The Black Dancing Body: A Geography from Coon to Cool

""My topic is hot: Race remains dangerous territory, and talking race through the black dancing body is tricky,"" notes Temple University dance professor Gottschild (Waltzing in the Dark) at the beginning of her exploration of""Africanist presences in performance."" Gottschild's exploration of the geography of the black dancing body begins with her own story (as a young dancer in the late 1950s, she recalls, her long-legged, slim-hipped body""got me in trouble"" when more""feminine"" bodies were in fashion). The author would also audition for Broadway shows, yet knew African-Americans rarely made the cut. This very personal exploration ranges from the question of what black dance is, to the role and perceptions of various body parts, from feet to hair. Along the way, the author interviews 24 leading dancers and choreographers (not all African-American), including Trisha Brown, Bill T. Jones, Shelley Washington and Ralph Lemon, representing a variety of dance eras, idioms and traditions. Anyone interested in dance and in African-American culture will find much to ponder here.