alt.arts.ballet Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), Part 4/4
Tom
Posting-frequency: bimonthly
Last-modified: Jan. 31, 1996
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Part 4 of four parts
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Contents:
4. Miscellaneous questions
4.1. Is there software for doing choreography?
4.2. Is there software for my dance studio?
4.3. What is Contact Improvisation?
5. Reading List
5.1. Books
5.1.1. Introductory Books
5.1.2. General History
5.1.3. Biography, Memoirs, and Specific History
5.1.4. Criticism and Analysis
5.1.5. Reference
5.1.6. Source Materials
5.1.7. Technique
5.1.8. Stretching, fitness, & sports/dance medicine
5.1.9. Miscellaneous
5.2. Periodicals
6. Organizations
6.1. General
6.2. Organizations offering help with eating disorders
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4. Miscellaneous questions
4.1. Is there software for doing choreography?
Do you mean software for doing choreography (that is, for modeling
it on the computer) or for writing it down (i.e., notation)?
4.1.1.
The only software for doing choreography known to this group is a
program called LifeForms. There are versions for the Macintosh and for
Silicon Graphics (SGI) systems.
The following information and opinions are extracted from postings
to alt.arts.ballet. These postings date from October, 1994; more up-to-
date information may be available from Macromedia.
LifeForms was developed at Simon Fraser University by a team
including dancers and computer programmers. Its original name was
COMPOSE and it's over 10 years in development. There are currently 2
versions available. The high end version runs on a Silicon Graphic
workstation and creates amazing lifelike animation. The less powerful
version runs on a Macintosh and is not quite so thrilling, especially
in its emulation of walking and running. --Sandi Kurtz
<san...@u.washington.edu>
Life Forms is *commercial* software (and fairly expensive com-
mercial software at that!) Although it was developed originally at
Simon Fraser University (under the name "Compose") it was marketed by
Kinetic Effects and then taken over by Macromedia (the people who make
Macromedia Director and Macromodel.) They don't advertise it any more,
but I believe they still sell it. --Jim Williams <j...@gonix.com>
The program is still being developed, however, so there are
a few strange "problems". For instance, there is no gravity in the
computer so using props and climbing up stairs hasn't been accomplished
yet. Partnering also looks a bit funky because two dancers can occupy
the same space at once. --Lisa M. Hahn <lh...@andrew.cmu.edu>
The truly time-consuming aspect of LifeForms is the initial
creation of your movement vocabulary (called a palette). You build
everything from scratch, which gives you the chance to make exactly
what you want, but does take time. I've had just a bit of experience
with the program, but like all truly good video games it hooks you
quickly. --Sandi Kurtz
Based on my experiences with the demo version, I'd say that it
does what it claims it will do--produce realistic human-figure motion
--but I'm skeptical of it as a working tool for *most* choreographers.
Although the commercial version ships with a library of dance poses,
you still have to painstakingly shape the "body" of each figure into
the position you want for *each* "keyframe" of your animation. Since
the program moves the limbs from one keyframe to the next in the most
direct manner, this means you have to set a lot of keyframes: just
getting a conventional, rounded ballet port de bras, for example, needs
several intermediate points to get the arms to make the necessary
rounded movement rather than just going in a straight line. And since
you have to position each figure one limb at a time, it's very slow to
put together even a simple dance sequence. (Part of the problem, of
course, is that a keyboard or mouse interface is a lot less efficient
than simply getting into the studio with a live dancer and saying,
"Here, do this...")
LifeForms might be useful for experimenting with short phrases
of movement, especially for modernist choreographers who don't work so
much from "set" movements and poses anyway. But it's hard to imagine
using it to create an entire work. I still think there's a need for
the equivalent of a "word processor" for choreographers -- something
that would make it easier for them to assemble, arrange and edit their
ideas. (I've even tried to write such a program, but the conceptual
problems are ***hard***!) But I don't think that's what Life Forms can
do. --Jim Williams
In a feature article on Merce Cunningham in The Village Voice
several years ago, Deborah Jowitt observed that [he] was using the
computer in place of getting up and noodling around, which he can no
longer do easily. I would add in addition that MC has long been
interested in whatever technology was emerging, and that the computer,
in particular, mirrors some of his own concerns. --Nancy Dalva
There is also a program called Poser, from Fractal Design, which might be
thought of as a choreography program. Jim Williams writes,
If you don't need to do animation, just show body positions (useful for
teaching, illustrations etc.) another piece of software to consider is
a new application called Poser, from Fractal Design. I've got it and
have been working with it. This is in effect a software "mannequin"
that you can pose in various positions, then render into detailed
images. It isn't designed to produce animated sequences the way Life
Forms is; instead, it's useful for producing "still photos" of body
positions. The rendering quality isn't photo-realistic, but is much
more detailed than the wireframe images produced by Life Forms.
Poser's price is quite reasonable ($99 US until Aug. 31, 1995) and it's
relatively easy to learn and use. Currently it's available ONLY for
Macintosh and requires either a Power Macintosh or a 680x0 Mac with an
FPU [note: FPU stands for floating-point unit]; that means some popular
Macs that use the FPU-less 68LC040 chip will NOT work. (I haven't been
able to find out whether the shareware control panel SoftwareFPU can be
used as a workaround or not.) I've been using it on a fairly modest
Mac, a Color Classic with add-on FPU, and it runs fine, although
somewhat slowly.
