Choreographing the Folk: The Dance Stagings of Zora Neale Hurston

Writer Zora Neale Hurston is not as well known for her choreographic work, and in this volume, Kraut (dance, U. of California, Riverside) details her theatrical productions and their influence on American dance in the 1930s. She describes Hurston's revues and the Bahamian dancers she worked with, her efforts to produce a folk aesthetic in response to commercialized representations of black culture, and how she worked with the dancers for The Great Day. She also discusses power issues in producing The Great Day, its representation of black folk culture, reception, and reproductions of its Fire Dance by white dancers. The study is aimed at Hurston and dance scholars. Annotation 穢2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)