Contemporary Dance Lighting

"To many who make their lives on the stage, lighting remains a mystery. Talking about lighting is even more of a mystery. Contemporary Dance Lighting: The Poetry and the Nitty-Gritty reveals how lighting for dance is a masterful duet of visual storytelling between lighting designer and choreographer. It lays the foundation of common terminology and the basis for all communication between collaborators. The use of the first-person narrative invites the reader in and makes it much less intimidating to students new to lighting. From the step-by-step realized process between the designer and choreographer to the further reflections by professionals, this book will be an important addition to any lighting class, lighting designer or choreographers' library. The authors showcase the value of collaboration at the core of making art."

Jennifer Read, Chair, Department of Theatre and Dance, Los Angeles Valley College

"Far from your ordinary dry textbook, Contemporary Dance Lighting: The Poetry and the Nitty-Gritty is both personable and informative. A must-have resource for teachers and their students: future designers and choreographers, who are often the same person looking to illuminate the possibilities of the human form. The text allows you to shift between sections as your inspiration propels you."

Angelia Leung, Interim Chair, Department of World Arts and Culture/Dance, University of California, Los Angeles

"Contemporary Dance Lighting: The Poetry and the Nitty-Gritty illuminates the under discussed world of lighting for dance. The authors, a designer and a choreographer, combine their talents to shine light on how a student can grow into lighting dance creatively, effectively, and—most importantly—vibrantly."

Ilana Morgan, Associate Professor, Department of Dance, Texas Woman's University

"Contemporary Dance Lighting: The Poetry and the Nitty-Gritty is a rare textbook in the arts that can interweave conceptual ideas with technical details. This very useful and interactive guide for students, designers, and choreographers, brings those two realms together in order to focus on the importance of collaboration and the necessity of connecting seeing with feeling – whether you are onstage or behind the lights."

Jen Groseth, Lighting and Sound Designer, Youth Performing Arts School, Louisville, KY, Collaborator, with Ann Cooper Albright, on Dancing with Light, https://www.wesleyan.edu/wespress/tracesoflight/

"Contemporary Dance Lighting: The Poetry and the Nitty-Gritty shakes up learning about lighting design with not only breadth and depth, but humor. The authors’ artistic passions shine through in the text, providing clarity toward the tools and processes of lighting design for dance."

Noah J. Files, Assistant Professor, Department of Art & Theatre, Northern State University

“I highly recommend Contemporary Dance Lighting as a must-read for anyone involved in the worlds of dance and design, whether as a choreographer, educator, lighting or media designer, performer or student. With its rich blend of historical context, practical advice, technical sophistication and artistic inspiration, the book serves as a beacon for those seeking to understand the art of lighting design in the dynamic landscape of contemporary dance.”

Dr. Edward C. Warburton, Professor of Dance, University of California at Santa Cruz, Journal of Dance Education (forthcoming)