Poser allows you to create your own "libraries" of frequently-used
positions, body types, camera positions, and lighting setups (you're
limited to three lights, but they're fully adjustable in direction,
intensity and color.) These libraries can be re-used as needed, so
you can work fairly quickly once you've invested the time to create
libraries of poses you use most. --Jim Williams
4.1.2.
For choreographic *notation*, there is a program for the Macintosh called
Labanwriter. According to Callum Downie, it is available from FTP sites
after a search by the likes of "archie." He says there is also a Macintosh
version for Benesh notation called MacBenesh, developed at Univ of Waterloo
by Rhonda Ryman and others. Contact:
The Benesh Institute,
12 Lisson Grove,
London NW1 6TS,
Tel No 44 (0) 171 258 3041
Fax 44 (0) 171 724 6434
For further information, see `topics/labanotation-dialog-FAQ.txt' in the
Dancers' Archive. For information on dance notation in general, see also
Dance Notation Bureau
33 West 21st Street
New York, New York 10010
(212) 807-7899
e-mail: d...@pipeline.com
4.2. Is there software for my dance studio?
Mark J. Zetler writes:
My wife (& I) have a dance studio in San Diego. I've been using
COMPUDANCE by a company in Texas called Theatrical Administration
Consultants (210) 497-4327 for about 7 years. It seems to do the
job, and the author seems to be responsive to the people who use the
program. There are some quirky things that that are annoying but all
in all the program works. I think the price is around $300 (????).
I have only run into 3 other programs. The first one was about $100
and didn't do anything. I don't think the company exists any more.
The High Priced Spread is called DANCE MANAGER. Last I heard (I could
be wrong) the price was about $1,200. The demo of the program
implied this program could do everything. I just could not justify
the cost.
The last program I've run into is called IN MOTION: THE STUDIO
MANAGER from Full Spectrum in Anaheim Hills, CA. (714) 921-8743.
($200ish) The program looked promising but seemed to run everything
from the accounting end not the student. I'll try to explain, at our
studio most question/problems are easier to resolve by first looking
up the student, seeing what classes they are registered in, look at
the billing, then look at the payments. With the IN MOTION:you have
to go to different places to find all that info. In COMPUDANCE you
can do all that from one starting place (presentation ain't as pretty
as the other programs but I still got the info and that is what
counts).
Compudance will have a Windows version in summer '96.
There is also an advertisement in Dance Magazine for DanceWorks; runs under
Windows; $395; phone (800) 286-3471 for free demo.
4.3. What is Contact Improvisation?
Contact Improvisation is a modern dance form invented by Steve
Paxton in 1972. The emphasis is on touching (not surprisingly) and on the
use of body weight; it has been compared to a kind of cooperative, non-
combative wrestling. To judge by the descriptions and pictures in Novack
(1990), it is most often done by pairs of dancers. There is a great deal
of lifting, falling, and supporting of one dancer by the other. It started
out as at least a semi-social dance form but has become more professional
as the years have gone by. It is claimed that contact improvisation
requires no prior dance training, but it's clear (and not surprising) that
as you learn from experience the range of things you can do increases. In
the descriptions that follow, taken from postings to alt.arts.ballet, there
is not complete agreement on what it requires of the dancer or what it does
to/for him/her:
"It was extremely cool stuff, but you really had to be a good
dancer, i.e., modern or ballet, in order to pull it off." --CarlosC14
<carl...@aol.com >
"Contact improv seems like something that would be experienced
in dramatically different ways by those with formal dance training
(ballet jazz modern) versus those without (despite what everyone says).
My impression is that the students from the CU dance department got
much more out of the workshops than I did. Mostly I got *bruises*,
because I don't have a lot of natural padding and there I was rolling
around on the floor with someone on top of me. My backbone, knees, and
hips were repeatedly ground into the floor. Oh, gee, what fun. >-( "
--Robinne Gray <rl...@cornell.edu>
"It's usually associated with modern/contemporary dance in that
many of the same people do it. Take some music, anything really, and
work with it as pairs, triples, n-tuples. Usually some vocabulary has
been worked to use. Most `improvisation' has been worked on more than
routines. With a common vocabulary and the music, the dancers can
interact with each other and it doesn't just become a mess as everyone
`does their own thing.' The `contact' is because everyone is working
together and physically close, whether imitating a `maul' (rugby union)
or breaking into smaller groups for a time." --Callum Downie
<Callum...@brunel.ac.uk>
"The risk-taking, weight-sharing and be-here-now aspects of
this form are truly intoxicating once you get past the bruised body
stages. Just like judo, it really is possible to do without hurting
yourself once you master the first technical level." --Randy Barron
<rbda...@aol.com>
================================
5. Reading List
5.1. Books
You will never learn ballet or any other kind of dance just by
reading about it; you will never learn a step that way. But you should
know the cultural and historical background of your art, even if you are
an amateur, and once you have been shown a step, it helps to have an
additional description to which you can refer at home.
A list like this is necessarily incomplete. Moreover, dance books
seem to go out of print more quickly than do other books, so some of these
may be difficult to find except in a well-stocked library. The books
listed here are chiefly ones that can probably provide answers to questions
like the ones in this FAQ. New books will be added as time goes on.
