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Glamour Addiction
Inside the American Ballroom Dance Industry
Wesleyan Dance
Sales Date: 2006-11-17
268 Pages, 7.00 x 10.00 in
Behind the scenes of DanceSport.
In the wake of the blockbuster television success of "Dancing with the Stars," competitive ballroom dance has become a subject of new fascination—and renewed scrutiny. Known by its practitioners as DanceSport, ballroom is a significant dance form and a fascinating cultural phenomenon. In this first in-depth study of the sport, dancer and dance historian Juliet McMains explores the "Glamour Machine" that drives the thriving industry, delving into both the pleasures and perils of its seductions. She further explores the broader social issues invoked in American DanceSport: representation of "Latin," economics that often foster inequality, and issues of identity, including gender, race, class, and sexuality.
Putting ballroom dance in the larger contexts of culture and history, Glamour Addiction makes an important contribution to dance studies, while giving new and veteran enthusiasts a unique and unprecedented glimpse behind the scenes.
LIST of ILLUSTRATIONS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
PREFACE
The Glamour Machine
Representations of Social Dance: A Genealogy of Improvisation
Brownface: Representations of Latinness in Latin Dance
Exceeding the Limits of Competition: Innovations in Theatrical Ballroom DANCE
Notes
References
BIBLIOGRAPHY
JULIET MCMAINS is the director of Dance Addiction, an independent ballroom dance studio in Orlando. She is associate faculty at the University of Central Florida, and has taught at Florida State University. As a DanceSport competitor, she has twice been a U.S. National Rising Star finalist and has won professional competitions in the U.S. and Canada.
"The only book I know that explores the contemporary practice of ballroom dancing and its professional manifestation, DanceSport. It is a significant contribution to the literature in dance studies and gender and sexuality studies."
~Ann Dils, associate professor, Department of Dance, University of North CarolinaGreensboro
"The world of competitive ballroom dance is a significant dance and cultural phenomenon that no one has yet explored in depth. This book is important to our continued understanding of popular and social dance forms."
~Julie Malnig, author of Dancing Till Dawn: A Century of Exhibition Ballroom Dance