Dance and the Body in Western Theatre

A significant and inspiring book, connecting history, philosophy and art. The wish to return to one's self in these contemporary times of struggle and change is Dr Sorgel's major theme, and she beautifully reveals how artists reflect this concern in their work.' - Meade Andrews, Rider University, USA 'At last, an excellent and original publication, which devotes itself entirely to examining the history of Dance in post 1948 Western Theatre. I expect to see this become essential reading within a range of University Departments. The parameters of knowledge fields extend beyond dance and theatre and form coherent and accessible bridges with diverse bodies of critical thinking, from the socio-political to the philosophical. No other writer has so convincingly and engagingly managed to bring Western theatre history to life, and conjure the magic of the body, the irrefutable experiential, lived and breathing body, imprinting, shaping and moulding Western cultural histories.' Marie-Gabrielle Rotie, Goldsmiths, University of London, UK

While the body appears in almost all cultural discourses, it is nowhere as visible as in dance. This book captures the resurgence of the dancing body in the second half of the twentieth century by introducing students to the key phenomenological, kinaesthetic and psychological concepts relevant to both theatre and dance studies.While the body appears in almost all cultural discourses, it is nowhere as visible as in dance. This book captures the resurgence of the dancing body in the second half of the twentieth century by introducing students to the key phenomenological, kinaesthetic and psychological concepts relevant to both theatre and dance studies.