5.1.1. Introductory Books
-------------------------
Dufort, Anthony. _Ballet Steps: Practice to Performance_. Potter, 1990;
ISBN 0-517-57770-4. Describes, with words and excellent drawings, the
essential steps and movements of ballet. Starts with warm-ups, then
barre and center work, partnering, and shows how these moves are
assembled using examples of classical ballets. NOT a textbook for
students; intended for an audience member to help appreciate the
language of ballet. (Summary courtesy of svke...@aol.com.)
Jacob, Ellen. _Dancing: the All-in-One Guide for Dancers, Teachers, and
Parents_. Revised edition. New York: Variety Arts, 1993, ISBN 0-
937180-10-6. This and Robbins (below) are probably the best
introductory books. Jacobs does not restrict herself to ballet but
describes the dance world generally: what it's like to dance; dance
for amateurs, children, and professionals; what the options are; what
classes are like; what a career may be like.
Kerner, Mary, _Barefoot to Balanchine: How to Watch Dance_. Anchor Books,
1990, ISBN: 0-385-26436-4. Contains a brief history of dance, chapters
on choreographers, steps, combinations, training, and how performances
are mounted. (Summary courtesy of svke...@aol.com.)
Robbins, Jane. _Classical Dance_. New York: Holt, Rinehart, & Winston,
1981, ISBN 0-03-048941-5, probably out of print. The other of the two
good introductory books. This one is more for spectators; Jacobs is
more for aspiring dancers. Strictly ballet; describes some steps in
remarkably great detail for an introductory, non-professional book.
Summarizes some ballets and provides a concise but exceptionally good
history of technique.
Terry, Walter. _Ballet Companion_. New York: Dodd, Mead, 1968.
5.1.2. General History
----------------------
Anderson, Jack. _Ballet and Modern Dance: a Concise History_. Second
edition. Princeton: Princeton Book Company, 1986, ISBN 0-87127-172-9.
Shorter and less comprehensive than either Kirstein or Sachs, but more
recent and (IMHO) more readable. This is the history of dance I would
have written, if I could.
Au, Susan. _Ballet and Modern Dance_. Thames & Hudson, 1988, ISBN 0-500-
20219-2. Also a college text, slightly less focussed on the US than
Anderson, but no primary source materials.
Hilton, Wendy. Dance of Court and Theater: the French Noble Style, 1690-
1725. Princeton: Princeton Book Company, 1981, ISBN 0-916622-09-6.
Just what its title says; includes a complete course in reading dance
notation of the period. May now [1996] be on its way out of print.
Kirstein, Lincoln. _Dance: A Short History of Classic Theatrical Dancing_.
Princeton: Princeton Book Company, 1987, ISBN 87127-019-6. Covers
everything from ancient times to approximately the 1940s.
--------. _Four Centuries of Ballet_. New York: Dover Books, ISBN 0-486-
24631-0. Some general historical background followed by discussions of
fifty ballets. Generously illustrated.
Lawson, Joan. _A History of Ballet and Its Makers_. London: Pitman Pub.
Corp., 1964. More narrowly focussed than Sorell, Kirstein, or Sachs
but, within its limits, more detailed.
Sachs, Kurt. _World History of the Dance_. New York: Norton, 1953,
apparently out of print. The definitive history in its time, now dated
but not yet superseded.
Sorell, Walter. _Dance in its Time_. New York: Columbia University Press,
1981, ISBN 0-231-06391-1. A social history of dance.
Tatchell, Judy. _The World of Ballet_. Usborne Publishing, 1994, ISBN
0-7460-1692-1. Lots and lots of pretty pictures; at first glance it
seems to be ALL pictures, but there's a lot of info crammed in there,
too. Gives hints on watching ballets, describes the changing styles
from century to century, costumes, scenery, also describes (with photos
and captions) the basic moves, gives short bios of some famous dancers
and choreographers and companies, short synopses of about 30 ballets.
(Summary courtesy of svke...@aol.com.)
5.1.3. Biography, Memoirs, and Specific History
-----------------------------------------------
Acocella, Joan. _Mark Morris_. Farrar, Straus, & Giroux, 1993, ISBN 0-
374-20295-8.
Anderson, Jack. _The One and Only, the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo_.
Princeton: Princeton Books, 1981, 0-87127-127-3, out of print. Before
the Ford Foundation money, the Ballet Russes style was American ballet.
--------. _The American Dance Festival_. Duke University Press, 1987,
ISBN 0-8223-0683-2. History of the festival with a great index to
productions and teachers.
Ashley, Merrill. _Dancing for Balanchine_. New York: Dutton, 1984, ISBN
0-525-24280-5. A memoir, but full of technical detail as well as the
usual reminiscences; explains why Balanchine thought _battement tendu_
so important. Required reading for any serious student.
Banes, Sally. _Democracy's Body: Judson Dance Theater 1962-1964_. Duke
University Press, 1993, ISBN 0-8223-1399-5. Painstaking documentation
of a volatile period.
--------. _Terpsichore in Sneakers_. 2nd ed. University Press of New
England, 1987, ISBN 0-8195-6160-6. (Make sure to get the second
edition; it has an extended introduction with a wonderful pocket
analysis/description of postmodern dance.)
Blair, Fredrika. _Isadora Portrait of the Artist as a Woman_. McGraw-
Hill, 1985, ISBN 0-07-005598-X, out of print. Probably the best of the
biographies.
Cohen, Selma Jeanne. _The Modern Dance: Seven Statements of Belief_.
Wesleyan University Press, 1966, ISBN 0-8195-6003-0. Interviews seven
modern choreographers (including Nikolais, Limon, Sokolow), includes
their responses to a hypothetical commission (choreograph a work about
the Prodigal Son!)
