Customer Reviews

One Thousand and One Night Stands (Da Capo Paperback)

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I read this book the first time over thirty years ago, and just re-read it, as I get ready to go back into the World of Dance as a Flamenco teacher. Papa Shawn's descriptions of the events and places he found himself as an American MALE dancer (when nice boys did NOT dance!) are hilarious. He goes into great detail about going to the local hardware stores to find "authentic Asian Headpieces" (FUNNELS turned upside down!), and how he and his companies brought dance to the Wild Wild West...Colorado!
This is a delightful read for anyone who has ever danced or loves dance, but a MUST for every "nice boy" who is dancing today!

This very accessible book is a once-over-lightly version of the life of American dance pioneer Ted Shawn. Critic Walter Terry states in the introduction that the book is a series of autobiographical anecdotes culled from Shawn's massive 750,000-word manuscript by writer Gray Poole. Of course, there's a lot that's left out, but what remains is very compelling reading which is frequently very funny. This is a fascinating story of the man who, along with Isadora Duncan, his wife Ruth St. Denis and Martha Graham (who was first his pupil and protégé and then his rival), laid the foundations of Modern Dance. From his beginnings as a young man considering a life in the clergy, to a ballroom dancing act in vaudeville, to the creation of the fabulous Denishawn School of Dance, and traveling the world with the Denishawn troupe, to the creation of the daring and innovative all-male dance troupe that barnstormed the country during the Depression, to the foundation of the Jacob's Pillow International Dance Festival, Shawn lived life to the fullest. This is a big, sweeping story, told with warmth and humor. It's far from comprehensive, but a delightful introduction to American Dance in the Twentieth Century. Anyone interested in the dance would profit by reading this book and have a very enjoyable reading experience in the process.