence dance; how dance promotes connection in a culture of isolation; and how it relates to the concept of community. The final chapter is a collection of exercises explained in the words of teachers from across the United States and abroad. Appendix A describes how to set up and maintain a weekly jam; Appendix B details recommended reading, videos and Web sites. Instructors considering this book for use in a course may request an examination copy here.

This enchanting introduction to the wonderful world of ballet has been updated to include a removable poster and access to 25 downloadable music tracks. Young dancers have fallen in love with this charming, illustrated exploration of the world's great ballets. Featuring twenty-five famous and beloved pieces such as Swan Lake,The Nutcracker, Peter and the Wolf and Fancy Free, these stories bring iconic performances to life, and inspire readers to listen and dance along to the music that has made them enduring classics. Woven into these tales is a captivating history of ballet, filled with information and profiles of the world's greatest dancers, choreographers, and composers. Young readers will also enjoy fun facts and dancing how-tos all while listening to excerpts of classical music. Also included is a removable, fold-out poster depicting the five positions of ballet.

Driven by exacting methods and hard data, this volume reveals gender dynamics within the dance world in the twenty-first century. It provides concrete evidence about how gender impacts the daily lives of dancers, choreographers, directors, educators, and students through surveys, interviews, analyses of data from institutional sources, and action research studies. Dancers, dance artists, and dance scholars from the United States, Australia, and Canada discuss equity in three areas: concert dance, the studio, and higher education. The chapters provide evidence of bias, stereotyping, and other behaviors that are often invisible to those involved, as well as to audiences. The contributors answer incisive questions about the role of gender in various aspects of the field, including physical expression and body image, classroom experiences and pedagogy, and performance and funding opportunities. The findings reveal how inequitable practices combined with societal pressures can create environments that hinder health, happiness, and success. At the same time, they highlight the individuals working to eliminate discrimination and open up new possibilities for expression and achievement in studios, choreography, performance venues, and institutions of higher education. The dance community can strive to eliminate discrimination, but first it must understand the status quo for gender in the dance world. Wendy Oliver, professor of dance at Providence College, is coeditor of Jazz Dance: A History of the Roots and Branches. Doug Risner, professor of dance at Wayne State University, is coeditor of Hybrid Lives of Teaching Artists in Dance and Theatre Arts: A Critical Reader. Contributors: Gareth Belling | Karen Bond | Carolyn Hebert | Eliza Larson | Pamela S. Musil | Wendy Oliver | Katherine Polasek | Doug Risner | Emily Roper | Karen Schupp | Jan Van Dyke