Download or read book What the Eye Hears written by Brian Seibert and published by Macmillan + ORM. This book was released on 2015-11-17 with total page 670 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first authoritative history of tap dancing, one of the great art forms—along with jazz and musical comedy—created in America. Finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award in Nonfiction Winner of Anisfield-Wolf Book Award An Economist Best Book of 2015 What the Eye Hears offers an authoritative account of the great American art of tap dancing. Brian Seibert, a dance critic for The New York Times, begins by exploring tap’s origins as a hybrid of the jig and clog dancing and dances brought from Africa by slaves. He tracks tap’s transfer to the stage through blackface minstrelsy and charts its growth as a cousin to jazz in the vaudeville circuits. Seibert chronicles tap’s spread to ubiquity on Broadway and in Hollywood, analyzes its decline after World War II, and celebrates its rediscovery and reinvention by new generations of American and international performers. In the process, we discover how the history of tap dancing is central to any meaningful account of American popular culture. This is a story with a huge cast of characters, from Master Juba through Bill Robinson and Shirley Temple, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, and Gene Kelly and Paul Draper to Gregory Hines and Savion Glover. Seibert traces the stylistic development of tap through individual practitioners and illuminates the cultural exchange between blacks and whites, the interplay of imitation and theft, as well as the moving story of African Americans in show business, wielding enormous influence as they grapple with the pain and pride of a complicated legacy. What the Eye Hears teaches us to see and hear the entire history of tap in its every step. “Tap is America’s great contribution to dance, and Brian Seibert’s book gives us—at last!—a full-scale (and lively) history of its roots, its development, and its glorious achievements. An essential book!” —Robert Gottlieb, dance critic for The New York Observer and editor of Reading Dance “What the Eye Hears not only tells you all you wanted to know about tap dancing; it tells you what you never realized you needed to know. . . . And he recounts all this in an easygoing style, providing vibrant descriptions of the dancing itself and illuminating commentary by those masters who could make a floor sing.” —Deborah Jowitt, author of Jerome Robbins: His Life, His Theater, His Dance and Time and the Dancing Image

Download or read book Tap Dancing America written by Constance Valis Hill and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2014-11-12 with total page 462 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Here is the vibrant, colorful, high-stepping story of tap -- the first comprehensive, fully documented history of a uniquely American art form. Writing with all the verve and grace of tap itself, Constance Valis Hill offers a sweeping narrative, filling a major gap in American dance history and placing tap firmly center stage.

Download or read book Jelly s Last Jam written by George C. Wolfe and published by Theatre Communications Grou. This book was released on 1993 with total page 132 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Dramatizes the life of Jelly Roll Morton, pianist, composer, and self-proclaimed inventor of jazz.

Download or read book Tap dance Fever written by Pat Brisson and published by Boyds Mills Press. This book was released on 2005 with total page 40 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Annabelle Applegate will not stop tap-dancing no matter what the frustrated citizens of Fiddlers Creek do to make her quit.

Download or read book American National Biography written by John A. Garraty and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2005-05-12 with total page 848 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: American National Biography is the first new comprehensive biographical dicionary focused on American history to be published in seventy years. Produced under the auspices of the American Council of Learned Societies, the ANB contains over 17,500 profiles on historical figures written by an expert in the field and completed with a bibliography. The scope of the work is enormous--from the earlest recorded European explorations to the very recent past.

Download or read book Black Tap Dance and Its Women Pioneers written by Cheryl M. Willis and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2023-04-13 with total page 392 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: While tap dancers Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, and Eleanor Powell were major Hollywood stars, and the rhythms of Black male performers such as the Nicholas Brothers and Bill "Bojangles" Robinson were appreciated in their time, Black female tap dancers seldom achieved similar recognition. Who were these women? The author sought them out, interviewed them, and documented their stories for this book. Here are the personal stories of many Black women tap dancers who were hailed by their male counterparts, performed on the most prominent American stages, and were pioneers in the field of Black tap.

