Imaging Dance : Visual Representations of Dancers & Dancing. Edited by Barbara Sparti & Judy Van Zile with Elsie Ivancich Dunin, Nancy G Heller & Adrienne L Kaeppler

What do artists who choose dance as their subject tell us -- or not tell us -- about dancers and dancing? Spanning the globe from eastern and western Europe to Turkey, Korea, Polynesia, and the United States, Imaging Dance brings together the work of thirteen dance and art scholars who interpret images of dance and dancing. The images date from the sixth century AD to the present, and include paintings, drawings, lithographs, etchings, wood-block prints, stone carvings, and photographs. Each chapter enhances appreciation of artistic renderings and contributes to understanding how people see and envision what they see. Through these engaging and richly illustrated accounts, scholars, students, and general readers will find information about contexts and settings in which dance occurs, socio-cultural attitudes towards dance and dancing, artistic techniques and conventions, religious and political philosophies, rituals, repertoire, and details of movement. Readers interested in the performing and visual arts through a variety of perspectives -- from art, dance, history, dance ethnology, and anthropology -- will find Imaging Dance a welcome addition to their libraries.