by Andrea Harris
released by Oxford
University Press, 2017
Today, ballet is such a
prevalent force in the American performing arts scene. So much so that it’s
easy to forget that American ballet is actually a recent phenomenon, at least
relatively speaking. Compared to ballet’s long history in other cultures,
American ballet is still in its infancy, or perhaps adolescence is more
accurate - not really woven into the cultural fabric until the early part of
the twentieth century. An abundance of dance scholarship has been proffered
about those ‘beginning’ years, much of it, of course, centering on George
Balanchine.
Andrea Harris’ Making Ballet American – Modernism Before
and Beyond Balanchine, a new release from Oxford University Press and part
of the Oxford Studies in Dance Theory, shares a more detailed and highly
nuanced perspective on this topic. Yes it covers the early-mid 1900s, yes it is
about Balanchine, and yes, it is about the artists/endeavors/efforts that
influenced American ballet. But the book is more than that. Making Ballet American extends both pre-
and post- the early-mid 1990s to provide a fuller picture. It has a broad cast
of characters, and takes a deep dive into the impactful contributions of
Lincoln Kirstein and Edwin Denby along with Eugene Loring, Agnes de Mille and
John Martin. It seeks to mine terms like ‘modernism’ and ‘neoclassicism’ by
placing them within a wider swath, one that is simultaneously political, historical,
interdisciplinary, cultural, geographic, sociological and economic. It has a
compelling format that Harris calls “chapters and interchapters”, where her inquiry,
concepts and commentary are further investigated through tangible case studies
of three ballets: Billy the Kid, Rodeo and Western Symphony. And Harris’ prose should be a model for others –
hers is writing that is clearly academic in tone but at the same time,
accessible to a larger audience.
The case studies, in
particular, I found to be full of hidden gems. How traveling directions in
Loring’s Billy the Kid (1938) were more
narratively-driven than structural or how the gestural choreography in the
ballet was intended as a literal reflection of certain tasks and motions. Or
Harris’ discussion of de Mille’s Rodeo
(1942) and how in its earlier iterations, it was more of a conceptual work that
had a deep sense of place. And I loved the detailed notation breakdown of Western Symphony’s (choreographed by
Balanchine in 1954) four movements.
My only thought –
considering the book’s year of publication, perhaps a different title, or
different wording?
by Kevin Winkler
published by Oxford
University Press
to be released in March
2018
Another wonderfully
accessible and cleverly conceived read is Kevin Winkler’s upcoming Big Deal – Bob Fosse and Dance in the
American Musical, new this Spring from Oxford University Press as part of
their Broadway Legacies Series. Big Deal
is a terrific blend of narrative and meticulous research, but doesn’t read like
a traditional biography. Winkler is able to combine his consummate skills as a storyteller
with his direct personal connection to the material. The result is a thoroughly
entertaining sojourn into the life and work of an industry legend, one whose
choreography has been on small stages and in vast theaters; on television and on
the big screen. And one whose ‘jazz hands’ are now a colloquial term.
Winkler spends the
beginning chapters of Big Deal
sharing the early days of Fosse’s career: first forays into performance,
individuals he met and worked with during this time and his exposure to an
array of choreographic genres, which in turn, would shape his own evolving
choreographic style. Some influences were expected, like Burlesque, Vaudeville
and tap, while others were a fantastic surprise, like Indian and Balinese
traditional dance and early modern forms. After reading Big Deal, I immediately checked out the 1972 movie version of Cabaret, mining the choreography for Kathak
eye movements, Limón upper-body curves and the elongated lines of old school
percussive dance.
Another thread Winkler
weaves through Big Deal is Fosse’s
relationship with women - personally, professionally and of course, the oft circumstance
when it was both. Winkler relays Fosse’s several marriages and long-term
partnerships as well as the relationships he pursued and maintained outside of
his marriages. He talks about their deep creative connections, in rehearsal, in
performance and in the choreographic process itself. But when speaking about
Mary Ann Niles, Joan McCracken, Gwen Verdon, Ann Reinking (and others), Winkler
reveals something more nuanced. At every point in Fosse’s career, women were
instrumental in its forward propulsion - providing opportunities, campaigning
for him to be involved in projects, quite literally and quite often, making the
next ‘thing’ happen. Without these powerhouse women, it seems that the story
would have been very different.
Big Deal
covers much ground in its eleven chapters and brief epilogue: Fosse’s peers and
his relationship to them, his penchant for the ‘show within a show’ format and lengthy
ballets within his various productions as well as his commitment to deepening the
dialogue about how dance alone can continue a theatrical narrative. Winkler
gives equal attention to Fosse’s more famous shows and to his less familiar works,
and provides a very astute glimpse into the complex and fraught system of
choreographic and artistic copyright during the mid-late 1900s.
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