Dance for Export: Cultural Diplomacy and the Cold War (Studies in Dance History) [Hardcover]

Naima Prevots (Author)

Book Description

Series: Studies in Dance History | Publication Date: April 16, 1999

A little-known episode in the history of dance that illuminates the broader subject of cultural policy during the Cold War era.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Prevots (dance, American Univ.) has mined many previously unexamined resources in her study of the relationship between government and the arts during the 1950s. In order to strengthen strained relations with Cold War enemies, President Eisenhower initiated a program of cultural exchange. Prevots emphasizes the dance programs that were exported and reconstructs a history that takes the reader behind the scenes to congressional hearings and Dance Panel committee meetings. Her study reveals the selection and funding processes in this country and the reception and difficulties facing by touring companies like Martha Graham and the New York City Ballet when abroad. Since the success of Eisenhower's program eventually led to the creation of the National Endowment for the Arts, this volume is interesting reading in this time of severe cutbacks. The subject and academic tone, however, insure that the largest audience will be found among dance scholars and historians.AJoan Stahl, National Museum of American Art, Washington, DC
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Prevots mines the wealth of primary source documents available, from accounts of Congressional hearings and foreign service dispatches to Boston Symphony archives, to unearth a wealth of information on the creation of American cultural diplomacy through dance. Her clear, concise, and accessible book integrates appropriate historical material relating to the artists and key players which gives the text a deep contextual richness." (Shelley C. Berg, Southern Methodist University ) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 188 pages
• Publisher: Wesleyan; 1ST edition (April 16, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 081956365X
• ISBN-13: 978-0819563651
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 7.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,578,763 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating look at dance cultural politics in the 50s and 60s, March 29, 2009

By 

Carol Egan "gypsy" (Kailua, HI, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dance for Export: Cultural Diplomacy and the Cold War (Studies in Dance History) (Paperback)

This book gives an in-depth analysis of the decision-makers who played a most important role in the development of the cultural politics of dance from the 1950s into the 60s. Which companies and solo dancers/choreographers were selected for "export" and which were not set some of the standards for subsidizing for years to come. The book concentrates primarily on officially sanctioned and endorsed groups and individuals, although there were certainly many others who went abroad independently and made significant inroads into the world of international dance.

5.0 out of 5 stars Dance as an instrument of foreign policy, December 17, 2005

By 

Claude Prevots "An eclectic eye" (Warwick, New York United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Dance for Export: Cultural Diplomacy and the Cold War (Studies in Dance History) (Paperback)

Long a champion of fine arts, Professor Naima Prevots has achieved a tour de force with this book: Dance for Export; Cultural Diplomacy and the Cold War. Here a serious scholar will find stunning reportage on many aspects of dance as a form of performing art. For this present review we can focus advantageously on three aspects: diplomacy, history, aesthetics.

In her "Prologue," Dr. Prevots sets the scene for diplomacy found in international politics during the decade shortly after the end of World War II. The Eisenhower presidency was a period early in the tension between major world powers of that era. Ideology was a matter of central concern for protagonists, the United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. An impasse of policy was seen in threat analysis focused on mutual assured destruction in nuclear warfare to temper any projection of power. We see an emergence of dance as an instrument of foreign policy for the U.S.

Excellence in writing history is measured in attention to detail as one element and here we see our author's forceful scholarship in action. Important persons in government and art are identified. Events and decisions are identified thoroughly so that we have a source book in politics and management as well as in the structure and content of dance in that era of the Cold War. We have the facts presented in a vivid and flowing style that holds a reader's attention. In this vivid integration of relevant details we have a view with results of probing analysis made coherent from disparate, less known archives.

Dr. Prevots adds to her larger achievement some aesthetic observations to give insight into dance as a form of fine art. She says of Martha Graham's Appalachian Spring: "The work was about love's joys and fears, and about the emotional confrontation between new frontiers and established boundaries." We see here a lead into thematic apperception of this art work. Later our author aptly cites a poem of Walt Whitman to take a theme of "athletic democracy" into a discussion of exporting dance from Native Americans. Dance for Export includes a splendid collection of photographs to heighten the impact of our author's panoramic perspective.

Scholars in many disciplines can learn from this distinctive work. Insights for ethics, politics, management, dance and human nature are produced in abundance. Connoisseurs of foreign policy and dance alike will find much of perennial interest in this work.

Claude Prevots
An eclectic eye