De Mille, Agnes. _Dance to the Piper_. Da Capo Press, 1980, ISBN 0-306-
79613--9. From California youth through _Oklahoma_.
--------. _Martha: the Life and Work of Martha Graham_. New York: Random
House/Vintage, 1991, ISBN 0-679-74176-3 (paper).
Dunham, Katherine. _A Touch of Innocence_. University of Chicago Press,
1994, ISBN 0-226-17112-4. Early life, how she got to Haiti,
Fokine, Michel. _Fokine: Memoirs of a Ballet Master_. Boston: Little,
Brown, 1961.
Fonteyn, Margot. _Autobiography_. Warner, 1977, ISBN 0-446-81380-X.
Descriptions of early Royal Ballet especially nice.
Garafola, Lynn. _Diaghilev's Ballet Russe_. Oxford University Press,
1992, ISBN 0-19-507604-4. Thorough discussion of a complex and
influential part of dance history.
Graham, Martha. _Blood Memory_. Pocket Books, 1992, ISBN 0-671-78217-7.
Green, Martin. _Mountain of Truth: The Counterculture Begins--Ascona
1900-1920_. University of New England Press, 1986, ISBN 0-87451-365-0.
Genesis of Rudolph Laban's work (also beginnings of Germany's Green
Party).
Gruen, John. _People Who Dance_. Princeton: Princeton Books (juvenile),
1988, ISBN 0-916622-74-6, out of print.
Hilton, Wendy. _Dance of Court and Theatre: The French Noble Style 1690-
1725_. Princeton: Princeton Books, ISBN 0-916622-09-6. Some actual
instruction in baroque dance as well as historical analysis, the period
when ballet detached itself from social dance. Detailed description
of 18th-century dance notation.
Hodgson, John, and Preston-Dunlop, Valerie Rudolph. _Laban: An Introduc-
tion to His Work and Influence_. Princeton: Princeton Books, 0-7463-
0584-2, out of print. Just what it says.
Horosko, Marian: _Martha Graham: The Evolution of Her Dance Theory and
Training 1926-1991_. Includes discussion of Graham technique by many
Graham dancers past and present from Bessie Schonberg to Christine
Dakin and a syllabus from the Graham school as well as a listing of
the dancers and works over the years. [Suzie Snyder]
Humphrey, Doris. _Doris Humphrey: An Artist First_. University Press of
New England, 1972, ISBN 0-8195-6054-5, out of print. Humphrey's
autobiography, finished by Selma Jeanne Cohen.
Karsavina, Tamara. _Theater Street_. 2nd ed. Princeton: Princeton Books,
1981, ISBN 0-903102-47-1. Autobiography, description of life at the
Maryinsky as well as early Ballet Russe.
Kendall, Elizabeth. _Where She Danced: The Birth of American Art Dance_.
University of California Press, 1984, ISBN 0-520-05173-4. With this,
the Blair and Shelton, excellent overview of the birth of American
Modern Dance.
Klosty, James, ed. _Merce Cunningham_. Dutton, 1985, ISBN 0-8415-0372-9,
out of print. Hard to find, but great essays by many former
collaborators and company members.
Lawson, Joan. _Teaching Young Dancers_. Brooklyn: Theatre Arts Books,
1984, out of print. Good on placement (contains some instructive
anatomical drawings); explains many steps (although by no means all),
with descriptions and photographs showing right and wrong ways to
execute them.
Lieven, Prince Peter. _The Birth of the Ballets Russes_. Trans. by L.
Zarine. George Allen & Unwin, 1936. Reprint with new introduction by
Catherine Lieven Ritter. New York: Dover Books, 1973.
Mason, Francis, editor. _I Remember Balanchine_. New York: Doubleday
Anchor Books, 1991, ISBN 0-385-26611-1. Reminiscences of dancers and
others who worked with Balanchine. A good view of ballet in general
and 20th-century ballet history as well as of Balanchine.
Mazo, Joseph. _Prime Movers_. Princeton: Princeton Books, 1983, ISBN 0-
916622-27-4, out of print. History of American Modern Dance.
McDonagh, Don. _Rise and Fall and Rise of Modern Dance_. A Capella
Books, 1990, 1-55652-089-1. Some factual errors, but nice description
of transition in modern dance in the 60's.
Migel, Parmenia. _The Ballerinas: From the Court of Louis XIV to Pavlova_.
Da Capo Press, 1980, ISBN 0-306-80115-9. Ballet history in biographic
vignettes, a charming read.
Mueller, John. _Astaire Dancing_. Random House, 1991, ISBN 0-517-06075-2.
Excellent analysis and great photos.
Scholl, Tim. _From Petipa to Balanchine: Classical Revival and the
Modernization of Ballet_. Routledge, 1994, ISBN 0-415-09222-1. The
development of ballet in the 20th century, viewed as a continuation and
extension of Petipa's work.
Shead, Richard. _Ballets Russe_. London: Quarto Publishing, 1989.
Reprint [apparently]. Secaucus (New Jersey): Wellfleet Press, n.d..
ISBN 1-55521-438-X. Lavishly illustrated cocktail-table book with
intelligent and well-written accompanying text.
Shelton, Suzanne. _Ruth St. Denis: A Biography of the Divine Dancer_.
University of Texas at Austin Press, 1990, ISBN 0-292-77046-4. She's
not taken as seriously as Duncan today, but St. Denis was immensely
influential.