Download or read book Tap Roots written by Mark Knowles and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2002-06-03 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Tracing the development of tap dancing from ancient India to the Broadway stage in 1903, when the word "Tap" was first used in publicity to describe this new American style of dance, this text separates the cultural, societal and historical events that influenced the development of Tap dancing. Section One covers primary influences such as Irish step dancing, English clog dancing and African dancing. Section Two covers theatrical influences (early theatrical developments, "Daddy" Rice, the Virginia Minstrels) and Section Three covers various other influences (Native American, German and Shaker). Also included are accounts of the people present at tap's inception and how various styles of dance were mixed to create a new art form.

Download or read book Theatre World 2000 2001 written by John Willis and published by Hal Leonard Corporation. This book was released on 2004-01-01 with total page 316 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: (Theatre World). Highlights of this new Theatre World , now in its 57th year, include The Producers with Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest with Gary Sinise, Judgment at Nuremberg with Maximillian Schell, Design for Livin g with Alan Cumming, 42nd Street , A Class Act and Lily Tomlin's The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe . During the 2000-2001 season, Theatre World was awarded with a Special Tony Honor for Excellence in the Theatre. Theatre World , the statistical and pictorial record of the Broadway and Off-Broadway season, touring companies and professional regional companies throughout the United States, is a classic in its field. The book is complete with cast listings, replacements, producers, directors, authors, composers, opening and closing dates, song titles and much, much more. There are special sections with autobiographical data, obituary information and major drama awards. New features to this edition include: an introduction by editor John Willis; separate Off-Broadway and Off-Off Broadway sections; new Longest Runs listing; and an expanded Awards and Regionals section. "Nothing brings back a theatrical season better, or holds on to it more lovingly, than John Willis' Theatre World ." Harry Haun, Playbill

Download or read book Jose Born to Dance written by Susanna Reich and published by Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books. This book was released on 2005-08-01 with total page 32 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: José was a boy with a song in his heart and a dance in his step. Born in Mexico in 1908, he came into the world kicking like a steer, and grew up to love to draw, play the piano, and dream. José's dreaming took him to faraway places. He dreamed of bullfighters and the sounds of the cancan dancers that he saw with his father. Dance lit a fire in José's soul. With his heart to guide him, José left his family and went to New York to dance. He learned to flow and float and fly through space with steps like a Mexican breeze. When José danced, his spirit soared. From New York to lands afar, José Limón became known as the man who gave the world his own kind of dance. ¡OLÉ! ¡OLÉ! ¡OLÉ! Susanna Reich's lyrical text and Raúl Colón's shimmering artwork tell the story of a boy who was determined to make a difference in the world, and did. José! Born to Dance will inspire picture book readers to follow their hearts and live their dreams.

Download or read book Brotherhood in Rhythm written by Constance Valis Hill and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2002 with total page 350 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Tap dancing legends Fayard (b. 1914) and Harold (1918-2000) Nicholas amazed crowds with their performances in musicals and films from the 30s to the 80s. They performed with Gene Kelly in The Pirate, with Cab Calloway in Stormy Weather, with Dorothy Dandridge (Harold's wife) in Sun Valley Serenade, and with a number of other stars on the stage and on the screen. Author Hill not only guides readers through the brothers' showstopping successes and the repressive times in which their dancing won them universal acclaim, she also offers extensive insight into the history and choreography of tap dancing, bringing readers up to speed on the art form in which the Nicholas Brothers excelled.

Download or read book Lord of the Dance written by Michael Flatley and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2007-01-09 with total page 4 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The international star and creator of "Lord of the Dance" and "Celtic Tiger" Irish step dancing shows pens a no-holds-barred autobiography that reveals the person, the passion, and the drama behind his astounding rise to stardom.

Download or read book Savion Glover written by Stephen Feinstein and published by Enslow Publishing, LLC. This book was released on 2008-07-01 with total page 28 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An introduction to the life and career of dancer and entertainer Savion Glover includes coverage of his time working with Gregory Hines and his work on the movie "Happy Feet."

Download or read book Montana Entertainers Famous and Almost Forgotten written by Brian D'Ambrosio and published by Arcadia Publishing. This book was released on 2019 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Treasure State stars Gary Cooper and Myrna Loy found unparalleled success during the Golden Age of Hollywood. For more than a century, Montana has supplied a rich vein of entertainment and personality--from daredevils to dancers and even mimes. Born in Miles City in 1895, comedian Gilbert "Pee Wee" Holmes played sidekick to such stars as Tom Mix. One-time Butte resident Julian Eltinge went on to become America's first famous female impersonator. There was Taylor Gordon, whose golden voice propelled the son of a slave from White Sulphur Springs to Harlem Renaissance fame. From the little-known Robyn Adair to the ever-popular Michelle Williams, author Brian D'Ambrosio marks Big Sky Country's long-standing connections with America's performing arts.

