Driven by exacting methods and hard data, this volume reveals gender dynamics within the dance world in the twenty-first century. It provides concrete evidence about how gender impacts the daily lives of dancers, choreographers, directors, educators, and students through surveys, interviews, analyses of data from institutional sources, and action research studies. Dancers, dance artists, and dance scholars from the United States, Australia, and Canada discuss equity in three areas: concert dance, the studio, and higher education. The chapters provide evidence of bias, stereotyping, and other behaviors that are often invisible to those involved, as well as to audiences. The contributors answer incisive questions about the role of gender in various aspects of the field, including physical expression and body image, classroom experiences and pedagogy, and performance and funding opportunities. The findings reveal how inequitable practices combined with societal pressures can create environments that hinder health, happiness, and success. At the same time, they highlight the individuals working to eliminate discrimination and open up new possibilities for expression and achievement in studios, choreography, performance venues, and institutions of higher education. The dance community can strive to eliminate discrimination, but first it must understand the status quo for gender in the dance world.

About the Author
Wendy Oliver, professor of dance at Providence College, is coeditor of Jazz Dance: A History of the Roots and Branches.

Doug Risner, professor of dance at Wayne State University, is coeditor of Hybrid Lives of Teaching Artists in Dance and Theatre Arts: A Critical Reader.

Reviews
Groundbreaking.""- Broadway World;

""A useful resource for future researchers interested in the ways that gender in dance intersects with class, race, and sexual orientation.""- Choice;

"Accessible essays and numerous research projects by contributing writers from around the world unpack and address gender issues in higher education administration, dance studio settings, all-boy dance classes and contemporary ballet."- Dance Teacher Review;

""Few volumes tackle the issue of gender and dance with such currency. A work of high quality, thorough in its composition, impeccable in its rigor, and far reaching in its approach.""- Julie Kerr-Berry, Minnesota State University, Mankato;

""Generous with data, this collection of accessible research will inspire a variety of emotions from anger to fascination, prompting us to question our own actions and the shape of the future of dance.""- Barbara Bashaw, Rutgers University



Book Information
ISBN 9780813064680
Author Wendy Oliver
Format Paperback
Page Count 224
Imprint University Press of Florida
Publisher University Press of Florida
Weight(grams) 325g
Dimensions(mm) 228mm * 152mm * 13mm