Siegel, Marcia. _Days on Earth: The Dance of Doris Humphrey_. Duke
University Press, 1993, ISBN 0-8223-1346-4. Excellent description of
work and explanations of Humphrey's theoretical underpinnings, great
sympathies for Humphrey as a humanist.
Solway, Diane. _A Dance Against Time: The brief, brilliant life of a
Joffrey dancer._ Pocket/Simon & Schuster, 1994. ISBN 0-671-78894-9.
Relates the story of Edward Stierle, dancer with the Joffrey Ballet who
died of AIDS-related illness in 1991.
Sorrel, Walter. _Dance Has Many Faces_. A Capella Books, 1992, ISBN 1-
55652-124-3.
Stuart, Otis. _Perpetual Motion: the Public and Private Lives of Rudolph
Nureyev_. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1995, ISBN0-671-87539-6. Life;
loves and affairs; how he became a dancer; how he made all that money.
Taper, Bernard. _Balanchine: A Biography_. Berkeley: University of
California Press, 1984, ISBN 0-520-06059-8. Vivid and revealing;
provides some insight into Balanchine's working methods.
Taylor, Paul. _Private Domain_. Farrar, Straus, & Giroux, 1988, ISBN 0-
86547-322-6. Autobiography, very anecdotal (lots of good stories!).
Tharp, Twyla. _Push Comes to Shove_. Bantam, 1993, ISBN 0-553-37264-5.
Autobiography, sounds the way her dances look.
Vaughan, David. _Frederick Ashton and His Ballets_. Knopf, 1977, ISBN 0-
394-41085-8, out of print. Great biography and analyis of style, hard
to find.
Villella, Edward. _Prodigal Son_. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1992, ISBN
0-671-79717-4. The story of a tough, ambitious, willful man who worked
with, loved, and frequently fought with George Balanchine. Gives a
feeling of what it's like to take classes and to find one's way in a
world-class company.
5.1.4. Criticism and Analysis
-----------------------------
Anderson, Richard L. _Calliope's Sisters: A Comparative Study of
Philosophies of Art_. Prentice-Hall, 1989, ISBN 0-13-1554125-5. Looks
at several non-Western art philosophies.
Banes, Sally. _Writing Dancing in the Age of Postmodernism_. University
Press of New England, 1994, ISBN 0-8195-6268-8. Collection of recent
materials, excellent on postmodern dance.
Chazin-Bennahum, Judith. _The Ballets of Antony Tudor_. New York: Oxford
University Press, 1994, ISBN 0-19-507186-7. The great choreographer's
career and works.
Cohen, Selma Jeanne. _Next Week, Swan Lake_. University Press of New
England, ISBN 0-8195-6110-X. Excellent introduction to philosophical
issues in dance without needing a philosophy background.
Copeland, Roger, and Cohen, Marshall, eds. _What is Dance?_. Oxford
University Press, 1983, ISBN 0-19-503197-0. Anthology of primary
source readings in several areas, good overview.
Croce, Arlene. _Afterimages_. Random House, 1977, ISBN 0-394-41093-9, out
of print. Her first anthology, great discussion of Balanchine and NYCB.
Denby, Edwin. _Dance Writings_. Knopf, 1986, ISBN 0-394-54416-1.
Anthology of everything, beautiful writing even if you don't agree with
him, considered spiritual father of many contemporary critics.
--------. _Looking at the Dance_. New York: Pellegrini & Cudahy, 1949.
Some of the best dance criticism written in the 20th century. The
first part of the book ("Meaning in Ballet") is a particularly good
introduction to ballet for the newcomer.
Emery, Lynne Fauley. _Black Dance From 1619 to Today_. Ayer Co.
Publishing, 1988, ISBN 0-88143-074-9.
Foster, Susan. _Reading Dancing: Bodies and Subjects in Contemporary
Choreography_. University of California Press, 1986, ISBN 0-520-06333-
3. Deconstruction applied to contemporary dance, very influential text.
Humphrey, Doris. _The Art of Making Dances_. Princeton: Princeton Book
Company, ISBN 0-87127-158-3. Humphrey on choreography.
Jowitt, Deborah. _Dance Beat_. Books on Demand, ISBN 0-317-28434-7. Her
first anthology, great look at "dance boom" NYC.
--------. _Time and the Dancing Image_. University of California Press,
1989, ISBN 0-520-06627-8. Connecting eras in dance to their historical
contexts. (Why does Romantic ballet look the way it does?)
--------. _The Dance in Mind_. David R. Godine, 1985, ISBN 0-87923-534-9.
Anthology of more recent reviews.
Kraus, Richard, Chapman, Sarah, & Dixon-Stowell, Brenda. _History of the
Dance in Art and Education_. Prentice-Hall, 1990, ISBN 0-13-389362-6.
College text, very helpful for dance education history (not always easy
to find).
Langer, Susanne. _Problems of Art_. Macmillan, 1977, ISBN 0-02-367510-1.
One of the first contemporary philosophers to take dance seriously.
McFee, Graham. _Understanding Dance_. Routledge, 1992, ISBN 0-415-07810-
5. British philosopher.
Siegel, Marcia. _Watching the Dance Go By_. Boston: Houghton Mifflin,
1977, ISBN 0-395-25173-7, out of print. Her first anthology.
