The evolving feminine ballet body / Pirkko Markula & Marianne I. Clark, editors.

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Dance has become increasingly visible within contemporary culture: just think of reality TV shows featuring this art form. This shift brings the ballet body into renewed focus. Historically both celebrated and critiqued for its thin, flexible, and highly feminized aesthetic, the ballet body now takes on new and complex meanings at the intersections of performance art, popular culture, and fitness. The Evolving Feminine Ballet Body provides a local perspective to enrich the broader cultural narratives of ballet through historical, socio-cultural, political, and artistic lenses, redefining what many consider to be "high art." Scholars in gender studies, folklore, popular culture, and cultural studies will be interested in this collection, as well as those involved in the dance world.Contributors: Kelsie Acton, Marianne I. Clark, Kate Z. Davies, Lindsay Eales, Pirkko Markula, Carolyn Millar, Jodie Vandekerkhove

Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

In this unique text, Markula (Univ. of Alberta) and Clark (Univ. of Waikato, New Zealand) have edited a collection of essays that explore the transformation of the ballet body alongside an inquiry into the history and meaning of ballet. In addition to being dancers themselves, the contributors are scholars from a range of backgrounds, including gender studies, occupational therapy, and kinesiology. The text considers the historical foundations of ballet, discussing its initiation as an art form, how ballet came to be associated with little girls in tutus, its expansion into popular reality television shows, and, most recently, its promotion in the exercise world as a new style of workout. The essays delve into the different types of ballet bodies that exist and how they too have transformed over the years. Of particular interest is the book's emphasis on the different ways ballet dancers experience their bodies. The authors recognize that there exists a societal ideal for a ballet dancer's physique; many dancers find that their ballet bodies are much more than that. A fascinating work. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers. --Caitlyn Hauff, University of South Alabama