Author Description

The study and analysis of dance structures has been of continuing interest since the mid-twentieth century; however, the lack of a compendium of studies on the varied approaches has hindered further development and comparative work. This book fills that gap and presents various perspectives on the analysis of human movement systems from a wide range of societies in several parts of the world. The volume begins with a historical perspective on the study of dance structural analysis by Anca Giurchescu. This is followed by five essays on theory and method based on publications that have become key schools of thought during the past thirty years. These papers have been updated and/or rewritten based on subsequent work by authors. The key essays are followed by ten case studies that use and extend the methods and theories presented in the key papers and add new perspectives to the study of structural analysis. Although we live in a post-structuralist world, knowledge and analysis of dance structure is not passé. Understanding the structure of a dance form or tradition should be a first step in understanding the culture and traditions of the people who perform it. Structural analysis relates to the intangible heritage of humanity and is a necessary tools for such analysis and presentation. The contributors are members of the Study Group on Ethnochoreography of the International Council for Traditional Music (ICTM) and have workes together for several years to bring this book to fruition. The authors are: Anca Giurchescu and Eva Kröschlová, Adrienne Kaeppler, Egil Bakka, Lisbet Torp, László Felföldi, Theresa Buckland, Andriy Nahachewsky, Maria Kouthsouba, Catherine Foley, Irene Loutaki, Frank Hall, Arzu Öztürkmen, Mohd Anis Md Nor, Judy Van Zile, and Mats Nilsson.