--------. _The Shapes of Change_. University of California Press, 1985,
ISBN 0-520-04212-3. The history of American dance seen through
specific works--excellent description.
--------. _The Tail of the Dragon_. Duke University Press, 1991, ISBN
0-8223-1156-9. Recent anthology.
Sparshot, Francis, _Off the Ground: First Steps in a Philosophical
Consideration of Dance_. Princeton University Press, 1988, ISBN 0-692-
07327-9.
Stearns, Marshall, and Jean. _Jazz Dance: The Story of American Vernacular
Dance_. Da Capo Press, 1994, ISBN 0-306-80553-7.
van Praagh, Dame Peggy, and Peter Brinson. _The Choreographic Art_. New
York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1963, no ISBN.
5.1.5. Reference
----------------
Balanchine, George, and Francis Mason. _101 Stories of the Great Ballets_,
edited by Francis Mason. Garden City, N. Y.: Anchor/Doubleday, 1989.
Exactly what its title says.
Chujoy, Anatole, and P. W. Manchester. _Dance Encyclopedia_. New York:
Simon & Schuster, 1978. Huge and encyclopedic, a first-rate reference;
unfortunately now out of print.
Getz, Leslie. _Dancers and Choreographers: A Selected Bibliography_,
Moyer Bell, 1995, ISBN 1-55921-109-1 . Getz edits "Attitudes and
Arabesques," an excellent bibliography/index--this should be as good.
Grant, Gail. _Technical Manual and Dictionary of Classical Ballet_. New
York: Dover Books, 1982, ISBN 0-486-21843-0. Describes just about
every step in minute detail; the descriptions are in balletic
terminology and require more than a beginner's knowledge of ballet.
Highly recommended for advanced students.
Jonas, Gerald. _Dancing_. Harry N. Abrams, 1992, ISBN 0-8109-3212-1.
"Companion text" to PBS series, but much better than that implies!
Kersley, Leo, and Janet Sinclair. _A Dictionary of Ballet Terms_. 2nd
ed. London: Adam & Charles Black, 1964. Reprint. Da Capo Press,
1979, ISBN 0-306-80094-2. Illustrated with attractive line drawings;
more helpful to a beginner than Grant. Discusses _arqu'e_ and
_jarret'e_.
Koegler, Horst. _Oxford Concise Dictionary of Ballet_. Oxford University
Press, 1977, second edition, ISBN 0-19-311330-9, out of print. Very
nice source for performance dates, original casts, brief descriptions
(not a technique dictionary), not exclusively ballet.
Robertson, Allen, and Donald Hutera. _The Dance Handbook_. Boston, G. K.
Hall & Co., 1988. ISBN 0-8161-9095-X. A handy dictionary of dance and
dancers, arranged by categories.
Terry, Walter. _Ballet Companion_. New York: Dodd, Mead, 1968.
5.1.6. Source Materials
-----------------------
Arbeau, Thoinot. _Orchesiography_. 1589. Trans. by Mary Stuart Evans:
Kamin Dance Pub., 1948. Reprint, with introduction and notes by Julia
Sutton and Labanotation section by Mireille Backer and Julia Sutton,
New York: Dover Press, 1967, ISBN 0-486-21745-0. For comments, see
Question 3.3.
Blasis, Carlo. _Theory and Practice of the Art of Dancing_. 1820. Trans.
by [?] Cyril Beaumont. Reprint. New York: Dover Press, 1968, ISBN not
known. For comments, see Question 3.7.1.
--------. _The Code of Terpsichore_. Reprint. Brooklyn: Dance Horizons,
ISBN not known. May be out of print.
Cohen, Selma Jeanne, _Dance as a Theater Art_. Princeton, N. J.: Princeton
Book Company, 1992, ISBN 0-87127-173-7. Very good collection of source
materials on all aspects of dance from 1581 to 1991.
Ebreo of Pesaro, Guglielmo. _De Pratica seu Arte Tripudii_ ("On the
Practice or Art of Dancing."). 1463. Trans. by Barbara Sparti and
Michael Sullivan. New York: Oxford University Press, 1993, ISBN 0-19-
816574-9. One of the earliest treatises on dance by a court dancing
master in Renaissance Italy.
Noverre, Jean Georges. _Letters on Dancing and Ballets_. 1803. Trans. by
Cyril Beaumont, 1930. Reprint. Brooklyn, New York: Dance Horizons,
1975, ISBN not known. For comments, see Question 3.6.
Steinberg, Cobbett, ed. _The Dance Anthology_. New American Library.
Anthology of primary source readings with brief historical essays--very
out of print.
5.1.7. Technique
----------------
Barringer, Janice, and Sarah Schlesinger. _The Pointe Book_. Pennington
(New Jersey). Pennington (N. J.): Princeton Book Company, 1991, ISBN
0-87127-150-8.
Dolin, Anton. _Pas de Deux: the Art of Partnering_. New York: Dover.
ISBN 0-486-22038-9
Grieg, Valerie. _Inside Ballet Technique: Separating anatomical fact from
fiction in the ballet class_. Princeton, 1994. ISBN 0-87127-191-5.
Explains anatomical laws and body mechanics in relation to ballet
technique.
Messerer, Asaf. _Classes in Classical Ballet_. Garden City: Doubleday,
1975, ISBN 0-385-04599-9
Royal Academy of Dancing. _Step-by-Step Ballet Class_. Chicago:
Contemporary Books, 1993, ISBN 0-8092-3499-8. Describes and
illustrates elementary steps; organized by grade from pre-primary to
grade five.
