Dance and Science in the Long Nineteenth Century

Revealing the interplay and influence of dance and scienceduring an age of colonial expansion

Bringing together danceand science, two paradigms that explore the nature and possibilities of thebody, this volume illuminates the meanings and articulations of dance innineteenth-century societies. This global collection of studies reveals how thetwo fields informed each other’s development and engaged with dominant Europeanworldviews in a time of unprecedented colonial expansion.

The chapters in Danceand Science in the Long Nineteenth Century examine how trends anddevelopments in the performing arts reflected scientific thinking of this era,including the categorization of “types” of bodies and the ranking of culturaland religious beliefs, as well as how dance served as an active site of inquirywhere the workings and limits of the human body could be studied. Researchersdiscuss topics including the influence of plant biology on the aesthetics ofballet, technological advancements in the staging and recording ofperformances, arguments for the use of Eurhythmics in promoting a stronger“race,” and European fascination with Indian dance and yoga.

Featuring responseessays that put leading scholars in conversation with one another and offer newperspectives, this volume is unique in its geographic scope and its discussionof diverse bodies, cultures, themes, and scientific disciplines. It sheds lighton a historical interplay that has shaped many of today’s political andcultural realities.

Contributors: Johanna Pitetti-Heil | Chantal Frankenbach | Jane Desmond | Christian Ducomb | Claudia Jeschke | KélinaGotman | Pallabi Chakravorty | Andrea Harris | Dick McCaw | Stephen Ha |Emily Coates | Tiziana Leucci | Elizabeth Claire | Susan Cook | Carrie Streeter | Olivia Sabee | Janice Ross | Alexander H. Schwan | Whitney Laemmli