African American Dance: An Illustrated History
- Author: Glass, Barbara S.
highly recommended
African American Dance: An Illustrated History
- Author: Glass, Barbara S.
Purchase product
highly recommended
About
Africans brought as slaves to North America arrived without possessions, but not without culture. The fascinating elements of African life manifested themselves richly in the New World, and among the most lasting and influential of these was the art of African dance.
This generously illustrated history follows the dynamics of African dance forms throughout each generation. Early chapters discuss the African continent and the heritage of African American dance; the discrimination and marginalization of African Americans and the fortitude with which their dance forms survived; and black dance in the slavery era and later in the nineteenth century. Remaining chapters outline ten major characteristics that have consistently marked African American dance, and describe the various styles of black vernacular dance that became popular in America. The book concludes with a discussion of African dance at the end of the twentieth century and its important role in the flowering of African American arts.
Instructors considering this book for use in a course may request an examination copy here.
Contents
- Table of Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Preface
- 1. Two Dance Traditions Meet in the New World
- 2. Black Dance in the Slavery Era: The Ring Shout and Buzzard Lope
- 3. Early Black Festivals and Congo Square
- 4. Solo Percussive Dance
- 5. The Minstrel Show and Other Traveling Productions
- 6. Black Broadway
- 7. Variety
- 8. Grassroots
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Index
Awards and reviews
highly recommended
the commentary is fresh and comprehensive...illustrations are astonishing
