Dancing Revelations: Alvin Ailey's Embodiment of African American Culture
"InDancing Revelations: Alvin Ailey's Embodiment of African American Culture,Thomas F. DeFrantz sets out to provide an appraisal of one of the most important figures in the short history of American modern dance, as well as a 'stabilizing narrative' of his work. The result is an impeccable piece of dance scholarship--one that achieves its objectives and affirms Ailey's contribution to the African-American cultural canon...Dance students, scholars, and Ailey enthusiasts will all value this groundbreaking study."--Times Literary Supplement"Dancing Revelationsis an enjoyable read, not only for those concerned with Ailey's dances as they relate to larger struggles within American society, but for anyone who loves the art and artist."--Dance Magazine"DeFrantz's study...is not the first book about the protean Ailey, who was born in hardscrabble Texas in 1931 and died in 1989 after creating close to 80 works. But it is perhaps the most comprehensive, combining biography, criticism, the analysis of dance criticism, and a sort of corporate history, siting the now firmly established Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in the international cultural landscape."--Village Voice