Choreomusicology : Dialogues in Music and Dance

The Routledge Companion to Choreomusicology: Dialogues in Music and Dance is a distinguished collection of essays by leading scholars presenting research that redefines and rethinks the question of what dance and music are, together and apart, and which promotes new ideas and voices in the discipline.

Focusing on matters historical, critical, and conceptual, and defining dance-music interactions from the era of aristocratic court dance to the present, the book covers a wide range of topics, including dance and music performance practice, queer studies, colonialism and exoticism, disability studies, the “reparative” humanities, and film. The volume is organized into two sections: Part 1 examines theoretical and conceptual issues, including theories of embodiment, musicality, and dance aesthetics, with examples including contemporary ballet, the role of the conductor, and even fountains in Las Vegas. In Part 2, contributors consider choreomusicology as a historical discipline and tackle the problem of musical and choreographic reconstruction, from medieval dance to reimagining lost music in early experiment in dance film, as well as choreomusical analyses of twentieth century works.

Capturing the breadth of studies and approaches that are encompassed in choreomusicology, this book will be of interest to students and scholars in in the fields of dance and media studies, musicology, and ethnomusicology, as well as appealing to dancers, choreographers, musicians, and composers looking for new approaches to thinking about music and dance.