This is the story of English Country Dance; from its 18th century roots in the English cities and countryside; to its transatlantic leap to the U.S. in the 20th century; told by not only a renowned historian but also a folk dancer; who has both immersed himself in the rich history of the folk tradition and rehearsed its steps. In City Folk; Daniel J. Walkowitz argues that the history of country and folk dancing in America is deeply intermeshed with that of political liberalism and the lsquo;old left.rsquo; He situates folk dancing within surprisingly diverse contexts; from progressive era reform; and playground and school movements; to the changes in consumer culture; and the project of a modernizing; cosmopolitan middle class society. Tracing the spread of folk dancing; with particular emphases on English Country Dance; International Folk Dance; and Contra; Walkowitz connects the history of folk dance to social and international political influences in America. Through archival research; oral histories; and ethnography of dance communities; City Folk allows dancers and dancing bodies to speak. From the norms of the first half of the century; marked strongly by Anglo-Saxon traditions; to the Cold War nationalism of the post-war era; and finally on to the counterculture movements of the 1970s; City Folk injects the riveting history of folk dance in the middle of the story of modern America.
#1889116 in eBooks 2010-06-04 2010-06-04File Name: B003KVKWKY
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Fantastic ResourceBy sociologyIm a graduate student interested in many of the topics covered by chapters in this book. I found the collection to be a really good set of readings for myself or anyone interested in LGBT and the media.
