Dance Appreciation (2024)

Dance Appreciation is an exciting exploration of how to understand and think about dance in all of its various contexts. This book unfolds a brief history of dance with engaging insight into the social, cultural, aesthetic, and kinetic aspects of various forms of dance. Dedicated chapters cover ballet, modern, tap, jazz, and hip-hop dance, complete with summaries, charts, timelines, discussion questions, movement prompts, and an online companion website all designed to foster awareness of and appreciation for dance in a variety of contexts. This wealth of resources helps to uncover the fascinating history that makes this art form so diverse and entertaining, and to answer the questions of why we dance and how we dance. Written for the novice dancer as well as the more experienced dance student, Dance Appreciationenables readers to learn and think critically about dance as a form of entertainment and art.

Introduction; Part One: What is Dance?; Introduction; Chapter One: Purposes of Dance; Chapter Two: Viewing Dance Through a Cultural Lens; Chapter Three: Crafting the Dance; Chapter Four: Perceiving Dance; Part Two: Exploration of Western Theatrical Dance Forms; Introduction; Chapter Five: Ballet; Chapter Six: Modern Dance; Chapter Seven: Tap Dance; Chapter Eight: Jazz Dance; Chapter Nine: Hip-Hop Dance; Part Three: Behind the Scenes; Introduction; Chapter Ten: Dance Media and Technology; Chapter Eleven: Training and Education; Chapter Twelve: The Dancer; Chapter Thirteen: Dance Health; Chapter Fourteen: Careers in Dance; Glossary

Biography

Amanda Clark is a Professor and Dance Program Coordinator at Western Kentucky University, where she teaches all levels of jazz and tap dance technique, along with dance theory coursework. She received an MFA in Dance from the University of Oklahoma and a BPA in Dance Performance from Oklahoma City University. Amanda’s choreography has been presented nationally and internationally and encompasses a mix of classical and contemporary approaches within the jazz and tap dance genres.Amanda’s primary research interests lie in the history and pedagogy of jazz and tap dance.

Sara Pecina is the Director of Dance at Berry College. She received her MFA in Dance from the University of Oklahoma and graduated with a BA in Dance from Western Kentucky University. She has presented research on the history and pedagogy of jazz and tap dance both nationally and internationally at various dance conferences, including both the National Dance Education Organization and the Dance Studies Association annual conferences. Sara is a certified mat Pilates instructor and has also trained to teach Dance for Parkinson’s Disease with Mark Morris Dance Group and is in the American Tap Dance Foundation’s Rhythm Tap Teacher Program.

"A wonderful combination of readable, user-friendly and important information, without oversimplification."

Karen Reedy, George Mason University, USA.

"This book is an outstanding resource for dance appreciation. It simultaneously covers the history of each form of dance, while discussing the aesthetics of the form, to the practicalities of what that form look like in the studio while taking a class. There is a very thorough discussion of the origins of dance, which also help us understand the relevance of dance in society in the 21st century. Additionally, the movement prompts help the student to understand the concepts presented in their own bodies. I highly recommend this text, it has everything needed to appreciate dance from all perspectives."

Jennifer Mizenko, University of Mississippi, USA