The Rhythms of Shaker Dance Marked the Shakers as “Other”
The name Shaker originally comes from the insult “Shaking Quakers,” which mocked the sect’s use of their bodies in worship.
Ruth Page, the Ballerina Who Danced Poems
In the 1940s, American dancer Ruth Page combined poetry, performance, and personal reflection to create a new type of dance.
Why White Women Tried to Ban Native American Dances
In the early 1920s, reformers obsessed over the sexual nature of some Pueblo rituals, and attempted to control their performance.
When Dancing Plagues Struck Medieval Europe
The tarantella is named for a peasant woman from southern Italy whose tarantula bite started a contagious dancing fever!
When “Middle Eastern” Nightclubs Swept America
In the 1950s, nightclubs featuring "Middle Eastern" music and belly dancers mixed and matched cultures, serving white audiences an exotic experience.
Jane Addams’s Crusade Against Victorian “Dancing Girls”
Jane Addams, a leading Victorian-era reformer, believed dance halls were “one of the great pitfalls of the city.”
The Slave Roots of Square Dancing
Square Dancing's lily-white reputation hides something unexpected: A deep African-American history that's rooted in a legacy of slavery.
The Man Who Invented the Showgirl
Showgirl. Just the word calls to mind fabulous plumes, spangled sequins, and a distinctive strut. But where does ...
Can Ballet Be Feminist?
Ballerinas have long made feminists both uneasy and excited, embodying fulfillment and the shackles of feminine performance.
Dancing with the Amateur Stars
Amateur ballroom dance enthusiasts value dance not just as a hobby, but as an indelible component of their identity.