Choreographies of African Identities: Négritude, Dance, and the National Ballet of Senegal / Edition 1

by Francesca Castaldi

Overview

Choreographies of African Identities traces interconnected interpretative frameworks around and about the National Ballet of Senegal. Using the metaphor of a dancing circle Castaldi's arguments cover the full spectrum of performance, from production to circulation and reception. Castaldi first situates the reader in a North American theater, focusing on the relationship between dancers and audiences as that between black performers and white spectators. She then examines the work of the National Ballet in relation to Léopold Sédar Senghor's Négritude ideology and cultural politics. Finally, the author addresses the circulation of dances in the streets, discotheques, and courtyards of Dakar, drawing attention to women dancers' occupation of the urban landscape.
 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780252072680
Publisher:	University of Illinois Press
Publication date:	01/11/2006
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	264
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	13 - 18 Years

About the Author

Francesca Castaldi is an independent dance scholar and ethnographer.

Editorial Reviews

"Castaldi was the first to publish an in-depth study of dance in Dakar, and hers is a very valuable contribution to a much neglected yet growing field. . . . I would highly recommend it to any reader concerned with the significance of performance in social life and the circulation of the performing arts within and out of Africa."—African Arts

From the Publisher