3 Must-Reads: Hollywood's Dance Director, How Movement Benefits the Aging Body and Your Brain on Dance
May 15, 2017

Three books to add to your reading list.


Charles Walters: The Director Who Made Hollywood Dance

By Brent Phillips

University Press of Kentucky; 368 pages; $19.95

Familiarize yourself with Charles Walters, the man behind the magical musical numbers in classic movies like Meet Me in St. Louis, Summer Stock and The Barkleys of Broadway. This first-ever biography on Walters chronicles his work with stars like Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds and Judy Garland, and how his choreography contributed to the heyday of musical theater.


The Aging Body in Dance: A Cross-Cultural Perspective

By Nanako Nakajima and Gabriele Brandstetter

Routledge; 194 pages; $44.95

The Aging Body examines different perspectives on aging dancers and choreographers. Using modern-dance artists like Anna Halprin, Martha Graham and Yvonne Rainer and butoh founder Kazuo Ohno as case studies, the book’s series of essays draw comparisons between youth-centric Western cultures and age-celebrating Eastern cultures.

Thinking with the Dancing Brain: Embodying Neuroscience

By Sandra C. Minton and Rima Faber

Rowman & Littlefield Education; 200 pages; $30

Ever wondered what’s going on inside your brain when you’re dancing, choreographing or teaching? In Thinking with the Dancing Brain, dance educators Minton and Faber delve into how the brain functions in dance and which processes are used—from problem solving, imagination and memory to observation, engagement and emotions.

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