Democracy's Body
Judson Dance Theatre, 1962-1964
Published on 19. October 1993
Book
Paperback/Softback
288 pages
978-0-8223-1399-1 (ISBN)
Description
Democracy's Body offers a lively, detailed account of the beginnings of the Judson Dance Theater--a popular center of dance experimentation in New York's Greenwich Village--and its place in the larger history of the avant-garde art scene of the 1960s. JDT started when Robert Dunn, a student of John Cage, offered a dance composition class in Merce Cunningham's studio. The performers--many of whom included some of the most prominent figures in the arts in the early sisties--found a welcome performance home in the Judson Memorial Church in the Village. Sally Banes's account draws on interviews, letters, diaries, films, and reconstructions of dances to paint a portrait of the rich culture of Judson, which was the seedbed for postmodern dance and the first avant-garde movement in dance theater since the modern dance of the 1930s and 1940s. Originally published in 1983, this edition brings back into print a highly regarded work of dance history.
Reviews / Votes
"Anyone interested in choreography or methods of teaching composition must have this book on the shelf. . . Th[is] book is crucial in understanding our history and in appreciating the shape of dance today. Dancers and choreographers need to read it to learn about their heritage, historians to discover clarity about a rambunctious and exciting period of dance history that has been fuzzy with myth and misunderstanding. . . It must be read."-Sally Sommer, Dance Research Journal (from a review of the 1983 edition) "Ms. Banes is widely respected as the leading scholar/historian writing about this seminal and neglected period of contemporary dance history. . . Her books are indispensable for any serious dance historian or student of this era. . . Democracy's Body is the type of inaugural survey of a period of art that will undoubtedly inspire other books."-Janice Ross, Stanford University "Sally Banes is one of the most influential dance historians in America right now. The Judson Era, which Democracy's Body examines in meticulous detail, is a key moment in American dancing."-Mindy Aloff, Dance Critic, The New YorkerMore details
Edition
Revised edition
Language
English
Place of publication
North Carolina
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Dimensions
Height: 228 mm
Width: 153 mm
Thickness: 21 mm
Weight
485 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-8223-1399-1 (9780822313991)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
10/1993
1st Edition
Duke University Press Books
€198.99
Available for download
Person
Sally Banes
Content
List of Illustrations vii
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction xi
1. Robert Dunn's Workshop 1
2. "A Concert of Dance" at Judson Church 35
3. The Judson Workshop 71
4. The Plot Thickens 107
5. Dance in the Sanctuary and in the Theater 131
6. From Great Collective to Bus Stop 165
Notes 215
Illustrations 247
Bibliography 257
Index 263
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction xi
1. Robert Dunn's Workshop 1
2. "A Concert of Dance" at Judson Church 35
3. The Judson Workshop 71
4. The Plot Thickens 107
5. Dance in the Sanctuary and in the Theater 131
6. From Great Collective to Bus Stop 165
Notes 215
Illustrations 247
Bibliography 257
Index 263