Writing in the Dark

This retrospective is a treasure trove for dance lovers: over 25 years of New Yorker columns from the dean of New York City dance critics. Croce began at the New Yorker in 1973: ""I knew the hour was late: Balanchine was sixty-nine, Graham had left the stage"" and a number of stellar careers were on the wane. This collection, much of which appeared in Croce's earlier works (Afterimage; Going to the Dance; Sight Lines), goes on to provide an insightful, discerning account of recent dance history. Croce was present for all of the high points: Baryshnikov's 1974 defection, Suzanne Farrell's return to the Balanchine fold from European exile the same year, Paul Taylor's emergence as a choreographic heavyweight, and the ever-evolving, occasionally explosive interweave between ballet and modern synthesis, among others. Croce pursues more scholarly offbeat interests at times: ""Kyli n an and His Antecedents,"" on the Czech master, for one, and possibly her most controversial column, ""Discussing the Undiscussable."" This 1995 attack on what Croce calls ""victim art"" (in which she criticized a work she had not seen) caused a major brouhaha with choreographer Bill T. Jones and the wider art--not just dance--world. Croce's introduction provides some welcome personal notes: she herself never studied or performed dance or music at all, but she understands and explains her role as critic and witness (including, incidentally, how she makes notes in a darkened theater). Croce is one of dance's best writers, and any balletophile or modern dance lover who hasn't already acquired her earlier collections will want this richly rewarding volume in their personal library. (Nov.)