Does a dance communicate ? What ? How ? Are all dances meaningful ? Do spectators see what a choreographer sees ? "The strands of the dance medium like locks of hair plait into one meaningful whole. The interlock is all." The interlock is what this book explores from the choreographer and performers' perspective with every genre in contemporary dance theatre in mind. Written for practical people in dance, the text is organised in 32 short chapters each addressing a question on the way in which choreographers might or might not engage with their audiences in dance theatre works. The topics include an introduction to communication theory and the way in which the interlocking network between performers, movement material, sound, and performance can carry meaning. The book is written from choreographers' and performers' perspectives, with 46 dance works cited from a wide range of genres. The text is unusually presented - as closely as possible to how we speak to each other - with key words in bold type for ease of reference. Valerie Preston-Dunlop is an internationally recognised lecturer, teacher, and author on dance. She is currently Adviser for Postgraduate Studies and Research at the Trinity Laban Centre in London.

Looking at Dances: A Choreological Perspective on Choreography.

Valerie Preston-Dunlop

Noverre Press

This is a detailed history of ballet in Russia (with particular reference to St. Petersburg) from its origin to the third quarter of the 19th century. The groundwork of historical data is enlivened with notes on the different dancers, extracts from contemporary accounts of their appearances, the casts of important first performances, the stories of many of the ballets produced, and so on. We learn of the birth of interest in the Theatre early in the 17th century, during the reign of Tsar Alexis, of the Public Balls or Assemblies organised by Peter the Great, and of the establishment during the reign of the Empress Anne of a ballet company - recruited from the children of poor parents - directed by a French master called Landé. With each new reign the company increases in size, importance and talent under the successive influence of famous maîtres de ballet such as Didelot, Perrot, St.-Léon and Marius Petipa, and celebrated ballerine such as Marie Taglioni, Fanny Elssler, Carlotta Grisi, Fanny Cerrito, Caroline Rosati, Amalia Ferraris, Salvioni, Henriette d'Or and so forth. With such forces at work a line of illustrious Russian Stars is formed - Istomina, Kolosova, Zubova, Andreyanova, Petipa, Prikhunova, Bogdanova, Muravieva, Grantsova, Vazem, Sokolova and many others. The book is prefaced by a most interesting introduction by M. André Levinson, whose reputation as an historian and critic of dancing is world-wide, which presents an admirable survey of the development of Ballet in Russia from the "age of Petipa" to the conquering of both the Old World and the New by that glorious company - composed of hand-picked artists from the Imperial Ballet - directed by Serge Diaghilev.

A History of Ballet in Russia (1613 - 1881)

Arts & Photography

Cyril W. Beaumont

Performing Arts

'School of Classical Dance' is the official textbook of the Vaganova School in St. Petersburg, and takes the student and teacher from the basic concepts of the syllabus to the most complex exercises taught at the end of the eight-year course. A thorough and logical presentation of the classical vocabulary, from its basic forms to advanced variations, is followed by a sample lesson for a senior class. The eight-year syllabus of the Vaganova School, now adopted by almost all Russian ballet schools, is then given in full. The authors were both long-time teachers at the Vaganova School. "A book which is to be treasured, one of the great technical manuals of our time" - the Dancing Times.

School of Classical Dance

Vera S. Kostrovitskaya

Alexei Pisarev

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