American dance The complete illustrated history

Fuhrer (editor in chief, Dance Spirit magazine) provides a historic overview of American dance illustrated by photos. The compendium begins with Native American dance (sun dance, ghost dance), continues to American social dance (fox-trot, Lindy Hop), and proceeds to tap (Master Juba, Gregory Hines). Ballet (George Balanchine, Alvin Ailey) and modern (Martha Graham, Isadora Duncan) are featured along with musical theater (Fred Astaire, Jerome Robbins). The final chapter covers urban and commercial dance that includes vogueing, b-boying, and krumping. Many dancers/choreographers are featured throughout and the photos provide a chance to view different choreographic forms together in one work, supported by brief background information. The evolution of dance within America is followed but not always given sufficient context. One problematic section uses the term pickaninnies with a photo in citing tap history. This jarring reference is out of place and fails to address the offensiveness of this term. VERDICT A dance sampler that should prompt readers to further explore the multifaceted history of dance and maybe take a class!-Barbara Kundanis, Longmont P.L., CO (c) Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.