American Dance Floor – serie

This descriptive and analytic study examines how 1950s rock 'n' roll dancing illuminates the larger cultural context out of which the dancing arose.Rock 'n' Roll Dances of the 1950s provides a fresh, highly animated lens through which to observe and understand the cultural climate of 1950s America, examining, not only the steps and aesthetic qualities of rock 'n' roll dances, but also their emblematic meanings. Exploring dance as a reflection and expression of cultural trends, the book takes a sharply analytical look at rock 'n' roll dances from the birth of the genre in the mid-1950s to the decade's end. Readers will explore the emergence of teen culture in the '50s, rock 'n' roll's association with delinquency, and the controversy ignited by the physical movements of early rock 'n' roll artists. They will learn about the influence of black culture on 1950s dances and about the trendsetting TV show American Bandstand. Particularly telling for those wishing to grasp the underlying tensions of the decade is a discussion of the dance floor as a platform for racial integration.

Telling a riveting true story of the emergence and development of an American icon, this book traces swing dancing from its origins to its status as a modern-day art form.From its unlikely origins in the African slave trade, one of the saddest chapters of American history, swing dance emerged as a celebration of the soul. Swing is now recognized around the globe as a joyous partnered dance, uniquely Afro-American in origin and an American treasure. This book examines how the original swing style of the 1920s, the Lindy Hop, branched out and evolved with the changing dynamics of popular culture, paralleling the development of the nation. Swing Dancing covers the dance through the years of minstrelsy, the jazz age, the big band era, bebop, and the decline of partnered dancing in the 1960s. Swing experts and instructors Tamara and Erin Stevens have combined a compelling historic examination of swing dance with an assortment of riveting personal interviews and photographic documentation to create a comprehensive reference book on this important art form.

This title in the American Dance Floor series provides an overview of the origins, development, and current status of Latin social dancing in the United States.Latin dance and music have had a widespread influence upon the development of other social dance and music styles in the United States. As a result, Latin dance styles are among the most important dance forms in America.Latin Dance addresses every major style of Latin dance, describing the basic steps that characterize it as well as its rhythmic pace and time signature, and examining its development from European, African, and Amerindian influences. The author explains the range of styles and expression to be found in Latin dances primarily within the context of couples social dancing, the popularity of salsa today, and the broader social meanings and implications of their multicultural origins from the 1600s to the present. The historic connection between exhibition Latin dance and American modern dance through vaudeville is explained as well.

This overview of folk dancing in the United States showcases an important historical movement and explains how folk dance communities evolved to fulfill the needs of specific groups of people over time.While the general term "folk dance" encompasses a surprising variety of specific dances, there are three major recreational communities or forms: international folk dance, modern western square dance, and contra dance. Throughout the last century, millions of people have enjoyed folk dancing as an educational and recreational activity, regardless of the particular style.Folk Dancing explains the reasons for the folk dance movement that exploded in Europe and North America in the late 19th century. It describes the clubs, camps, festivals, and communities that sprang up, and examines the culture of the movement—the music, key individuals and events, types of clothing, and influences of technologies and popular culture. The book contains authoritative, original information gleaned from the author's own research conducted with hundreds of folk dance enthusiasts across America.

This book sheds light on the fascinating untold story behind what is collectively and disputably called "disco dancing," and the incredible effect that the phenomenon had on America—in New York City and beyond.Disco is a dance and musical style that still influences these art forms today. Many think that disco "died" completely after the 1970s drew to a close, but in actuality people continued dancing in the clubs after the very word "disco" became an anathema.Disco Dance explains why disco was more than just a dance form or a fad, describing many of the clubs—in New York City especially—where the disco subculture thrived. The author examines the origins of disco music, its evolution, and how young people adapted the dance styles of the day to the disco beat, charting how this dance of celebration and rebellion during troubling times became subject to ridicule by the end of the decade.