Digging the Africanist Presence in American Performance: Dance and Other Contexts - Paperback

by Brenda Dixon Gottschild (Author)

This ground-breaking work brings dance into current discussions of the African presence in American culture. Dixon Gottschild argues that the Africanist aesthetic has been invisibilized by the pervasive force of racism. This book provides evidence to correct and balance the record, investigating the Africanist presence as a conditioning factor in shaping American performance, onstage and in everyday life. She examines the Africanist presence in American dance forms particularly in George Balanchine's Americanized style of ballet, (post)modern dance, and blackface minstrelsy. Hip hop culture and rap are related to contemporary performance, showing how a disenfranchised culture affects the culture in power.

Author Biography

BRENDA DIXON GOTTSCHILD is Professor Emerita of Dance at Temple University. Formerly a professional dancer and actress, she is the Philadelphia critic for Dancemagazine and has published articles in The Drama Review, Dance Research Journal, Design for Arts in Education, and The Black American Literature Forum. She is coauthor of the third and most recent edition of The History of Dance in Art and Education.