Irish Moves: An Illustrated History of Dance and Physical Theatre in Ireland [Paperback]

Deidre Mulrooney (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1904148921 | ISBN-13: 978-1904148920 | Publication Date: October 16, 2006

This book showcases the stories of Ireland's unsung movers: actors, dancers, choreographers, playwrights, directors, and the few academics who dare to go where no words have gone before.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Deirdre Mulrooney is a journalist, writer, and lecturer in theatre. She reviews dance for Rattlebag on RTE Radio One, does reports on the Arts for Lyric FM's Artszone, and her writing has featured on Radio One's Sunday Miscellany. She has been published internationally in Dance Magazine and Dance Europe, and has contributed to Magill Magazine, The Irish Times, The Sunday Business Post, The Irish Independent, The Sunday Times "Culture" section, Abroad, and IT Magazines, among others. Deirdre holds an MA and a PhD in Modern Drama Studies from UCD

Product Details

• Paperback: 309 pages
• Publisher: Liffey Pr (October 16, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1904148921
• ISBN-13: 978-1904148920
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #249,608 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Probably the best commercial work on the topic to date, December 7, 2006

By 

E. Venable "**" (Arizona, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Irish Moves: An Illustrated History of Dance and Physical Theatre in Ireland (Paperback)

There is a serious lack of books on Irish dancing that are not aimed at children or are not avaiable exclusively to an academic audience (for example, dissertations). It seems to me that before this, the only publicly available book on a comparable level was Helen Brennan's work- which is not nearly as sophisticated in terms of dance theory (although Brennan's book is well written, accessible, and definitely worth reading!). I see this book as attempting to correct some of this absence.

The book examines variety of dance practices and traces their developments in Ireland. It pays equal attention to traditional Irish dancing, ballet, and modern dance in Ireland. It offers a refreshing perspective, especially because it does not focus as much on an idealized image of Irish dancing, and because it makes note of and gives deference to cross-pollination between the forms (especially in the later Irish dancing chapters). It also makes some attempt to place dance in Ireland within a social and political context (although this could be more extensive).

There are currently no other publicly available books to my knowledge that are as comprehensive in their approach to dance in Ireland as this particular publication. I have also rarely seen a book relating to Irish dancing that felt so fresh and modern.

I highly recommend it. I also think it would be a great text for an introductory class on Irish dancing in a university setting. It could also be a good text for an undergraduate class in Irish studies.