Warren, Gretchen. _Classical Ballet Technique_. Tampa: University of
South Florida Press, 1989, ISBN 0-8130-0945-6. A picture book for
serious dancers: a dictionary of steps defined by photographs of them
as done by professionals. A companion book to Grant or to Kersley and
Sinclair.
5.1.8. Stretching, fitness, & sports/dance medicine
---------------------------------------------------
Alter, Judy. _Stretch and Strengthen_. Boston: Houghton-Mifflin, 1986,
ISBN 0-395-52808-9. One of the references recommended in Brad
Appleton's stretching FAQ.
Alter, Michael. _Sport Stretch_. Leisure Press, 1990, ISBN 0-88011-381-2.
One of the references recommended in Brad Appleton's stretching FAQ.
Arnheim, Daniel. _Dance Injuries: Their Prevention & Care_. 2nd edition.
St Louis: C. V. Mosby, 1980, ISBN 0-8016-0313-7
Berardi, Gigi. _Finding Balance: Fitness and Training for a Lifetime in
Dance_. Princeton:. Princeton Book Company/Dance Horizons, ISBN 0-
87127-160-5.
Blakey, W. Paul. _Stretching Without Pain_. Twin Eagles Educational &
Healing Institute, Box 2031, Sechelt, British Columbia V0N 3A0, Canada.
ISBN 1-896238-00-9.
--------. _The Muscle Book_. Twin Eagles Educational & Healing Institute,
Box 2031, Sechelt, British Columbia V0N 3A0, Canada. ISBN 1-896238-01-7
Cooper, Robert K. _Health & Fitness Excellence: The Scientific Action_.
Boston: Houghton-Mifflin, 1989, ISBN 0-395-54453-X. One of the
references recommended in Brad Appleton's stretching FAQ.
Howse and Hancock. _Dance Technique and Injury Prevention_. London: A & C
Black, 1992, ISBN 0-7136-3601-7; Theatre Arts Books/Routledge, 1992,
ISBN 0-87830-022-8.
Nagrin, Daniel. _How to Dance Forever: Surviving Against the Odds_. New
York: William Morrow, 1988, ISBN 0-688-07479-0.
Kurz, Tom. _Stretching Scientifically: a Guide to Flexibility Training_.
Stadion, 1994, ISBN 0-940149-30-3. One of the references recommended
in Brad Appleton's stretching FAQ.
Root, Leon & Thomas Kiernan. _Oh, My Aching Back_. New York: David McKay Co.,
1973, no ISBN.
5.1.9. Miscellaneous
--------------------
Blom, Lynne Anne, and L. Tarin Chaplin. _The Moment of Movement: Dance
Improvisation_. Pittsburgh: Univ. of Pittsburgh Press, 1988, ISBN 0-
8229-3586-4. Just what its title says. Sketchy coverage of contact
improvisation.
Gordon, Suzanne. _Off Balance: the Real World of Ballet_. New York:
McGraw-Hill, 1984. The dark side of ballet: anorexia, the position of
women in ballet, stage mothers, etc.
Laws, Kenneth, and Cynthia Harvey. _Physics, Dance, and the Pas de Deux_.
New York: Schirmer Books, 1994, ISBN 0-02-871326-5. Companion
videotape ISBN 0-02-871327-3. Newtonian mechanics applied to ballet
technique. Not for every dancer, but very illuminating for anyone who
comes to ballet with a technical or scientific background.
Novack, Cynthia. _Sharing the Dance_. Madison: Univ. of Wisconsin Press,
1990, ISBN 0-299-12440-1. About contact improvisation.
Sawyer, Elizabeth. _Dance with the Music_. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press, 1985, ISBN 0-521-31925-0. Mostly for pianists who
accompany classes and rehearsals, but interesting reading for anyone
who cares about music for ballet.
Wolfram, Eric. _Your Dance Resume_. San Francisco, Calif.: Dancepress
[(800) 815-6422] 1995, ISBN 1-880404-06-0. Provides concise and
easily readable step-by-step advice for dancers negotiating today's
competitive job market: preparation of resumes and cover letters;
photographs and videos; and advice securing and triumphantly navigating
auditions.
Stern's Performing Arts Directory. Lists: agents, choreographers, com-
panies, composers, conductors, managers, performers, schools, teachers.
Available from Dance Magazine for $68.50; phone (212) 245-9050.
5.2. Periodicals
(Thanks to Estelle Souche for names of French magazines.)
Attitude: The Dancers' Magazine
Dance Giant Steps
1040 Park Place, Suite C-5
Brooklyn, New York 11213
Attitudes and Arabesques (guide to current dance publications)
Leslie Getz
Getz Dance Library
1075 Marcusen Drive
Menlo Park, Calif. 94025
(415) 326-9775
Ballet Review
Marcel Dekker, Inc.
46 Morton Street
New York, N. Y. 10014
(212) 633-8264
Ballet 2000
[France:] BALLET 2000
10, av.du General de Gaullle
06240 Beausoleil
[Italy:] BALLETTO OGGI
Alzaia Naviglio Grande 46
20144 Milano
[Spain:] BALLET 2000
Apartado Postal 17226
28080 Madrid
Ballett International / Tanz Aktuell
Published by: Friedrich Verlag
Postfach 100 150
D-30917 Seelze
Germany
Contact Quarterly
P.O. Box 603
Northampton, Mass. 01060
Dance Australia
GPO box 606
Sydney NSW
2001
Australia
(02) 2812333
Fax(02) 2812750
Dance Connection
#603, 815 - 1st Street S. W.
