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Choreographies of African Identities: Négritude, Dance, and the National Ballet of Senegal
Francesca Castaldi
€ 36.87
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Description for Choreographies of African Identities: Négritude, Dance, and the National Ballet of Senegal
Paperback. A rich portrait of the National Ballet of Senegal's work and of the urban dance world of Dakar Num Pages: 264 pages, 1 illustration. BIC Classification: 1HFD; ASD; GTB; JHM. Category: (P) Professional & Vocational. Dimension: 228 x 154 x 18. Weight in Grams: 426.
Choreographies of African Identities traces interconnected interpretative frameworks around and about the National Ballet of Senegal. Using the metaphor of a dancing circle Castaldi's arguments cover the full spectrum of performance, from production to circulation and reception. Castaldi first situates the reader in a North American theater, focusing on the relationship between dancers and audiences as that between black performers and white spectators. She then examines the work of the National Ballet in relation to Léopold Sédar Senghor's Négritude ideology and cultural politics. Finally, the author addresses the circulation of dances in the streets, discotheques, and courtyards of Dakar, drawing attention to women dancers' occupation of the urban landscape.
Product Details
Format
Paperback
Publication date
2006
Publisher
University of Illinois Press United States
Number of pages
264
Condition
New
Number of Pages
264
Place of Publication
Baltimore, United States
ISBN
9780252072680
SKU
V9780252072680
Shipping Time
Usually ships in 7 to 11 working days
Ref
99-1
About Francesca Castaldi
Francesca Castaldi is an independent dance scholar and ethnographer.
Reviews for Choreographies of African Identities: Négritude, Dance, and the National Ballet of Senegal
"Castaldi was the first to publish an in-depth study of dance in Dakar, and hers is a very valuable contribution to a much neglected yet growing field. . . . I would highly recommend it to any reader concerned with the significance of performance in social life and the circulation of the performing arts within and out of Africa."
African Arts "Castald''s strongest moments lie in her deconstruction of the curious syntheses of 'national ballets,' which perform merged imaginaries for largely expatriate audiences. . . . Recommended."
Choice "Castaldi has adopted a dance company, the National Ballet of Senegal, for her worthwhile study. . . . Her analysis of the cross-cultural and artistic issues that face African dance companies is a complex web or mirror that envelops anthropology, colonialism, women's issues, and creative virtuosity."
Multicultural Review "Castaldi produces an innovative, vivid narrative of dance and the choreographies of identities in Senegal, which is certainly thought-provoking in its combination of 'thick' ethnographic description and theoretical reflections. . . . I . . . recommend her study to anyone interested in West African performing arts, identity politics, and discourses of ethnographic writing."
African Affairs "Well written and thoroughly theorized, this book presents a thought-provoking post-colonial critique of the way in which the African body is presented in dance and represented in writing. . . . With astute observations about the vicissitudes of the global economy in which the dancers operate, the author lends a sympathetic eye to what is undoubtedly the most popular art in Africa. The book offers a radical perspective on a theme
the National Ballet of Senegal
that was long due serious attention."
Africa: The Journal of the International African Institute
African Arts "Castald''s strongest moments lie in her deconstruction of the curious syntheses of 'national ballets,' which perform merged imaginaries for largely expatriate audiences. . . . Recommended."
Choice "Castaldi has adopted a dance company, the National Ballet of Senegal, for her worthwhile study. . . . Her analysis of the cross-cultural and artistic issues that face African dance companies is a complex web or mirror that envelops anthropology, colonialism, women's issues, and creative virtuosity."
Multicultural Review "Castaldi produces an innovative, vivid narrative of dance and the choreographies of identities in Senegal, which is certainly thought-provoking in its combination of 'thick' ethnographic description and theoretical reflections. . . . I . . . recommend her study to anyone interested in West African performing arts, identity politics, and discourses of ethnographic writing."
African Affairs "Well written and thoroughly theorized, this book presents a thought-provoking post-colonial critique of the way in which the African body is presented in dance and represented in writing. . . . With astute observations about the vicissitudes of the global economy in which the dancers operate, the author lends a sympathetic eye to what is undoubtedly the most popular art in Africa. The book offers a radical perspective on a theme
the National Ballet of Senegal
that was long due serious attention."
Africa: The Journal of the International African Institute