Dance Marathons
Dance Marathons

Author: Carol J. Martin

Publisher: Univ. Press of Mississippi

Published: 1994-01-01

Total Pages: 212

ISBN-13: 9781604737684

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This penetrating analysis of one of the most extraordinary fads ever to strike America details how dance marathons manifested a potent from of drama. Between the two world wars they were a phenomenon in which working-class people engaged in emblematic struggles for survival. Battling to outlast other contestants, the dancers hoped to become notable. There was crippling exhaustion and anguish among the contenders, but ultimately it was the coupling of authentic pain with staged displays that made dance marathons a national craze. Within the well-controlled space of theatre they revealed actual life's unpredictability and inconsistencies, and, indeed, the frightful aspects of social Darwinism. In this grotesque theatrical setting we see also a horrifying metaphor - the ailing nation grappling with difficult times.

Dance of the Sleepwalkers
Dance of the Sleepwalkers

Author: Frank M. Calabria

Publisher: Popular Press

Published: 1993

Total Pages: 226

ISBN-13: 9780879725693

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The author draws upon the humanities and social sciences to analyze the meaning and significance of this form of aberrant play. Dance of the Sleepwalkers is descriptive of a freak form of amusement but, more importantly, it identifies the posture of Americans living in modern times, the automaton!

Rosie and Mrs. America
Rosie and Mrs. America

Author: Catherine Gourley

Publisher: Twenty-First Century Books

Published: 2008-01-01

Total Pages: 148

ISBN-13: 0822568047

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Examines how popular culture during the Great Depression and later during the Second World War influenced the lives of women.

The Intellectual Devotional: Modern Culture
The Intellectual Devotional: Modern Culture

Author: David S. Kidder

Publisher: Rodale Books

Published: 2008-10-14

Total Pages: 386

ISBN-13: 1605297933

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In the tradition of the instant bestsellers The Intellectual Devotional and The Intellectual Devotional: American History comes the third installment in this indispensable series. In The Intellectual Devotional: Modern Culture, authors David S. Kidder and Noah D. Oppenheim explore the fascinating world of contemporary culture to offer 365 daily readings that provide the essential references needed to navigate the world today. Quench your intellectual thirst with an overview of the literature, music, film, personalities, trends, sports, and pop references that have defined the way we live. From the Slinky to Star Wars; Beatlemania to Babe Ruth; flappers to fascism—refreshing your memory and dazzling your friends has never been easier, or more fun. Whether you're a trivia genius, pop-culture buff, or avid reader, you'll be riveted by this comprehensive journey through contemporary culture.

Ballroom, Boogie, Shimmy Sham, Shake
Ballroom, Boogie, Shimmy Sham, Shake

Author: Julie Malnig

Publisher: University of Illinois Press

Published: 2023-01-10

Total Pages: 394

ISBN-13: 0252055144

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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.

Satan in the Dance Hall
Satan in the Dance Hall

Author: Ralph G. Giordano

Publisher: Scarecrow Press

Published: 2008-10-23

Total Pages: 305

ISBN-13: 0810863634

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Satan in the Dance Hall explores the overwhelming popularity of social dancing and its close relationship to America's rapidly changing society in the 1920s. The book focuses on the fiercely contested debate over the morality of social dancing in New York City, led by moral reformers and religious leaders like Rev. John Roach Straton. Fed by the firm belief that dancing was the leading cause of immorality in New York, Straton and his followers succeeded in enacting municipal regulations on social dancing and moral conduct within the more than 750 public dance halls in New York City. Ralph G. Giordano conveys an easy to read and full picture of life in the Jazz Age, incorporating important events and personalities such as the Flu Epidemic, the Scopes Monkey Trial, Prohibition, Flappers, Gangsters, Texas Guinan, and Charles Lindbergh, while simultaneously describing how social dancing was a hugely prominent cultural phenomenon, one closely intertwined with nearly every aspect of American society fromthe Great War to the Great Depression. With a bibliography, an index, and over 35 photos, Satan in the Dance Hall presents an interdisciplinary study of social dancing in New York City throughout the decade.

One Thousand Novelty and Fad Dances
One Thousand Novelty and Fad Dances

Author: Thomas L. Nelson

Publisher: AuthorHouse

Published: 2009

Total Pages: 264

ISBN-13: 1438926383

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Intercepted e-mails alert Homeland Security to the possibility of a terrorist attack on South Florida staged from a Bahamian island. Rhonda and Morgan Early are again recruited by the Drug Enforcement Administration to monitor suspicious activity on Bimini, located just fifty miles from Miami. Ahmed Atta needs money to implement his plan to kill sixty-five thousand Americans. He busts convicted cartel leader Victor Torres from jail for one million dollars. When Rhonda and Morgan learn of suspicious activity on Bimini, they rush to the island to thwart any potential danger. Torres inadvertently assists the terrorists by attempting to avenge his earlier capture by Morgan and Rhonda. He snatches their son and lures them to his trafficking headquarters on Plana Cay with the intent to brutally murder them. Meanwhile, Ahmed Atta's brilliant plan to kill an unfathomable number of Americans proceeds unabated.

Tandem Dances
Tandem Dances

Author: Julia M. Ritter

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2020-11-24

Total Pages: 384

ISBN-13: 0190051329

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Tandem Dances: Choreographing Immersive Performance is the first book to propose dance and choreography as frames through which to examine immersive theatre, more broadly known as immersive performance. Indicative of a larger renaissance in storytelling during the digital age, immersive performance is influenced by emerging computer technologies, such as virtual reality and advances in video-gaming, as well as increased interest in new forms of experiential entertainment. The idea of tandemness suggesting motion that is achieved by two bodies working together and acting in conjunction with one another is critical throughout the book. Author Julia M. Ritter persuasively argues that practitioners of immersive productions deploy choreography as a structural mechanism to mobilize the bodies of cast and audience members to perform together. Furthermore, choreography is contextualized as an effective tool for facilitating audience participation towards immersion as an affect. Through a focus on Western dance histories, theories, and practices, Ritter's close choreographic analysis of immersive productions, along with unique insights from choreographers, directors, performers, and spectators, enlivens discourse across dramaturgy, kinesthesia, affect, and co-authorship. By foregrounding the choreographic in order to examine its specific impact on the evolution of immersive theater, Tandem Dances explores choreography as a discursive domain that is fundamentally related to creative practice, agendas of power and control, and concomitant issues of freedom and agency.