Before, Between, and Beyond: Three Decades of Dance Writing

Before, Between, and Beyond collects the influential dance writings of Sally Banes spanning three decades from the 1970s through the 1990s. The anthology compiles her reviews, essays, and scholarly works covering modern dance, postmodern dance, and the New York downtown scene. Dance critic Lynn Garafola edited and curated this collection, arranging Banes' writings both chronologically and thematically to showcase her coverage of key choreographers and performances. The book includes Banes' examinations of pivotal figures like Merce Cunningham, Yvonne Rainer, and Trisha Brown, along with her writings on the Judson Dance Theater movement. Banes documents the evolution of contemporary dance through firsthand accounts of performances and interviews with dancers and choreographers during transformative periods. Her reporting captures both the artistic innovations and the cultural context surrounding experimental dance in New York and beyond. The collected works reveal Banes' role in defining how we analyze, discuss and preserve dance as both an art form and a reflection of society. Her writings explore themes of artistic revolution, the relationship between dance and politics, and the ongoing dialogue between tradition and innovation in contemporary performance.

There are not enough internet reviews to create a summary of this book. Instead, here is a summary of reviews of Sally Banes's overall work: Readers value Banes' detailed research and her ability to make complex dance theory accessible. Students and dance practitioners note her clear explanations of postmodern dance concepts and thorough documentation of the Judson Dance Theater era. What readers liked: - Clear writing style that explains technical concepts - Comprehensive historical documentation - Inclusion of first-hand accounts and interviews - Strong analytical framework for understanding dance movements What readers disliked: - Dense academic language in some sections - High price point of textbooks - Limited visual documentation/photographs - Some repetition between works Ratings across platforms: Goodreads: - Terpsichore in Sneakers: 4.2/5 (89 ratings) - Democracy's Body: 4.1/5 (67 ratings) - Writing Dancing: 4.0/5 (42 ratings) Amazon: - Terpsichore in Sneakers: 4.5/5 (15 reviews) - Democracy's Body: 4.3/5 (8 reviews) One dance student noted: "Banes presents complex ideas about postmodernism without getting lost in jargon." A choreographer commented: "Her research on Judson Dance Theater preserves crucial documentation of that period."

Dancing Lives: Five Female Dancers from the Ballet to Broadway by Karen Eliot Eliot examines the careers and cultural impact of five 20th-century dancers through historical documentation and performance analysis.

Apollo's Angels: A History of Ballet by Jennifer Homans This chronicle follows ballet's evolution from the Renaissance through modern times with focus on social movements and cultural shifts.

Moving History/Dancing Cultures: A Dance History Reader by Ann Dils and Ann Cooper Albright The collection presents essays on dance traditions across cultures, time periods, and genres through historical and theoretical perspectives.

Dance Writings by Edwin Denby Denby's collected works provide critical analysis of dance performances from 1936-1965, focusing on ballet and modern dance in New York City.

No Fixed Points: Dance in the Twentieth Century by Nancy Reynolds, Malcolm McCormick The text documents dance evolution through the 20th century with emphasis on choreographers, performers, and artistic movements.

🎭 Sally Banes was one of the first scholars to seriously study breakdancing and hip-hop dance culture in the 1980s, helping legitimize these art forms in academic circles. 📝 The book spans 30 years of dance criticism and includes previously unpublished works, offering rare insights into both mainstream and experimental dance movements from the 1970s to the 1990s. 💃 Banes coined the term "postmodern dance" and was instrumental in documenting the revolutionary Judson Dance Theater movement of the 1960s. 🎓 While writing many of the essays in this collection, Banes served as the chief dance critic for The Village Voice, one of the most influential platforms for arts criticism in New York City. 🌟 The book includes Banes' groundbreaking analyses of choreographers like Twyla Tharp, Merce Cunningham, and Steve Paxton, who transformed modern dance in the latter half of the 20th century.