Within intellectual paradigms that privilege mind over matter, dance has long appeared as a marginal, derivative, or primitive art. Drawing support from theorists and artists who embrace matter as dynamic and agential, this book offers a visionary definition of dance that illuminates its constitutive work in the ongoing evolution of human persons. Why We Dance introduces a philosophy of bodily becoming that posits bodily movement as the source and telos of human life. Within this philosophy, dance appears as an activity that humans evolved to do as the enabling condition of their best bodily becoming. Weaving theoretical reflection with accounts of lived experience, this book positions dance as a catalyst in the development of human consciousness, compassion, ritual proclivity, and ecological adaptability. Aligning with trends in new materialism, affect theory, and feminist philosophy, as well as advances in dance and religious studies, this work reveals the vital role dance can play in reversing the trajectory of ecological self-destruction along which human civilization is racing.

Portraits of Native American master dancers come alive in words and pictures.

From an Indigenous creative team comes a powerful and exuberant story about the heritage, joy, and healing power of the Jingle Dress Dance It’s a special day—the day of the Jingle Dress Dance! Before the big powwow, there’s a lot to do: getting dressed, braiding hair, packing lunches, and practicing bounce-steps. But one young girl gets butterflies in her stomach thinking about performing in front of her whole community. When the drumbeats begin, though, her family soothes her nerves and reminds her why she dances. Emerging historically in response to the global influenza pandemic of 1918–19, the Jingle Dress Dance is a ceremonial dance of healing and prayer that still thrives today in many Indigenous and First Nations communities across North America. Lyrically written and lushly illustrated, Why We Dance is a joyous celebration of a proud Indigenous tradition that inspires hope, resilience, and unity.

Sacred Celebrations for the Skeptical Seeker Invite more joy and meaning into your life with nature-based rituals, ceremonies, and workings that are spiritually powerful but rooted in material reality. Rituals transform a moment that might otherwise seem ordinary into a special occasion. However, it can feel awkward to start these practices, particularly for atheists, agnostics, humanists, and other nonbelievers. With this book, Mark A. Green teaches you how to meaningfully ritualize your life, without asking you to believe in anything science can't prove. With an emphasis on the cycles of nature instead of deity worship, Mark shows you how to celebrate wheel of the year holidays, rites of passage, and personal observances. He provides dozens of rituals, workings, crafts, and recipes to bring greater happiness and connection to every occasion. Through Atheopagan principles and practices, you can spiritually honor the passage of time, important milestones, your community, and yourself. Includes a foreword by Arwen Gwyneth, former chair of the Atheopagan Society Council

Will History Repeat Itself? Hollywood, 1953 Anita Brooks and Price Garfield were all the rage, perfect partners on and off the dance floor—until Price married an ambitious starlet and Anita fled to Broadway. Los Angeles, 2011 Anita’s daughter, Gabrielle Brooks Lacroix, is lured to California to dance at the opening of a nostalgia club, Cheek to Cheek. The problem is her partner will be Kit Garfield, whose very name conjures up memories of her mother’s heartbreak. Kit, however, has heard another version of the story—his father’s. Can Gabby and Kit put aside yesterday’s ghosts and follow their own dreams into the glittering future that beckons?

At twenty-seven, Shannon Murphy has just discovered that she has two sisters she never knew. Now, through Shannon’s loving persistence, the three of them are moving in together above her dance studio in Bridgeport. Shannon is excited to make a home with her sisters and to grow her budding business. Then she meets her newest client—he has all the right muscles, a perfect smile, and a lot of attitude. Will Shannon be able to keep things professional with this charming stranger? Dylan Lange has a lot on his mind. He’s just been assigned a new partner at his job with the Bridgeport Police, and while he’s busy striving to protect and serve his town, he’s also trying to keep his baby sister out of harm’s way while she heals from her own trauma. And on top of everything else, he’s gone and lost a bet with his buddies, forcing him to take dance lessons. But when he walks into the dance studio to meet his instructor, a young and beautiful brunette with a sweet southern drawl is the last person he expected to find. Get ready to fall in love again as Shelley Shepard Gray takes us back to Bridgeport, Ohio, where nobody gets left behind and a powerful community helps ordinary men and women to find extraordinary strength inside themselves.

Perry Shepherd, Earl of Brentwood, presents himself to Society as a bit of a fribble; carefree, fairly indolent, and bored to flinders by anything remotely political. But appearances can deceive, because scratch that polished surface and the real Perry appears, an invaluable and rather ruthless covert asset to England during the late war with Bonaparte. Perry ignores the reappearance of Princess Caroline, consort of the new King George IV…until his wily uncle orders him to ferret out information that would make it possible for the new king to divorce his unwanted, blowsy, and rather audacious spouse before he is forced to crown her as his Queen. Left with no options, Perry decides the way to the Princess is through her most trusted ally, Amelia Fredericks. A little charm, a few of his winning smiles sprinkled in with a touch of flattery to the girl, and, well, as one of his new acquaintances is known to say, “Bob’s your uncle.” Except that Amelia is so sincere, so trustworthy, so devoted to Caroline…and it’s possible that both she and princess are in grave danger. Now Perry has a problem: how does he tell the truth to the woman he’s been lying to even as he falls in love with her? Don't miss the book that precedes this story, featuring Morgan Drummond: The Butler Did It “Michaels truly shines in this gem of a historical romance rich in witty dialogue and intriguing political maneuverings.” -- Review by Patty Engelmann; American Library Association.