Review
------
"[This book] takes on the interesting subject of how
the African American culture has made a difference to art in
America--what this difference is and how it is manifest.
Gottschild's subject is the saturation of America with the
African....Gottschild focuses on dance but includes the minstrel
stage, jazz, vaudeville, Gangsta Rap, the 19th-century 'Hottentot
Venus' (the pejoratively named African woman who was brought to
England and displayed as a freak), performance criticism, and
Native American powwow. A freewheeling writer, Gottschild often
segues into a general discussion of racism and its impact on the
performing arts in pointing out the locations of African
influence in American performance....[a] welcome addition to a
burgeoning literature on African American performance.
Recommended for all academic collections."-Choice
"ÝThis book¨ takes on the interesting subject of how the African
American culture has made a difference to art in America--what
this difference is and how it is manifest. Gottschild's subject
is the saturation of America with the African....Gottschild
focuses on dance but includes the minstrel stage, jazz,
vaudeville, Gangsta Rap, the 19th-century 'Hottentot Venus' (the
pejoratively named African woman who was brought to England and
displayed as a freak), performance criticism, and Native American
powwow. A freewheeling writer, Gottschild often segues into a
general discussion of racism and its impact on the performing
arts in pointing out the locations of African influence in
American performance....Ýa¨ welcome addition to a burgeoning
literature on African American performance. Recommended for all
academic collections."-Choice
?[This book] takes on the interesting subject of how the African
American culture has made a difference to art in America--what
this difference is and how it is manifest. Gottschild's subject
is the saturation of America with the African....Gottschild
focuses on dance but includes the minstrel stage, jazz,
vaudeville, Gangsta Rap, the 19th-century 'Hottentot Venus' (the
pejoratively named African woman who was brought to England and
displayed as a freak), performance criticism, and Native American
powwow. A freewheeling writer, Gottschild often segues into a
general discussion of racism and its impact on the performing
arts in pointing out the locations of African influence in
American performance....[a] welcome addition to a burgeoning
literature on African American performance. Recommended for all
academic collections.?-Choice
"Written with dynamism, passion, and perception on a subject of
central importance to all of us, this powerful book makes us
ponder issues we took for granted. It deserves a broad
readership."- Lawrence W. Levine, Margaret Byrne Professor of
History, Emeritus University of California, Berkeley
"Dr. Dixon Gottschild's voice is convincing because of her
eclectic documentation and it is touching as well because of the
human experiences the reader is drawn into within the related
responses of her students, her colleagues, herself, and her
antagonists. She is always clear about specific objectives,
leaving tempting tangents, yet incorporating the thinking of
scholars and learned others in multiple disciplines--definitely
in a creole mode that is rich, colorful, and not easily
discounted."- Yvonne Daniel, Associate Professor of Dance
Anthropology Smith College and the Five College Dance Consortium
"Brenda Dixon Gottschild makes a powerful case for an African
presence in modern American ballet and in dance generally,
and...brings the black aesthetic, in theoretical terms, ever
nearer one's reach. [This text is] a dance of the
intellect."-Sterling Stuckey, Presidential Chair Professor of
History and Religious Studies University of California, Riverside
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About the Author
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BRENDA DIXON GOTTSCHILD is Professor Emerita of Dance at Temple
University. Formerly a professional dancer and actress, she is
the Philadelphia critic for Dancemagazine and has published
articles in The Drama Review, Dance Research Journal, Design for
Arts in Education, and The Black American Literature Forum. She
is coauthor of the third and most recent edition of The History
of Dance in Art and Education.
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