An expert explains and analyzes the beloved art formAn iconic symbol of Spain, flamenco has become a global phenomenon. Peter Manuel offers English-language readers a rare portrait of the music’s history, styles, and cultural impact. Beginning with flamenco’s Moorish and Roma influences, Manuel follows the music’s evolution through its consolidation in the mid-1800s and on to the vibrant contemporary scene. An investigation of flamenco’s major song-types looks at rhythm and compás, guitar technique, and many other aspects of the music while Manuel’s description and analysis of the repertoire range from soleares and bulerías to tangos. His overview of contemporary flamenco culture provides insight into issues that surround the music, including globalization, gender dynamics, notions of ownership, and the ongoing debates on purity versus innovation and the relative roles played by Gitanos and non-Gitanos.Multifaceted and entertaining, Flamenco Music is an in-depth study of the indelible art form that inspires enthusiasts and practitioners around the world. Read more

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Everything you wanted to know about Capoeira as a beginner and how to get started!Have you ever watched a Capoeira street performance and wondered if it was possible to learn such a thing?And what is Capoeira?Why should you understand Capoeira?What are the basic skills of Capoeira?How do you improve your skills in Capoeira?Don’t worry; we’ve got you covered! In this book, we’ll outline Capoeira's basics in terms of techniques and style. This informative guide will give you a brief history of this fascinating martial art and teach you some impressive offensive and defensive movements. You will also have the chance to learn many Brazilian terms and their cultural meanings.This book outlines everything you need to know about Capoeira as one of the types of martial arts. It explains the history of Capoeira and how it differs from other martial arts. You will also learn different techniques that can improve your overall skills.In this book, you will:Learn the basic facts about CapoeiraDiscover the core Capoeira principles and movementsDiscover how to use Capoeira as a defensive techniqueMaster the different forms of body movementsLearn more about the history of CapoeiraMaster the Capoeira fitness and workout techniquesDiscover Roda and Joga, and the Capoeira grading systemIf you want to use Capoeira to help you grow stronger, more aware of your surroundings, and more fit, this book is a must.So click the “add to cart” button, familiarize yourself with one of the most extraordinary martial arts techniques out there! Read more

Salsa Dancing & Rueda de Casino Guidebook for Beginner to Advanced Dancers invites you on an exciting journey through the rich world of Latin dance. Written by Barbara Bernstein, a seasoned instructor with over 20 years of experience, this guide is a treasure trove of insights, from the basics to advanced techniques, all designed to help you shine on the dance floor. This guide has something for everyone.At its heart, this book celebrates the profound sense of community and joy that dance creates. Through synchronized movements, dancers build trust, deepen friendships, and discover a renewed sense of well-being (this is called “muscular bonding”). Bernstein’s engaging, down-to-earth style, combined with “laugh-out-loud” notes, vibrant photos, and personal anecdotes, turns learning into a joyful experience.The guide covers a full range of topics for dancers of all levels, from leading and following to styling tips for your arms, hips, legs, and more. You’ll progress through the fundamental concepts, then dive into more complex moves.To enhance your journey, the guide also includes tutorials with links to over 500 videos from the Danceintime Studio for visual guidance. Hardcopy readers can access these by typing in one link to reach a webpage where all video links are organized in sequence.This is definitely a “must read” for dance enthusiasts.Inside, you’ll find:Part 1: Learning the StepsDetailed written information and videos of beginning, intermediate, and advanced dance moves. Countless moves to thrill you and share with your friends!Part 2: Dancing WellWays to enrich your dancing with embellishments and styling that uses full body movement and sharp timing. Features a deep dive into lead-and-follow interaction, where everything one dancer does affects what their partner can do.Part 3: Thoughts on Learning to DanceAn innovative approach to viewing dance as a gradual journey rather than as a binary matter of “knowing” or “not knowing” steps. Becoming good at anything requires patiently advancing along a continuum of skill. Tips for dance presentations and spatial awareness are also addressed.Part 4: Advanced SkillsIdeas on how to blend multiple moves into long, impressive sequences and ways you can adapt to dancing with someone trained in a different Salsa style. Includes tips for calling Rueda de Casino and information on mind-blowing Rueda structures and “structure combinations!”Part 5: Important Additional DimensionsThe social and health benefits of synchronized group movement. Dive into the clave rhythm and triplet syncopation, and explore various music styles like Son and Timba. Learn about dance floor etiquette and safety practices.Part 6: The Big Picture: Closing ThoughtsPerspective on common debates among dancers, such as on1 versus on2 timing, dance style nomenclature and back rocks. Get a quick overview of Salsa styles (NY, L.A., Miami) and other Latin dances like Mambo, Merengue, Bachata, and Cha Cha Cha.AppendicesDance humor, fun facts, and video and movie recommendations to more fully immerse yourself in dance culture.Let Barbara Bernstein guide you through this captivating world where dance has healing power and shapes your life both on and off the floor. Experience the joy, community, and profound spirit that come with dancing Salsa and Rueda de Casino.Join the Movement! Read more

