Dance In Africa Asia And The Pacific

The study centres on the subject of Dance in West Africa, namely a dance of the Ewe in Southern Ghana. Although modernity is having an adverse effect on traditional dancing, it is still important in the society and may be viewed as a mirror of culture. The objectives are to describe the dance and embed this form of expression within a theoretical framework. Every movement has a meaning and in this way it is possible to explain a whole story, a person is speaking through dance. Ulrike Groß studied Phonetic Sciences, Linguistics and Slavonic Languages at the University of Cologne; Dance at Laban Centre London and in Westafrican Countries. She also studied Fine Arts at the University of Zuid Limburg, Academie Beeldende Kunsten, Maastricht, NL. Her research interests are in Non-verbal Communication and Phonetics in Second Language Acquisition.

A collection of essays by distinguished writers, critics and artists which addresses the discipline of African dance both on the continent and in the wider Diaspora. Includes a contribution from the distinguished Jamaican choreographer Sir Rex Nettleford.

Introduces the history, methods of teaching, ceremonial styles, basic steps, and famous figures of traditional Asian dance from Japan, China, India and more.

This volume featrues over 250,000 words and more than 125 photographs identifying and defining theatre in more than 30 countries from India to Uzbekistan, from Thailand to New Zealand and featuring extensive documentation on contemporary Chinese, Japanese, Indian and Australian theatre.

Dance Appreciation is an exciting exploration of how to understand and think about dance in all of its various contexts. This book unfolds a brief history of dance with engaging insight into the social, cultural, aesthetic, and kinetic aspects of various forms of dance. Dedicated chapters cover ballet, modern, tap, jazz, and hip-hop dance, complete with summaries, charts, timelines, discussion questions, movement prompts, and an online companion website all designed to foster awareness of and appreciation for dance in a variety of contexts. This wealth of resources helps to uncover the fascinating history that makes this art form so diverse and entertaining, and to answer the questions of why we dance and how we dance. Written for the novice dancer as well as the more experienced dance student, Dance Appreciation enables readers to learn and think critically about dance as a form of entertainment and art.

In Corporeal Politics, leading international scholars investigate the development of dance as a deeply meaningful and complex cultural practice across time, placing special focus on the intertwining of East Asia dance and politics and the role of dance as a medium of transcultural interaction and communication across borders. Countering common narratives of dance history that emphasize the US and Europe as centers of origin and innovation, the expansive creativity of dance artists in East Asia asserts its importance as a site of critical theorization and reflection on global artistic developments in the performing arts. Through the lens of “corporeal politics”—the close attention to bodily acts in specific cultural contexts—each study in this book challenges existing dance and theater histories to re-investigate the performer's role in devising the politics and aesthetics of their performance, as well as the multidimensional impact of their lives and artistic works. Corporeal Politics addresses a wide range of performance styles and genres, including dances produced for the concert stage, as well as those presented in popular entertainments, private performance spaces, and street protests.