Dance Appreciation

Dawn Davis Loring has been writing about dance for over 20 years and has published articles and reviews in the Boston Globe, Dancing Times magazine (UK), the Austin Chronicle, and the Journal of Dance Education, among others. She directed the dance and theatre group Mosaic Dance Body for over a decade and served as a dance administrator in Texas, Colorado, Massachusetts, and London. Dawn has been a lecturer at Suffolk University, Bridgewater State University, University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), and Northwest Vista College in the areas of technique, choreography, dance appreciation, and world dance. Dawn received a BA in dance from the University of Texas at Austin and an MFA in performance and choreography from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Julie L. Pentz is a professor of dance at Kansas State University, where she teaches dance appreciation, tap, jazz, teaching methods, and other courses. She serves on the executive board of directors of the National Dance Education Organization (NDEO) and is a Global Goodwill Ambassador. Her credits include guest appearances at the Percussive Arts Society International Conference, the International Jazz World Congress, and Teatro Libero in Rome. She has also performed in Taiwan, Spain, Ghana, and Kuwait. Julie has a BFA in dance education from Shenandoah University and an MFA in theater arts with a dance emphasis from the University of Arizona. Julie is founder and director of Tap to Togetherness, a community-based initiative focused on building family relations and enhancing child development through tap dance.

Part I. Exploring Dance Chapter 1. What Is Dance, and Who Dances? Dance Categories Dance Processes Dance Literacy Accessing Dance Through Other Arts Chapter 2. Why Do People Dance? Dance as Imitation Dance as Expression Dance as Form Chapter 3. Elements of Dance Moving Bodies Elements of Dance Principles of Dance Composition Part II. Selected Dance Genres and Styles Chapter 4. Social Dance Origins of Social Dance Evolution of Social Dance in the 20th Century Chapter 5. Ballet What Is Ballet? Primary Ballet Principles Origins of Ballet Dancers and Training Future Directions Chapter 6. Modern and Contemporary Modern Dance What Is Modern and Contemporary Modern Dance? Primary Modern and Contemporary Modern Dance Principles Dancers and Training Development of Modern Dance Future Directions of Contemporary Modern Dance-21st-Century Voices Chapter 7. Jazz Dance Origins of Jazz Dance Primary Principles of Jazz Dance Training and Performing Major Influences in Jazz Dance Female Voices in Jazz Dance-The Next Generation Chapter 8. Tap Dance Origins of Tap Dance Tap Dance in the 20th Century and Beyond Styles of Tap Dance Dancers and Training Chapter 9. Hip-Hop Origins of Hip-Hop Dance The Five Pillars of Hip-Hop Journey Into the Mainstream Styles of Hip-Hop Commercial Hip-Hop Dance and the Turn of the Century A New Millennium and New Directions Chapter 10. Aerial and Site-Specific Dance Site-Specific Dance Aerial Dance Part III. Connecting With Dance Chapter 11. Dance Production Front of House Administration Backstage Postproduction Chapter 12. Viewing and Responding to Dance Performances Viewing Dance Responding to Dance Chapter 13. Global Connections in Dance Approaching Dance Around the World Connected by Common Goals Sharing Dance Globally Sharing Dance Through Social Media