This dynamic collection documents the rich and varied history of social dance and the multiple styles it has generated, while drawing on some of the most current forms of critical and theoretical inquiry. The essays cover different historical periods and styles; encompass regional influences from North and South America, Britain, Europe, and Africa; and emphasize a variety of methodological approaches, including ethnography, anthropology, gender studies, and critical race theory. While social dance is defined primarily as dance performed by the public in ballrooms, clubs, dance halls, and other meeting spots, contributors also examine social dance's symbiotic relationship with popular, theatrical stage dance forms.
Contributors are Elizabeth Aldrich, Barbara Cohen-Stratyner, Yvonne Daniel, Sherril Dodds, Lisa Doolittle, David F. García, Nadine George-Graves, Jurretta Jordan Heckscher, Constance Valis Hill, Karen W. Hubbard, Tim Lawrence, Julie Malnig, Carol Martin, Juliet McMains, Terry Monaghan, Halifu Osumare, Sally R. Sommer, May Gwin Waggoner, Tim Wall, and Christina Zanfagna.
Acknowledgments xi
Introduction / Julie Malnig 1
SECTION 1 / HISTORICAL PRECEDENTS
1. Our National Poetry / The Afro-Chesapeake Inventions of American Dance 19 Jurretta Jordan Heckscher
2. The Civilizing of America's Ballrooms / The Revolutionary War to 1890 36 Elizabeth Aldrich
3. "Just Like Being at the Zoo" / Primitivity and Ragtime Dance 55 Nadine George-Graves
4. Apaches, Tangos, and Other Indecencies / Women, Dance, and New York Nightlife of the 1910s 72 Julie Malnig
SECTION 2 / EVOLVING STYLES
5. Reality Dance / American Dance Marathons 93 Carol Martin
6. The Trianon and On / Reading Mass Social Dancing in the 1930s and 1940s in Alberta, Canada 109 Lisa Doolittle
7. Negotiating Compromise on a Burnished Wood Floor / Social Dancing at the Savoy 126 Karen Hubbard and Terry Monaghan
8. Rumba Then and Now / Quindembo 146 Yvonne Daniel
9. Embodying Music/Disciplining Dance / The mambo Body in Havana and New York City 165 David F. Garcia
10. Rocking Around the Clock / Teenage Dance Fads from 1955 to 1965 182 Tim Wall
11. Beyond the Hustle / 1970s Social Dancing, Discotheque Culture, and the Emergence of the Contemporary Club Dancer 199 Tim Lawrence
SECTION 3 / THEATRICALIZATIONS OF SOCIAL DANCE FORMS
12. "A Thousand Raggy, Draggy Dances" / Social Dance in Broadway Musical Comedy in the 1920s 217 Barbara Cohen-Stratyner
13. From Bharata Natyam to Bop / Jack Cole's "Modern" Jazz Dance 234 Constance Valis Hill
14. From Busby Berkeley to Madonna / Music Video and Popular Dance 247 Sherril Dodds
15. The Dance Archaeology of Rennie Harris / Hip-Hop or Postmodern? 261 Halifu Osumare
SECTION 4 / THE CONTEMPORARY SCENE
16. "C'mon to My House" / Underground House Dancing 285 Sally R. Sommer
17. Dancing Latin/Latin Dancing / Salsa and Dancesport 302 Juliet McMains
18. Louisiana Gumbo / Retention, Creolization, and Innovation in Contemporary Cajun and Zydeco Dance 323 May Gwin Waggoner
19. The Multiringed Cosmos of Krumping / Hip-Hop Dance at the Intersections of Battle, Media, and Spirit 337 Christina Zanfagna
Contributors 355
Index 361
