Out of his long history as dance critic for the New York Times, Jack Anderson gives us this important, comprehensive history of one of the liveliest and most unpredictable of the arts. Treating modern dance as a self-renewing art, Anderson follows its changes over the decades and discusses the visionary choreographers who have devised new modes of movement.
鈥泪苍 Art without Boundaries Jack Anderson hails modern dance in its full boldness and clarity. With characteristic warmth, he also introduces us to many fascinating new personalities.鈥濃擠oris Hering, senior editor, Dance Magazine
鈥淸It is] impossible to mention here all the pioneer figures characterised so concisely and accurately by Anderson鈥攅ach of them placed in relation to their social and political climate鈥Anderson] is well-served by his formidable talent as a wordsmith; it would be hard put to name another writer who could, in so few precise and weighty words, sketch out the individual artistic physiognomies of Graham, Horst, Humphrey, Weidman, Cunningham, Nikolais, Lim贸n, Shearer, Horton, Taylor, Rainer, Brown, Dean and Fenley鈥攖o mention just a few of the more prominent Americans.鈥濃Ballet International
鈥淎nderson provides one of the most comprehensive dance history books in many years, one that draws extensively on the sociological underpinnings of dance and the personal passions of individuals. The beginning statement鈥'modern dance is an art as elusive as it is great'鈥攕ets the stage for an excellent discussion of some of the visionary (and, yes quirky) choreographers who devised movement for the genre鈥nderson deserves a big
thank you for such an excellent, thought-provoking look at the world of dance.鈥濃Choice
鈥淎nderson's account is well researched, but above all, it is lively and entertaining reading that will appeal to all dance enthusiasts.鈥濃Library Journal
鈥淎 sweeping panorama of modern dance that comes across with the same dynamism and urgency of purpose as the subject itself.鈥濃Publishers Weekly
Introduction and Acknowledgments
Part 1: From the Beginnings to World War I
Indelible Ephemeral
Setting the Stage
O Pioneers!
Isadora Duncan, Hellenism, and Beauty
Ruth St. Denis and the Exotic
Dancing into the Future
Part 2: From World War I to the Great Depression
New Times, New Arts
Form, Feeling, Pattern, Passion
Family Trees and Hardy Growths
Denishawn
American Ferment
Rebels
Part 3: From Depression to World War II
Struggles, Dispersals, Amalgamations
Catastrophe
Modern Dance: An American Art
Crosscurrents
American Moderns
Choreographic Consciences
Part 4: From World War II to the 1960's
American Victories
Explorers and Dissenters
Iconoclasts
Fertile Ground, Barren Soil
Part 5: Since the 1960's
Stability and Change
Contemporary British Dance
A League of Dancing Nations
Conclusion: The Undefinable Redifining Art
Notes
Selected Bibliography
Index
