Choreographing Identities

Folk Dance, Ethnicity and Festival in the United States and Canada

Anthony Shay (Autor)

Buch | Softcover

260 Seiten

2006
McFarland & Co Inc (Verlag)
978-0-7864-2600-3 (ISBN)

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Looks at how various cultures use dance as a visual representation of their identity, and how ""traditional"" dances change over time. This work discusses several ""parallel layers"" of dance: dances performed at intra-cultural social occasions, dances used for representation or presentation, and folk dance performances.

Throughout its history, the United States has become a new home for thousands of immigrants, all of whom have brought their own traditions and expressions of ethnicity. Not least among these customs are folk dances, which over time have become visual representations of cultural identity. Naturally, however, these dances have not existed in a vacuum. They have changed--in part as a response to ever-changing social identities, and in part as a reaction to deliberate manipulations by those within as well as outside of a particular culture.

Compiled in great part from the author's own personal dance experience, this volume looks at how various cultures use dance as a visual representation of their identity, and how "traditional" dances change over time. It discusses several "parallel layers" of dance: dances performed at intra-cultural social occasions, dances used for representation or presentation, and folk dance performances. Individual chapters center on various immigrant cultures. Chiefly the work focuses on cultural representation and how it is sometimes manipulated. Key folk dance festivals in the United States and Canada are reviewed. Interviews with dancers, teachers, and others offer a first-hand perspective. An extensive bibliography encompasses concert programs and reviews as well as broader scholarly sources.

Award winning choreographer Anthony Shay is an associate professor in the Department of Theatre and Dance at Pomona College, Claremont, California. His articles have appeared in Dance Research Journal, Iranian Studies Journal, International Encyclopedia of Dance, and other publications.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Part I: Folk Dance

1. Immigrant Dance

2. Choreographic Strategies of Representation

Part II: Ethnicity

3. Ethnicity, Heritage, and Tradition

4. Immigrant and Ethnic Communities

5. Mexican Americans

6. Greek Americans

7. Filipino Americans

8. Croatian Americans

9. Arab Americans

10. Iranian Americans

Part III: Festival

11. The International Folk Dance Festival

12. The St. Paul Festival of Nations

13. The International Folk Dance Festival of Los Angeles

14. The San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival

15. Nations of San Diego International Dance Festival

16. The Smithsonian Institution’s Folklife Festival

Conclusion—The Politics of Representation

Notes

Bibliography

Index

Erscheint lt. Verlag	25.9.2006
Zusatzinfo	37 photos, notes, bibliography, index
Verlagsort	Jefferson, NC
Sprache	englisch
Maße	152 x 229 mm
Gewicht	354 g
Themenwelt	Sachbuch/Ratgeber ► Sport ► Tanzen / Tanzsport
ISBN-10	0-7864-2600-4 / 0786426004
ISBN-13	978-0-7864-2600-3 / 9780786426003
Zustand	Neuware