The Responsive Body

The Language of Contemporary Dance

Brain Webb  (Editor)

In this English edition, choreographer, teacher, and artistic producer of the Canada Dance Festival, Brian Webb, encourages everyone in the dance community to speak about dance and the dance experience in this bilingual offering of eight essays on contemporary dance in Canada.

"There is a real need for better dance literacy both within the dance community and the broader community," he says. "With these books we hope to provide a context for the reading and appreciation of contemporary dance in contemporary society.

The books are divided into two sections. The first, "In Practice", includes four essays on the practices of Canadian choreographers Serge Bennathan, Sylvain Émard, Paul-André Fortier, and Lola MacLaughlin. The second section, "In Theory", reveals four essays of contemporary dance theory on dance audience participation and response; the body in society; the place of the physical dancing body in increasingly technology-driven performances; and, using a variety of cultural and poetic tools, proposes an expansion of definitions and genres for contemporary dance performances. Together the essays form a well-rounded view of the world of contemporary dance in Canada, and create a literary forum for contemporary dance as it is being performed at the 2002 Canada Dance Festival in Ottawa in June.

An official publication of the Canada Dance Festival Society in co-production with the National Arts Centre. 

Price : $21.95 CAD