With the input of thousands of tango followers and leaders, this book sheds light on how leaders choose their dance partners at milongas and how followers dance more when they want to, helping you make the most of every night.A couple of years ago, a woman approached me. She'd been into tango for quite some time, invested a lot in classes, events, and tango travel. She frequented milongas, and her experiences were a mixed bag - sometimes great, other times downright frustrating."I can't figure out why nobody asks me to dance. Do you have any insights? Don't worry, you can be straight with me. I'm just tired of this," she confided.I responded to her question, but honestly, it was more of an educated guess. Over the next few years, I mulled over that answer, and it left me with a lingering feeling that something crucial was missing. The same issue cropped up repeatedly in my conversations with others.It wasn't long before I realized that, like me, most people were operating on assumptions—assumptions that seemed entirely logical and self-evident:"Men just want to dance with the young and beautiful.""He's not dancing with me because I'm a beginner.""Those folks over there? They think they're the tango superstars; they're just here to show off."However, my mind tends to work a little differently. I have a penchant for challenging my own assumptions, for putting them to the test to see if they hold water.So, I made a decision to approach this topic with fresh eyes, like a beginner. I embarked on a mission to ask over 16,000 social tango dancers why they choose to dance with some people, why they avoid dancing with others, and what steps they take to dance more.The results surprised me, challenging my assumptions.About meMy goal is to remove as many obstacles as possible that hinder the enjoyment and development of social tango dancers. However, I don't do it alone. I collaborate with thousands of subscribers of TheCuriousTanguero.com newsletter. Together, we identify the challenges faced by tango communities and work on finding solutions to make our tango lives a little better. I am the author of the book 'Tangofulness: Exploring Connection, Awareness, and Meaning in Tango,' and the editor of 'Tango Tips by the Maestros.'" Read more

For thousands of years hand mudras have been used in India for healing, storytelling, emotional expression, and to evoke and convey elevated spiritual states. For the first time, the elaborate system of mudras-as applied in yoga and Indian dance-has been organized into a comprehensive, fully-indexed and cross-referenced format that allows readers access to this still esoteric body of knowledge.Mudras of India presents over 200 photographed hand mudras each with detailed instructions on technique, application, health and spiritual benefits and historical background. The authors have extensively researched the usage of mudras and their significance in the larger context of Indian spiritual systems, and taken painstaking efforts to ensure each mudra is rendered with correct Sanskrit name, transliteration and translation to English.The book will appeal to spiritual seekers, students and teachers of yoga and Indian Dance, scholars and lay people, and anyone interested in the rich cultural heritage of Indian mudras, and the transformative effects of these powerful hand gestures. Read more

Here you will find the correct and easiest way to learn or teach how to play finger cymbals. Teach how to play to Arabic music. Teach to play exactly what the drummer is playing. teach how to never get off rhythm again. Have accepted dance terminology at your fingertips. Learn who the people are who have changed the face of the dance for the better and more about the culture of the people. Read more

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Dancing was important to the ancient Egyptians. One of the few books available in English on this topic, this carefully researched, profusely illustrated work investigates the origins, nature and role of dance in Egyptian culture. Features 80 figure drawings and illustrations adapted from tomb paintings, reliefs, other authentic sources. New introduction. Bibliography. Read more