Calgary, Alberta T2P-1N3 Canada
E-mail (advertising & editorial): elt...@cuug.ab.ca
Dance Ink
145 Central Park West
New York, N. Y. 10023
http://www.webcom.com/~ink/
Dance International
Roedde House
1415 Barclay Street
Vancouver, BC V6G 1J6
Canada
(604) 681-1525
Fax (604) 681-7732
Dance Magazine
33 West 60th Street
New York, N. Y. 10023
(212) 245-9050
Subscriptions: 800-331-1750
e-mail: danc...@panix.com
Dance Now
Dance Books Ltd.
15 Cecil Court
St. Martin's Lane
London WC2N 4EZ, England.
e-mail: dan...@dircon.co.uk
Dance and the Arts (was Dance Pages)
P.O. Box 916
Ansonia Station
New York, N. Y. 10023
Dance Teacher Now
e-mail: danc...@aol.com
Dancemagazine
SHINSHOKAN
1-21-7 Sengoku, Bunkyo-ku,
Tokyo 112, Japan
Dancer
Dancer Publishing Company, Inc.
2809 Bird Ave.
Suite 231
Coconut Grove, Fla. 33133
(305) 460-3225
The Dancing Times
45-47 Clerkenwell Green
London EC1R 0EB, England
Tel: +44 171 250 3006
Fax: +44 171 253 6679
DanceView
P.O. Box 34435
Martin Luther King Station
Washington, D. C. 20043
Danse Conservatoire
33 rue de Douai
75009 Paris
FRANCE
fax: 93/41/61/55
Danser
Service des abonnements
BP 68 7
77932 Perthes Cedex
FRANCE
fax: 40/02/63/90
Les Saisons de la Danse
Service des abonnements
7 avenue Rachel
75018 Paris
FRANCE
tel: 43/87/08/69
Fax: 42/93/97/74
Studies in Dance History
Princeton Periodicals
P.O. Box 380
Pennington, N. J. 08534
TBC News (Newsletter of Trisha Brown's company)
225 Lafayette Street
Suite 807
New York, N. Y. 10012
I've seen a Hungarian publication, Tancm"uv'esz'et, but I didn't have an
opportunity to translate the publication information. Later, perhaps.
6. Organizations
Sandi Kurtz has provided the following list of dance-related
organizations:
6.1. General
American Dance Guild
31 West 21st Street
New York, N. Y. 10010
212-627-3790
Offers a job search listing and newsletter
Congress on Research in Dance
% Department of Dance
SUNY/Brockport
Brockport, N. Y. 14420
716-395-2590
One of the few scholarly organizations, topics cover most aspects
of dance, good journal
Dance Critics Association
POB 1882
Old Chelsea Station
New York, N. Y. 10011
212-254-7905
Mix of working critics and academics, newsletter
Dance Heritage Coalition
149 Harmon Ave
Pelham, N. Y. 10803
914-738-7185
Catherine Johnson, Coordinator
Working on preservation and scholarly issues, maintains
Dance-HC, a listserve for dance
Dance Notation Bureau
31 West 21st Street
New York, N. Y. 10010
212-807-7899
The Labanotation organization, offers correspondence courses too
Dance USA
777-14th Street NW, Suite 540
Washington, D. C. 20005
202-628-0144
Primarily for dance companies, but publishes newsletter on
advocacy issues as well
Florida Dance Assn.
300 N.E. 2nd Ave., #1410
Miami, Fla. 33132-2204
(305) 347-3413
Laban Institute of Movement Study
11 East 4th Street
New York, N. Y. 10003-6902
212-477-4299
The Laban Movement Analysis organization (separate from Labanotation)
National Dance Association (American Alliance for Health, Physical
Education, Recreation, and Dance)
1900 Association Drive
Reston, Va. 22091-1599
Dance through a PE perspective
Society of Dance History Scholars
% Angelika Gerbes
Department of Dance
Ohio State University
Columbus, Ohio 43210
614-292-7977
Excellent journal "Studies in Dance History"
Society for Stage Directors and Choreographers
1501 Broadway, Suite 2003
New York, N. Y. 10036
212-302-5359
World Dance Alliance
% Dance Magazine
33 West 60th Street, 10th Floor
New York, N. Y. 10023
6.2. Organizations offering help with eating disorders
Many women dancers, under pressure to keep their weight down,
have fallen victim to eating disorders. For those who need advice about
bulimia, anorexia nervosa, etc., there are a number of groups offering
educational materials & referrals to professionals:
American Anorexia Nervosa/Bulimia Assn
(212) 734-1114
Foundation for Education about Eating Disorders
(410) 467-0603
National Anorexic Aid Society
(614) 436-1112
Nat'l Assn of Anorexia Nervosa & Associated Disorders
(708) 831-3438
National Eating Disorders Organization
Laureate Psychiatric Clinic and Hospital
6655 South Yale Avenue
Tulsa, Okla. 74136
(918) 481-4044
Overeaters Anonymous
(800) 743-8703
Gurze Books - publishes books on eating disorders, calatog available by
calling 619-434-7533.
--
--
Tom Parsons | Of course, we are all worms--but I like
D.T.L. | to think, at least, that I am a glowworm.
| --Winston Churchill