Anna Halprin

Description

This guidebook traces the life's work of radical dance-maker Anna Halprin, documenting her early career as a modern dancer in the 1940s through to the development of her groundbreaking approach to dance as an accessible and life-enhancing art form. Tracing the evolution of the San Francisco Dancers' Workshop, it explores Halprin's connections with the avant-garde theatre, music, visual art and architecture of the 1950s and 60s, and analyses her work from this period. Anna Halprin not only offers a useful introduction to the life and work of this major figure, but also provides an important historical guide to a time when dance was first explored beyond the confines of the theatre and considered as a healing art for individuals and communities.

Reviews

'A very welcome book on the life and work of Anna Halprin … [Worth and Poynor] discuss Halprin's work knowledgeably … Overall, this book provides a very informative and well-balanced introduction to Halprin's diverse work.' – Studies in Theatre and Performance

Contents

Authors' Note and Acknowledgements 1. Life and Work 2. Theory and Practice 3. The Mountain Performances, Circle the Earth and The Planetary Dance 4. Practical Explorations Bibliography

Author Bio

Libby Worth is a lecturer in drama and theatre at Royal Holloway, University of London. She trained with Anna Halprin (1983-4) and is completing doctoral research on the relationship between movement and play text. Helen Poynor is an international movement artist specialising in site-specific and cross artform collaborative performance. She trained with Anna Halprin (1980-1) and is currently senior lecturer in theatre and performance at the University of Plymouth.

Related Subjects

1. Dance
2. Dance Therapy
3. Dance History