Dancing with the Revolution

“Elizabeth Schwall has written a fascinating book about culture and politics in Cuba [that] explores the development of concert dance—including ballet, modern dance, and so-called folkloric dance—from the 1930s through the 1980s, with particularly rich insight into the 1960s and 1970s. Although we have many excellent studies of Cuban arts and culture, Schwall’s book stands out.”—Hispanic American Historical Review

“Schwall should be commended for contributing to our understanding of Cuban history in substantive ways, for underscoring the importance of culture as a form of politics, and for sharing the details of professional dancers’ careers and struggles that have largely been silenced or forgotten.”—The Americas

“This formidable history and critical appraisal of dance in Cuba compellingly argues that dance is, among other things, a practice of social and political expression, one in which dancers have explored the reach and limits of state power. A rich and powerful study of how dance institutions and practitioners revealed and enacted the contradictions of the Revolution itself, particularly in relation to racial inequality.”—Jill Lane, New York University

“This smart and comprehensive history tells the story of Cuban dance through its relationships to politics, race, and transnational exchanges. It is a superbly rendered story of aspiration and grace, of movement and creativity.”—Alejandra Bronfman, University at Albany, SUNY