Bearing Witness to Whiteness in American Dance: Dancing Bodies Out-of-Place
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Description
Through the lens of whiteness as applied to White-body supremacy, this book examines the role racism played in shaping American dance from the late nineteenth century to the present. Thus, this book centralizes the actions of White dancers/choreographers/producers in the form of discriminatory ideologies and practices that were commonplace in American society. Underlying this argument is that the artistic sensibilities and dance/movement elements of Black, Brown, and Indigenous dancing bodies were appropriated by Whites and became the bedrock of American dance. The book includes numerous forms of dance and the many dance figures associated with them. It is written from an interdisciplinary perspective and is far-reaching in scope by casting light on other aspects of American society. To accomplish this reach, the project centers the American dancing body as a way of knowing and as a unique mode of inquiry. It also projects into a future that holds both problems and possibilities.
ISBN
9783032200563
Publication Date
5-17-2026
Publisher
Palgrave Macmillan
City
London
Rights Statement
In Copyright - US https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en
Keywords
dance, race and ethnicity studies, cultural history, theatre and performance arts, dance history, race, racism, whiteness, American dance, appropriation
Disciplines
Dance | Race, Ethnicity and Post-Colonial Studies
Recommended Citation
Kerr-Berry, J. (2026). Bearing witness to whiteness in American dance: Dancing bodies out-of-place. Palgrave Macmillan.