An experiential guide to the ancient healing rituals of the Black Madonna • Reveals the practices and rites of the still-living cult of the Black Madonna in the remote villages of Southern Italy, including the healing rites of the tarantella dance • Details shamanic chants, rhythms, and songs and how to use them for self-healing, transformation, and recovery from abuse, trauma, depression, and addiction • Explores the many sacred sites of the Madonnas and connects them to other Great Goddesses, such as Isis, Aphrodite, Cybeles, and the Orisha Yemanja and Ochun • Includes access to 12 audio tracks The mysteries of the Black Madonna can be traced to pre-Christian times, to the ancient devotion to Isis, the Earth Goddess, and the African Mother, to the era when God was not only female but also black. Sacred sites of the Black Madonna are still revered in Italy, and, as Alessandra Belloni reveals, the shamanic healing traditions of the Black Madonna are still alive today and just as powerful as they were millennia ago. Sharing her more than 35 years of research and fieldwork at sacred sites around the world, Belloni takes you on a mystical pilgrimage of empowerment, initiation, and transformation with the Black Madonna. She explains how her love for Italian folk music led her to learn the ancient tammorriata musical tradition of the Earth Goddess Cybele and the Moon Goddess Diana and discover the still-living cult of the Black Madonna in the remote villages of Southern Italy. She vividly describes the sensual shamanic drumming and ecstatic trance dance rituals she experienced there, including the rites of the tammorriata, the transgender rite of Femminielli, and the erotic “spider dance” of the tarantella, which has been used for centuries in the Mediterranean for healing. Sharing chants, rhythms, and sacred songs, she details how she uses these therapeutic musical and trance practices to heal women and men from abuse, trauma, depression, and addiction and shows how these practices can be used for self-healing and transformation, including her personal story of using the tarantella to overcome cervical cancer. Revealing the profound transformative power of the Black Madonna, Belloni shows how She is the womb of the earth, the dark side of the moon, and the Universal Mother to all. Truly alive for all to call upon, She embraces and gives everyone access to Her divine strength and unconditional love. Read more

"Come, sit by me," says Grandmother. "Take this chalk in your hand. Now draw a dot and concentrate all your energy into this one dot. It is the beginning and the end, the navel of the world." So Fawzia Al-Rawi describes her grandmother's first lesson about the ancient craft of Oriental dance. Grandmother's Secretsalways circles back to this grandmother and this young girl, echoing the circular movements of the dance itself. Al-Rawi has written a strikingly graceful and original book that blends personal memoir with the history and theory of the dance known in the West as "belly dancing." It is the story of a young Arab girl as she is initiated into womanhood. It is a history of the dance from the earliest times through the days of the Pharaohs, the Roman Empire, to the Arab world of the last three centuries. It is a personal investigation into the effects of the dance's movements on individual parts of the body and the whole psyche. It is a guide to the actual techniques of the dance for those who are inspired to put down the book and move. Al-Rawi conveys in this book not only the history and technique of grieving and mourning dances, pregnancy and birth dances, but the spirit of these age-old rituals, and their possibilities for healing and empowering women today. Read more

Issues of race, class, gender and religion permeate the study of contemporary dance, resulting in cultural clashes in classrooms and studios. The first of its kind, this book provides dance educators with tools to refocus teaching methods to celebrate the pluralism of the United States. The contributors discuss how to diversify ballet technique classes and dance history courses in higher education, choreographing dance about socially charged contemporary issues, and incorporating Native American dances into the curriculum, among other topics. The application of relevant pedagogy in the dance classroom enables instructors to teach methods that reflect students' culture and affirm their experiences. Read more

This ethnographic research proposes an introduction to the performance art form Mongolian contortion by examining its theories and functions before and after the establishment of the Mongolian State Circus in 1941. Through qualitative research methods it further investigates different repercussions that lead to the transformation and decline of Traditional Mongolian Contortion in Mongolia and the West in recent years. By examining the genesis and history of body flexibility prior to the establishment of the Mongolian State Circus, it explores parallels between Mongolian folk dance and folk acrobatics and the establishment of Mongolian contortion as the international “brand” we know today. It discusses the categorization of different styles within Mongolian contortion, discovers the development of aesthetics and how religious symbolism is incorporated in contortion performances. Lastly, it examines the numerous challenges contortionists with traditional aesthetics and presentations, a style referred to in this paper as Traditional Mongolian Contortion, face and proposes solutions for the safeguarding of this art form. (Monograph) Read more

