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Australia Dances

Australia Dances

Creating Australian dance 1945-1965

Alan Brissenden, Keith Glennon

The period 1945 to 1965 was an astonishingly creative time for Australian dance. Dancers from the 1930s Ballets Russes tours and modernists who had settled in this country were teaching, performing and developing companies. The spectacular results included long, brilliant seasons by the Borovansky Ballet and the National Theatre Ballet Company, the formation of the Victorian Ballet Guild and the eventual foundation of the Australian Ballet. Smaller classical and modern groups sprang up in every state, some going on to gain international reputations.

Illustrated with a wealth of photographs and designs for decor and costumes, Australia Dances: Creating Australian dance 1945-1965 surveys the major companies, large and small, modern dance, the beginnings of Aboriginal theatrical dance and the various teaching codes which became established. Selected works from company repertoires are discussed, making the book a rich and valuable resource for students and scholars as well as an essential addition to every dance lover's library.

$70.00

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Alan Brissenden has been commenting on Australian and international dance since 1950. He currently reviews and writes for the Australian, Dance Australia, the Adelaide Review and Radio Adelaide and edits Brolga, the scholarly journal of the Australian Dance Council (Ausdance). His publications include Shakespeare and the Dance and the Oxford World's Classics edition of Shakespeare's As You Like It as well as numerous essays in books, journals and reference books, including The International Encyclopedia of Dance and The Oxford Companion to Shakespeare. An Honorary Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Adelaide, in 1996 Alan Brissenden was made a member of the Order of Australia for services to the arts.

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Keith Glennon served in the Australian Imperial Force before training in classical and modern dance and then working as a theatre technician with J.C. Williamson. To research Australia Dances: Creating Australian dance 1945-1965 he traversed all states, interviewing hundreds of people while gathering material. In 1973 he became the founding administrator of Aborigines Woomera, now known as the Mornington Island Dancers, which tours nationally and internationally. Keith Glennon died before the manuscript reached its final form. Accepted into the Aboriginal community and given the name Warrkuthulin (whirlywind), he lies buried on Mornington Island.

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ISBN   9781862548022
CATEGORY   
IMAGES   Full colour throughout
PAGE COUNT   280
DIMENSIONS   260 x 215 mm

  • 'A beautifully produced and designed publication … Australia Dances is a welcome addition to what is a sparse Australian publishing scene as far as monographs on Australian dance are concerned.' - Michelle Potter, Canberra Times

  • '… the authors have amassed a vast gallery of evocative illustrations … impeccably reproduced … Australia Dances will be indispensable to students of our photographic history.' - Dance Australia

  • 'Beautifully designed and presented … The text is informed and readable, infused with sharp observation and touches of humour.' - Australian Book Review

  • 'Anyone who loves dance will be intrigued, and the photos and illustrations are magical.' - Australian

  • 'As a record of the Australian ballet repertoire of the period, the book is without parallel.' - Jonathan Bollen, Journal of the Historical Society of South Australia

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