Download or read book A to Z of American Women in the Performing Arts written by Liz Sonneborn and published by Infobase Publishing. This book was released on 2014-05-14 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Presents biographical profiles of 150 American women of achievement in the field of performing arts, including birth and death dates, major accomplishments, and historical influence.

Download or read book The Famous the Familiar and the Forgotten written by Guy G. Sterling and published by Xlibris Corporation. This book was released on 2014 with total page 281 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The book that brings America's gateway city to life. Newark, New Jersey, is not only one of the oldest cities in the country but also a place that notable Americans from all walks of life have called home. Among the famous are Thomas Edison, Aaron Burr, Sarah Vaughan, Whitney Houston, Jerome Kern, Shaquille O'Neal, Queen Latifah, Allen Ginsberg, Amiri Baraka, Jackie Gleason, Eva Marie Saint, Rod Steiger, Frankie Valli, Joe Pesci, and Wyclef Jean. Familiar names include the likes of Ed Koch, Dutch Schultz, Washington Irving, Fanny Brice, and Marvin Hagler. And then there are those who enjoyed their moment in the spotlight but have mostly faded from memory, like silent film star Harold Lockwood, Wimbledon champ Ted Schroeder, TV cop David Toma, and opera diva Maria Jeritza. For the first time, The Famous, the Familiar and the Forgotten brings together in a single volume these celebrated personalities and many more just like them in a salute to the city that gave them their start or helped them along the way to renown. Included with entries are address listings. So come take a journey beginning with its founding in 1666 to a city with a roster of remarkable residents as impressive as any place in the country--Newark, New Jersey, home to history.

Download or read book Eleanor Powell written by Paula Broussard and published by University Press of Kentucky. This book was released on 2023-08-08 with total page 361 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When considering the best dancers in Hollywood's history, some obvious names come to mind—Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, and Bill Robinson. Yet often overlooked is one of the most gifted and creative dancers of all time, Eleanor Powell. Powell's effervescent style, unmatched technical prowess in tap, and free-flowing musicality led MGM to build top-rate musicals around her unique talents, including Born to Dance (1936) with James Stewart and Broadway Melody of 1940 (1940) with Fred Astaire, in which she became known as the only female tap dancer capable of challenging him. In a male-dominated industry, her fierce drive for perfection, sometimes to her detriment, earned her a place as one of the most accomplished performers in vaudeville, Broadway, and film. Powell's grace, precision, and power established her as one of the greatest American dancers. In 1943, she married actor Glenn Ford and largely stepped away from the spotlight for the duration of their tumultuous marriage. After their divorce, Powell made a courageous comeback, successfully performing in Las Vegas and on the nightclub circuit. Cancer claimed her life at the age of sixty-nine. Eleanor Powell: Born to Dance by Paula Broussard and Lisa Royère is an all-encompassing work following the American dance legend from her premature birth and upbringing by a single parent in Springfield, Massachusetts, to her first Broadway performance at age fifteen, through her days as a blazing icon in the world of Hollywood, and finally, to her inspiring comeback. With access to rare documents, letters, and production files, as well as insights drawn from their own personal relationships with Powell, Broussard and Royère offer a thoroughly researched, comprehensive, and fascinating look at an incredibly talented and unforgettable woman.

Download or read book Halle Berry written by Melissa Ewey Johnson and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2009-11-12 with total page 163 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The biographies in this series for high school students are both factual and fun to read; length and format are designed to meet educators' requirements and students' interests. This book in the series details the life of actress Halle Berry from childhood through adulthood, shedding light on her family background, her personal and professional influences, and her accomplishments and struggles in an industry where many of the parts she played were written with a white actress in mind. The book includes B&W photos of Berry throughout her career, a timeline, a filmography of film and TV appearances, and a list of major awards and nominations.