- Hardcover: 428 pages
- Publisher: Greenwood Press (30 Nov 2006)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0313333521
- ISBN-13: 978-0313333521
- Product Dimensions: 25.6 x 17.6 x 3.4 cm
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,125,767 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Product Description
This two volume set relates the history of the most popular social dances, where they began, which dances survived the test of time and why, and what attracted American men and women to social dancing in these periods. Unlike other books on social dancing that taught people How to Dance, this books not only describes the dances, but also WHY Americans danced. This two volume companion set is the most comprehensive collection of American social dance from the first settlements in 1607 through the birth of the nation in 1776 and into the beginning of the 21st century. "Social Dancing in America" encompasses the global nature of the ethnic contributions to the formation of many unique American social dances. Those influences included the Native American Indian, Spanish, Caribbean, African, European, and other ethnic cultures that created original American social dances such as the Lindy Hop, Rock n' Roll, the Twist, Disco, Breakdancing, and Hip Hop. The book is also a celebration of the American spirit embodied among everyday individuals as they danced for fun, recreation, and family celebrations such as weddings.
During the twentieth century, social dancing in itself offered a parallel of the social, economic, and cultural traditions of each particular time period. For example, segregation and the Jim Crow mentality was cemented in place all over the United States and for most of the century dancing and dancing halls were strictly segregated. Segregation forced a mass migration from the south to northern cities and with it a transformation of the Delta Blues music into an American original - Jazz. Jazz gave birth to the Charleston Dance, as well as evolving into swing music and the Lindy Hop. In the latter part of the 20th-century, with the technological advancement of television, shows such as American Bandstand, Soul Train, Dance Fever, and eventually the MTV generation greatly influenced dance styles and the current new trend in dancing such as Rock n' Roll, Freestyle, Disco, Breakdancing, and Hip Hop.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.8 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Author's Comments, 4 Feb 2007
By Ralph Giordano - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Social Dancing in America: Lindy Hop to Hip Hop, 1901-2000 v. 2 (Hardcover)
As the author, I definitely wanted to write a scholarly contribution to the very much overlooked American cultural development of Social dancing, however, I wanted to present it in a writing style that would appeal to the average individual. I have discovered in my time within dance clubs, especially the swing dances, that many individuals enjoy dressing in period costume and are quite interested in the history of their favored dance style. So as it turns out, to date this is the first book of its kind that has put together both a general interest reader and a scholarly work that discusses social dancing in a complete social, cultural, economic, political, and historical context. Many social dance books of the period simply provided descriptions and step-by-step instructions on "how to dance" as opposed to why people dance. My book also provides a consistent theme that contemporary dances and the associated music and fashion were more often attacked by forces of social morality and often labeled the newest dance trend as "scandalous."
This book is not a book to teach people "How to Dance" there are literally thousands of publications and hundreds of dance studios available to do just that. This book is an attempt to provide a clear understanding of what was involved in the basic patterns and rhythms of the dance, the origins, the popularity, but most importantly to place each in a historical and social context. This book is about the dances themselves and their importance in a social context. Therefore, each chapter contains a brief introduction of the social, political, and cultural climate. The book is about how individual Americans; mainly couples interacted in a social dance setting.
5.0 out of 5 stars
reference social dance book review, 18 May 2009
By Philippe B. Leibzig - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Social Dancing in America: Lindy Hop to Hip Hop, 1901-2000 v. 2 (Hardcover)
I don't know if it is the best reference book about social dancing, but it is a very good one. I also don't know another reference book about social dancing to compare. I especially appreciate knowing that Arthur Murrey did indeed changed the social dancing for the worst, making the original dance as ridiculous and snobish instead to take its true reality (in the context of the dance) mainly because he wanted to make the dance more proper or acceptable, but to accept a dance not in its proper context is ridiculous and idiotic, a feeling I have for a long time and this book did confirm it.
By the way, I am a dancer, choreographer and performer in social dancing for more than 30 years,,,so I know what I am talking, but I wanted to read the book to be sure that my life experience as a dancer was close to the reality of what's going on.This book did confirm I am right on target if I can believe its contents.
Chgeck me if you like at http://www.myspace.com/pleibzig
The famous "dancing with the stars" seemss a joke compared with the real thing (meaning social dancing), except if you consider this show as "ballroom dancing".
4.0 out of 5 stars
Despite its limitations, a must-have text, 9 Nov 2008
By Karin Norgard "www.joy-in-motion.com" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Social Dancing in America: Lindy Hop to Hip Hop, 1901-2000 v. 2 (Hardcover)
This is the only book (well, two-volume set) I know of that attempts to provide a comprehensive history of social dancing in the United States. For that reason alone, it is a must-have for social dance fanatics like myself despite the high price tag. It is a great reference book and provides interesting information on the cultural and historical background of each time period. It also provides some amusing trivia on the social dance practices in America before the 20th century. However, I found that this book was much better in covering the swing dances, which is probably natural given that the author's dance background is mostly in swing. Being a Latin dance enthusiast myself, I found the Latin dances were not adequately covered and in some cases were not a good reflection of the history and importance of these dances. Some of the most fundamental aspects of Latin dance history in the U.S. was left out; bachata, for instance, was not even mentioned. However, this two-volume set is a tremendous leap forward in providing a reference and resource for social dance lovers. For this, it is a must-have.
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