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More than just a guide to steps and techniques, "The Heart of Belly Dance" is an invitation. An invitation to delve into the rich tapestry of this ancient art form, to uncover the layers of self-discovery that lie within each movement, and to awaken the radiant power that resides in your very being. Belly dance is more than fluid hips and shimmering veils; it's a transformative journey that weaves together the physical, emotional, and spiritual. It’s a dance of self-expression, of confidence, and of connection—a journey I’ve been privileged to share with countless women. In these pages, I’ve woven together my personal experiences, years of teaching, and a deep-seated passion for this art form to create a roadmap for your own belly dance adventure. Whether you're a complete beginner, drawn in by the mystique, or an experienced dancer seeking new depths of understanding, I hope that this book empowers you to embrace your uniqueness, to find your rhythm, and to dance with the unwavering confidence of a queen. This is not just about mastering the movements, but about mastering yourself. Prepare to be inspired, empowered, and transformed. Let the journey begin. Read more

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I am an unlikely dancer. I first started dancing in 1998 in Japan at the age of 37. I had never danced a single dance step in my life. I have been dancing or thinking about dance daily ever since.Music changes and popular dance styles come and go. The one thing that remains constant through all-time however are the dance steps.Extensively illustrated, this comprehensive book with a focus on line dance also covers topics common to all forms of dance such as music, choreography, step sheets, floor craft, etiquette, partner dance, choreographic notation, first dance lessons and life in the dance hall. I present secrets I learned in my personal journey into the world of dance starting as a basic beginner privately practicing tap dance at home and culminating as a certified Ballroom dance instructor just a few short years later.This text book on dance presents topics, tips, how-to's and dance floor secrets I wish I knew when I was just starting out. I learned these lessons the hard way, through blood, sweat, joy and through thousands of dollars in dance lessons.This book is a reference text book on dance.It includes a step dictionary of the 30 most essential line dance steps and comprehensive informational discussions of floor craft tips and tricks appropriate for basic beginners.After reading this book you will not only know the most important fundamental dance steps but you will have advanced your line dance learning speed.The only thing you will have to bring yourself, is practice.The things I hope you learn in this book, will give you a solid dance foundation that you can take with you which ever direction you decide to go with your dance career. Line Dance is easy. It's fun. You don't need a partner. It's a great introduction to all forms of dance. Welcome! Read more

Capoeira, a Brazilian battle dance and national sport, has become popular all over the world. First brought to Brazil by African slaves and first documented in the late eighteenth century, capoeira has undergone many transformations as it has diffused throughout Brazilian society and beyond, taking on a multiplicity of meanings for those who participate in it and for the societies in which it is practiced. In this book, Maya Talmon-Chvaicer combines cultural history with anthropological research to offer an in-depth study of the development and meaning of capoeira, starting with the African cultures in which it originated and continuing up to the present day.Using a wealth of primary sources, Talmon-Chvaicer analyzes the outlooks on life, symbols, and rituals of the three major cultures that inspired capoeira—the Congolese (the historic area known today as Congo-Angola), the Yoruban, and the Catholic Portuguese cultures. As she traces the evolution of capoeira through successive historical eras, Talmon-Chvaicer maintains a dual perspective, depicting capoeira as it was experienced, observed, and understood by both Europeans and Africans, as well as by their descendants. This dual perspective uncovers many covert aspects of capoeira that have been repressed by the dominant Brazilian culture.This rich study reclaims the African origins and meanings of capoeira, while also acknowledging the many ways in which Catholic-Christian culture has contributed to it. The book will be fascinating reading not only for scholars but also for capoeira participants who may not know the deeper spiritual meanings of the customs, amulets, and rituals of this jogo da vida, "game of life." Read more

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Embracing dramatic similarities, glaring disjunctions, and striking innovations, this book explores the history and context of dance on the land we know today as the United States of America. Designed for weekly use in dance history courses, it traces dance in the USA as it broke traditional forms, crossed genres, provoked social and political change, and drove cultural exchange and collision. The authors put a particular focus on those whose voices have been silenced, unacknowledged, and/or uncredited – exploring racial prejudice and injustice, intersectional feminism, protest movements, and economic conditions, as well as demonstrating how socio-political issues and movements affect and are affected by dance. In looking at concert dance, vernacular dance, ritual dance, and the convergence of these forms, the chapters acknowledge the richness of dance in today’s USA and the strong foundations on which it stands. Milestones are a range of accessible textbooks, breaking down the need-to-know moments in the social, cultural, political, and artistic development of foundational subject areas. This book is ideal for undergraduate courses that embrace culturally responsive pedagogy and seek to shift the direction of the lens from western theatrical dance towards the wealth of dance forms in the United States. Read more