 Choreographing identities: folk dance, ethnicity, and festival in the United States and Canada.
Author: Shay, Anthony Published: 2006 Among the customs immigrants have brought to America from their homelands are folk dances, which have become visual representations of cultural identity. Over time, these dances have changed - in part as a response to changing social identities, and in part as a result of deliberate manipulations. Anthony Shay's book looks at how various cultures use dance to represent their identity, and how 'traditional' dances change over time. It discusses several parallel layers: dances performed at intra-cultural social occasions, dances used for representation or presentation, and folk dance performances. Chiefly the work focuses on cultural representation and how it is sometimes manipulated. Key folk dance festivals in the United States and Canada are reviewed, and interviews with dancers, teachers, and others offer a first-hand perspective. |
