Arguably the world's most popular partnered social dance form, salsa's significance extends well beyond the Lati communities which gave birth to it. The growing international and cross-cultural appeal of this Latin dance form, which celebrates its mixed origins in the Caribbean and in Spanish Harlem, offers a rich site for examining issues of cultural hybridity and commodification in the context of global migration. Salsa consists of countless dance dialects enjoyed by varied communities in different locales. In short, there is t one dance called salsa, but many. Spinning Mambo into Salsa, a history of salsa dance, focuses on its evolution in three major hubs for international commercial export-New York, Los Angeles, and Miami. The book examines how commercialized salsa dance in the 1990s departed from earlier practices of Latin dance, especially 1950s mambo. Topics covered include generational differences between Palladium Era mambo and modern salsa; mid-century antecedents to modern salsa in Cuba and Puerto Rico; tension between salsa as commercial vs. cultural practice; regional differences in New York, Los Angeles, and Miami; the role of the Web in salsa commerce; and adaptations of social Latin dance for stage performance. Throughout the book, salsa dance history is linked to histories of salsa music, exposing how increased separation of the dance from its musical inspiration has precipitated major shifts in Latin dance practice. As a whole, the book dispels the belief that one version is more authentic than ather by showing how competing styles came into existence and contention. Based on over 100 oral history interviews, archival research, ethgraphic participant observation, and analysis of Web content and commerce, the book is rich with quotes from practitioners and detailed movement description.
Product Identifiers
Publisher
Oxford University Press Inc
ISBN-10
0199324646
ISBN-13
9780199324644
eBay Product ID (ePID)
214433656
Product Key Features
Author
Juliet Mcmains
Format
Paperback
Language
English
Subject
Music & Dance
Type
Textbook
Dimensions
Weight
592g
Height
234mm
Width
157mm
Additional Product Features
Place of Publication
New York
Spine
23mm
Content Note
112 Illustrations
Author Biography
Juliet McMains, Ph.D. is a dance scholar and artist whose work centers on social dance practices and their theatrical expression on competition and theatrical stages. Her first book, Glamour Addiction: Inside the American Ballroom Dance Industry(Wesleyan, 2006) won the 2008 Congress on Research in Dance Outstanding Publication Award. She is currently an Associate Professor in the Dance Program at the University of Washington in Seattle.