Modern Bodies

“A fascinating book — concise, provocative, informative, lively.” — CHOICE

“This book is a compelling and significant contribution to the study of radical politics and modern American dance.” — American Historical Review

“[Foulkes] places into the social and political context of the 1930s and 1940s the work of . . . choreographers [who] both shocked and titillated audiences with their perspectives on sexuality, gender, race, and class. . . . There are some wonderful black-and-white performance shots plus a few informal scenes.” — Dance Magazine

“[A] thoughtful exploration of American modern dance.” — Journal of American History

“[Foulkes] does a marvelous job of illuminating the way changes in society have affected modern dance. . . . Fluid, elegant writing. . . . Modern Bodies serves to contextualize dance’s place in society. It’s required reading — and not simply for dance fans.” — Time Out New York

“Julia L. Foulkes’s Modern Bodies: Dance and American Modernism from Martha Graham to Alvin Ailey sheds new light on the rise and fall of 'historic' modern dance. Some of her conclusions are bound to stir controversy. But her idea that modern dance of the 1930s and 1940s embodied the aspirations of a democratic polity that included African Americans, gay men, and self-styled 'revolutionary' dancers of the left adds complexity to a history too often defined solely in terms of heroines and artistic giants.” — Lynn Garafola, Barnard College