The history of dance theory has never been told. Writers in every age have theorized prescriptively, according to their own needs and ideals, and theorists themselves having continually asserted the lack of any pre-existing dance theory. Dance Theory: Source Readings from Two Millenia of Western Dance revives and reintegrates dance theory as a field of historical dance studies, presenting a coherent reading of the interaction of theory and practice during
two millennia of dance history. In fifty-five selected readings with explanatory text, this book follows the various constructions of dance theories as they have morphed and evolved in time, from ancient Greece to the twenty-first century.
Dance Theory is a collection of source readings that, commensurate with current teaching practice, foregrounds dance and performance theory in its presentation of western dance forms. Divided into nine chapters organized chronologically by historical era and predominant intellectual and artistic currents, the book presents a history of an idea from one generation to another. Each chapter contains introductions that not only provide context and significance for the individual source
readings, but also create narrative threads that link different chapters and time periods. Based entirely on primary sources, the book makes no claim to cite every source, but rather, in connecting the dots between significant high points, it attempts to trace a coherent and fair narrative of the evolution of
dance theory as a concept in Western culture.
Industry Reviews
"From Plato and Aristotle to postmodern dance, this well-edited anthology collects source readings on diverse theories on Western dance...this is a coherent record of thought about dance, providing not only theoretical ideas but a history of dance as well. Summing Up: Essential. Lower -- division undergraduates through faculty; professionals; general readers." -- J. Fisher, CHOICE
"Tilden Russell provides a fascinating and all-encompassing look at dance theory from the Greeks to the early 21st century through primary source readings, and brings the subject of dance history to vivid life. Dance Theory should be used as the basis of every university dance history course from here on out!" -- Thomas Baird, The Juilliard School and Purchase College, SUNY
"Tilden Russell's book is for dance theory what Oliver Strunk's Source Readings was for music history, in 1950: the first comprehensive compilation of primary-source writings in its field in English. With his commentary on these judiciously selected and (where necessary) expertly translated texts, Russell traces the serpentine, and sometimes discontinuous, path of important thinking on dance over the centuries, going a long way toward providing the
overarching history of dance theory that we still lack." -- Bruce Alan Brown, University of Southern California
