Dancing with Cats: From the Creators of the International Best Seller Why Cats Paint (Paperback)

~ (Author), (Author) "FOR Ralph, the actual dance itself always begins with The Invitation..." (more)
Key Phrases: cat dancing

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

With a hey diddle diddle, the creators of Why Cats Paint return with another version of feline (and human) reality. And suffice it to say that in Burton Silver and Heather Busch's hands, Kipling's cat that walked by himself has turned into a deeply codependent dervish. Their first book was a brilliant parody of artspeak--Busch's photos of creative felines matched by Silver's text. Their second, Dancing with Cats--an epic three years in the making!--juxtaposes psychological and spiritual mumbo-jumbo with the language of dance criticism. As Silver explores everything from visualization to mirroring to empathy, Busch is busy with her human-feline pairs. In one sequence, Fred, clad in tabby tights, kitty-cat body paint, and a tanga with a long black tail, leaps about the place with a slightly puzzled pussy: "I share its grace, power, and oneness with the universe. I relate to Fluff and the whole spectrum of feline physicality on a profound level--I even regard birds differently."

On the very next page, chubby Helen, sporting a tie-dyed purple gown and a deeply sworn belief in feng shui, identifies perhaps a bit too deeply with chunky, amber-eyed Boots (who looks suspiciously like "Trans-Expressionist" Bootsie from Why Cats Paint). And then there's Sue and Zoot. In one photo, the recumbent gray and peach cat raises his left paw to the sky as his ecstatic human does the same. Then Sue dons a feathery jerkin "in order to dance out some of her past traumas." It's difficult to say which is funnier, the photos or the text, as Silver catches pseudo-therapy's mixture of self-affirmation and non sequitur: "Dancing with Zoot helps Sue reenact and come to terms with the joy and sorrow of a brief but painful relationship: when she fell in love with her daughter's father while he was photographing bridges in the neighborhood." Though the two-legged models must have been prepared for this inspired silliness, one does wonder what on earth the cats made of their eurythmic adventures. Alas, until interspecies communication reaches a greater height, we can only dance amid our uncertainty! --Kerry Fried

Review

Reviews from: ELLE

LIFE

CATS MAGAZINE

PEOPLE

This lean and lithe danseur noble is only one of the balletically inclined felines that Burton Silver and Heather Busch—authors of the newly published Dancing With Cats—have turned up in their ongoing investigation of the aesthetic propensities of cats (see their 1994 monograph Why Cats Paint). If the American Ballet Theater has not yet picked up on these piroutteing pussies, it's only a matter of time.

While researching their last tongue-in-cheek tome, Why Cats Paint, Burton Silver and Heather Busch came across pet owners with a curious predilection: two-stepping with their tabbies. The pair shed light on this phenom in a collection of pet pas de deux. Raves one dance partner: "The feline vibration surges through me with such power. Afterward I feel incredibly alert and peaceful."

The authors of Why Cats Paint, bring you Dancing with Cats published by Chronicle Books. It is lovingly illustrated with photos of graceful felines and their colorful owners, caught mid-flight.

Burton Silver and Heather Busch have rediscovered and brought to light the ancient art of cat dancing. They say cat dancing lets the owner and the cat channel together and tap into the natural feline energy vibration... or something like that. We just love the pictures. Look for it in your local bookstore.

by Michael Neill
People who hate cats—ailurophobes is the ten-dollar word—dismiss our purring friends as cold-blooded, self-centered manipulators with no redeeming social value beyond their all-too-occasional oppression of small rodents. Hah! What fools! As Silver and Busch know—and cleverly showed in Why Cats Paint, their previous book—kitties are actually multitalented Renaissance critters capable of, heck, just about anything. And it seems they also cut a mean rug—not just shred it to bits. Dancing with Cats cleverly mixes mock-pretentious writing—"Before dancing, Helen and Boots do a series of mirroring exercises to specially developed feline soundscapes"—with whimsical entertaining photographs of cat-human paws de deux.

 

People who hate cats-ailurophobes is the ten-dollar word-dismiss our purring friends as cold-blooded, self-centered manipulators with no redeeming social value beyond their all-too-occasional oppression of small rodents. Hah! What fools! As Silver and Busch know-and cleverly showed in why Cats Paint, their previous book-kitties are actually multitalented Renaissance critters capable of, heck, just about anything. And it seems they also cut a mean rug-not just shred it to bits. Dancing with Cats cleverly mixes mock-pretentious writing-"Before dancing, Helen and Boots do a series of mirroring exercises to specially developed feline soundscapes"-with whimsical entertaining photographs of cat-human paws de deux. -- People Magazine

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Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (June 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811824152
• ISBN-13: 978-0811824156
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 9.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #91,927 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dancing With Cats is hilarious!, July 16, 1999

By A Customer

Dancing With Cats is hilarious! The claim that the cats were tortured is kind of pushing it, especially considering that of the 4 cats I've had as pets in my life, 3 of them were prone to leaping out of 2nd story windows in hot pursuit of squirrels! I learned when I was still quite young that my cat loved it when I held her in my arms and twirled in circles. It was only a short while before we were actually dancing together-cheek to whisker-just like Fred and Ginger.

I didn't think it could get any better than Why Cats Paint, but when I saw that this book was on its way, I danced for joy!

Thank you Burton Silver and Heather Busch, for the wonderful photographs and the incredibly entertaining text!

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cat lovers, laugh and enjoy!, October 31, 2000

By	Gwyneth Calvetti (West Salem, WI United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The photographs of these cats are absolutely stunning and at the same time familiar to anyone who has ever been allowed by a cat to share its home. While the photography is the main draw of this book, don't stop by just looking at the pictures. To truly enjoy the genius of the book, one has to read the comments and interviews with the cat-dancers. From spiritual connection to psycho-babble to childish perceptions, the narration is a delight and a hoot to read. The book is an absolutely perfect parody, leaving the reader just enough convinced to scratch her head and think, "Is this for real?"

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring, beautifully illustrated..., July 22, 1999

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

I love to play around with my cat and we often do something very akin to dancing but until I discovered this wonderful book, I thought I was the only one. Cats are amazingly graceful and they love to interact with their owners, so of course others do it! It's time cat lovers came "out of the closet" and discussed the fun of dancing with cats. Thanks to the authors for creating this book.