Apollo's Angels: A History of Ballet - Hardcover

Homans, Jennifer

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1862079501 ISBN 13: 9781862079502

Publisher: Granta Books, 2010

Synopsis

This title presents a fascinating history of classical ballet which takes us from its origins in 18th century France through the Italian influence in the 19th century, the dominance of Russia in the late 19th and early 20th century, up to the present and ballet's uncertain future. It begins in the courts of old Europe, where ballet began as an aristocratic etiquette and moved from Italy and France to Britain, Denmark, Russia and contemporary America. Homans argues that the evolution of steps, technique and choreography can only be understood in light of the great political and intellectual movements of the past 200 years. Homans shows how dance and dancers were influenced by the Renaissance and French Classicism, by Revolution and Romanticism, by Expressionism and Bolshevism, Modernism and the Cold War. Her book ends with the contemporary crisis in ballet now that 'the masters are dead and gone' and offers a passionate plea for the centrality of classical dance in our civilization.

About this title

About the Author

Jennifer Homans is the dance critic for the New Yorker. Her widely acclaimed Apollo's Angels: A History of Ballet was a bestseller and named one of the 10 best books of the year by the New York Times Book Review. Trained in dance at George Balanchine's School of American Ballet, she performed professionally with the Pacific Northwest Ballet. She earned her BA at Columbia University and her PhD in modern European history at New York University, where she is a Scholar in Residence and the Founding Director of the Center for Ballet and the Arts.

Edition details

• Publisher: Granta Books
• Publication date: 2010
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1862079501
• ISBN 13: 9781862079502
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 608