Film Choreographers and Dance Directors: An Illustrated Biographical Encyclopedia with a History and Filmographies, 1893 Through 1995 [Hardcover]

Larry Billman (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0899508685 | ISBN-13: 978-0899508689 | Publication Date: August 1997 | Edition: Casebound

For each of 970 choreographers there is a biography providing date and place of birth (and death when appropriate), a description of their choreographic style, a listing of their stage, television, music video, nightclub, and concert credits, and a listing of the movies they choreographed.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Billman is likely to be recommended for sainthood by his colleagues.... A book anyone interested in the arts should snap up" -- Hollywood Reporter

"Billman's one-of-a-kind reference does double duty, filling voids in both film and dance literature" -- Rettig on Reference

"endlessly fascinating" -- Show Music

"fabulous" -- Dance in Camera News

"fine work...fills a major gap" -- Classic Images

"impressive.... Rich in detail and liberally seasoned with crisp black-and-white photographs" -- Booklist/RBB

"priceless resource for all libraries...remarkable.... A wise investment" -- Choice

"remarkable achievement" -- Dance Critics Association Newsletter

"the first book to tell the complete history of dance in film...detailed" -- Los Angeles Times

"well illustrated and entertaining, with an excellent index" -- C&RL News

Product Details

• Hardcover: 664 pages
• Publisher: McFarland & Company; Casebound edition (August 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0899508685
• ISBN-13: 978-0899508689
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 7.4 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #918,752 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #27 in Books > Arts & Photography > Performing Arts > Dance > Choreography
  • #40 in Books > Education & Reference > Encyclopedias > Pop Culture

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars as "Dance Spirit" says..., April 24, 2000

By 

J. Laws "Jenn" (Plano, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Film Choreographers and Dance Directors: An Illustrated Biographical Encyclopedia with a History and Filmographies, 1893 Through 1995 (Hardcover)

From the review in Dance Spirit Magazine - "When you pick up a copy of Film Choreographers and Dance Directors, you'll wonder how on earth you managed without it. This comprehensive encyclopedia contains biographies and credits for 970 choreographers, who worked on 3,500 films. This 664-page book includes 184 photographs, a decade-by-decade history of dance in movies, and a detailed index."

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Indispensable Resource, July 24, 2002

By 

Michael Russell (Washington, DC USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Film Choreographers and Dance Directors: An Illustrated Biographical Encyclopedia with a History and Filmographies, 1893 Through 1995 (Hardcover)

This book is a totally unique resource. It contains both a history of dance on film (by decade) and a veritable biographic encyclopedia of film choreographers and dance directors, from the well known to those who should be. Despite the massive research that must have been required for this book, it does not read like an academic tome, but is written in a lively, enjoyable style that makes it difficult to put down. An added bonus are the numerous. and often rare, photographs.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An impressive work, January 21, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Film Choreographers and Dance Directors: An Illustrated Biographical Encyclopedia with a History and Filmographies, 1893 Through 1995 (Hardcover)

This book will delight you if you love dance in movies. I picked it up out of curiosity and found myself lost in its pages in no time. Even as someone who knows a lot about dancing in the movies, I kept saying "I didn't know that!" as I read through the various biographies. It's most impressive the way the author has cross-referenced the complex relationships between dancers and choreographers. As director of the Academy of Dance on Film, he has access to the "backstory" of how things really happened, and this book is filled with wonderful anecdotes.