America Dancing: From the Cakewalk to the Moonwalk

Brilliant book, elegant prose. This book offers an entirely new way to think about the history of American dance. Such a pleasurable and informative read.

As a dancer and a follower of dancing there were no new names in this book and there are lots of names missing but there were some new theories. The author begins with the Cakewalk then moves to Bill Robinson, Fred and Ginger, Agnes De Mille, Paul Taylor and ends with Michael Jackson's Moonwalk. The author also uses dance as a mirror for racism in the US. I did not always agree with the author's conclusions but they are interesting. I was disappointed in many of the names that were missing. I would also have liked more photographs. Where photographs or film are not available the author does a very good job of describing the dances. You can also Youtube many of the dancers. The book is very easy to read esp for someone not familiar with the dances and dancers. If you have an interest in the history of dance and entertainment you will enjoy this book.I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review

As the New York Times noted, Pugh writes with a dancer's rhythm and acute sense of movement. It's amazing to see how much history Michael Jackson moonwalked through. It's all told with verve and arresting poignance, like the time the NYPD locked up Bill "Bojangles" Robinson for loitering while he stood in the street admiring his name in lights on a theater marquee. Five stars way up!

America Dancing by Megan Pugh is a free NetGalley ebook that I read in late October, sort of in tandem with Tune In, an ebook about music-based therapies.This book seems to vividly describe the lives of dancers and dance events, but also really cites instances of appropriation, rebellion, and domestication, before the last 22% of the book being entirely bibliography.

I bought this for my dad, since he likes to read and also likes dancing. He said he enjoyed reading the book.