Folk Dance and the Creation of National Identities

Anthony Shay is Professor of Dance and Cultural Studies in the Dance Department of Pomona College, Claremont, USA. Anthony is the author of eight monographs, and author or co-author of four volumes. He authored two recent monographs, The Dangerous Lives of Public Entertainers: Dance, Sex, and Entertainment in the Middle East (2014) and Ethno Identity Dances for Sex, Fun, and Profit: Staging Popular Dances Around the World (2016). His latest books are The Moiseyev Dance Company: Dancing Diplomats (2019) and Dance and Authoritarianism (2021). Anthony recently lectured on “What is Popular Music? What is Persian Popular Music?” at Yale University, First Symposium on Persian Popular Music, January 27, 2018, and “The History of Staged Folk Dance” at Siamsa Tire, the Irish National Folk Theatre, Tralee, Ireland, May 11, 2018. He was founder, artistic director and choreographer of the Aman Folk Ensemble and the Avaz International Dance Theatre during which time he choreographed over 200 choreographies. Anthony has received several NEA choreographic fellowships, a California Arts Council Lifetime Achievement Award, and a James Irvine Choreography Fellow.

“The book is organized topically, with each chapter focusing on a specific nation or area, including Serbia, Poland, the former Soviet Union, Hungary, Egypt, and Hawaii. With a clear structure and a coherent writing style, the book offers valuable insights into folk dance research and practice. … This book is an invaluable tool for anyone interested in comprehending the intricate dynamics of folk dance from various countries because of its easy-to-read writing style, extensive research, and detailed examples.” (Yang Zhao, Journal of Dance Education, November 22, 2023)

• Introduction.- Chapter 1 - The Folk.- Chapter 2 - Mazowsze: Poland on Stage.- Chapter 3 - The Hungarian State Folk Ensemble: Proper Peasants.- Chapter 4 - Founding Artistic Director Olga Skovran Stages the Serbian Folk.- Chapter 5 - Mahmoud Reda and the Egyptian Fellahin.- Chapter 6 - Hawaiian Hula, Patrick Makuakane, and Na Lei Hulu I ka Weikiu.