A sense of shifting Queer artists reshaping dance

For this kinetic illustrated survey, Romack (Queer), assistant managing editor of T magazine, teams up with photographer Malka to capture queer performers who are destabilizing spaces usually reserved for traditional dance. Running the stylistic gamut from hip-hop to ballet, chapters highlight San Francisco's "Sundance Stompede," a country western festival where queer dancers reclaim "Wild West aesthetics" from the genre's sometimes-heteronormative associations; how queer themes subtly animate the work disability arts ensemble Kinetic Light does to challenge mainstream concepts of accessibility; and queer performance artist NIC Kay, who incorporates clips of such internet dance trends as the Renegade into their pieces to demonstrate how Black dance practices have been historically co-opted. While some entries are stronger than others (despite excellent photos, an essay on the Masterz at Work Dance Family offers relatively little background on their dance style), at its best the collection provides a revealing peek into a lively and innovative queer dance scene. It's an expressive ode to the art form's breadth, depth, and diversity. Photos. Agent: Ayla Zuraw-Friedland, Frances Goldin Literary. (June)

This show-and-tell celebration of contemporary dance influencers spotlights the interconnection of this embodied art form and varied queer experiences. Through photographs and essays, the book grants an inside look into the processes of boundary-pushing dancers and choreographers who perform in a variety of styles: ballet, country-western social dance, post-modern, flamenco, and much more. Central to the book's appeal are Malka's (The Views) photographs, which are works of art in their own right. The evocative images are complemented by Romack's (assistant managing editor, T: The New York Times Style Magazine; Queer: Powerful Voices, Inspiring Ideas) sensitive descriptions of the movement styles and the motivations behind the people profiled, which are mainly told in the dancers' own words. Readers looking for an analysis of queerness in dance will find this is a good starting point, but it's not an in-depth scholarly work. VERDICT This book about innovative creators who bring their true selves to their art form and contribute to its evolution will appeal to dance audiences, professionals, and students. An excellent choice for libraries looking to add to their dance collections.--Shannon Titas