Dance Cultures Around the World

Editors: Lynn E. Frederiksen and Shih-Ming Li Chang

As the editors say in the preface, while every culture has some form of dance, why people dance, and how it is defined and created, can be difficult to pin down. But, “Once you understand why dance exists and examine the factors that explain particular dance forms, you can engage more fully with many cultures of dance, including your own.” That’s the starting point for Dance Cultures Around the World, written by contributors from across the globe, and that offers a look at dance in 25 countries and cultures.

In their introduction, Frederiksen and Li Chang also make the very valid point that dance is not, as is often said, a universal language. Rather it is a universal way of communicating with many different languages. Just as you would not understand a foreign spoken language simply because it is human speech, so you should not expect to understand a dance language without some knowledge and translation. The authors provide that translation, revealing history and meaning, and the place of dance in the various societies.

The book is divided into nine geopolitical regions, a brief introduction to which highlights some of dynamics that shaped dance therein. Besides setting out the main characteristics of dance (mostly folk dance although there are some references to contemporary dance here and there) in each location, each chapter includes a brief description of a signature dance of the culture and a note on history and geography. Selected events, people, and qualities found in dance in the culture are highlighted. There are also notes on the cross-cultural dynamics that have impacted on a culture’s dance, colonialism and dance in the diaspora.

Chapters also go some way to explain, albeit briefly, the cultural context of a host of elements including costume, props and arrangement, elements whose meaning and reason may be misinterpreted if seen through a personal lens and all the cultural biases and assumptions that unconsciously come with it.

The well laid out text provides a useful introduction to its topics for later secondary school and undergraduate students. The book comes with a well-packaged and useful multimedia resource through HKPropel that includes links to dance videos, images, and other materials. It will also be handy for teachers, for whom there is a sample syllabus, chapter summaries, suggested answers for the discussion questions found in each chapter that could easily form the basis for further study, PowerPoint presentations, test packages and quizzes.

While the book covers a wide range of cultures, it cannot and does not cover everywhere. No doubt there were some tricky conversations about what and what not to include but Frederiksen and Li Chang have arrived at a pretty good selection. Some chapters focus on countries whose dance is rarely covered, including Croatia, Bulgaria and Tahiti, but elsewhere attention turns to much better known places such as China, Japan, Russia and to forms such as traditional Irish dance and flamenco.

While the breadth of coverage is a strength, it is also a weakness. It also cannot and does not cover everything in a culture. With only around 15 pages per chapter, it can only provide an overview. For example, dance in Chinese culture includes an incredible range of forms and styles. The 14 pages given over to it in the book are never going to do more than scratch the surface. The Dance in Spain chapter meanwhile is almost entirely about flamenco. Other forms of folk dance are only mentioned in passing in two short paragraphs that make up less than a quarter of a page.

Dance Cultures Around the World. A useful book that’s easy to read and a good starting point. But it is just that: an introduction and a gateway to further and more in-depth learning.

Dance Cultures Around the World
Editors: Lynn E. Frederiksen and Shih-Ming Li Chang
Publisher: Human Kinetics, August 2023
376 Pages
ISBN: 978-1492572329 (paperback), 978-1492594574 (eBook)
Cover price: £100 (paperback), £75 (eBook)
www.humankinetics.co.uk
www.amazon.co.uk