Revolutionary Bodies : Chinese Dance and the Socialist Legacy

At publication date, a free ebook version of this title will be available through Luminos, University of California Press’s Open Access publishing program. Visit [www.luminosoa.org](http://www.luminosoa.org) to learn more.__Revolutionary Bodies__is the first English-language primary source–based history of concert dance in the People’s Republic of China. Combining over a decade of ethnographic and archival research, Emily Wilcox analyzes major dance works by Chinese choreographers staged over an eighty-year period from 1935 to 2015. Using previously unexamined film footage, photographic documentation, performance programs, and other historical and contemporary sources, Wilcox challenges the commonly accepted view that Soviet-inspired revolutionary ballets are the primary legacy of the socialist era in China’s dance field. The digital edition of this title includes nineteen embedded videos of selected dance works discussed by the author. This book examines the history of concert dance in China from 1935 to 2015, with a focus on Chinese dance and its relationship to revolutionary performance culture in PRC history. The book argues that Chinese dance, not revolutionary ballet, was the primary legacy of Maoist dance research and innovation. Showing the relationship between dance and politics, it discusses dance developments during the War of Resistance Against Japan, the Chinese Civil War, the Korean War, the Great Leap Forward, the Cultural Revolution, the post-Mao era, and the period of One Belt One Road. The book emphasizes transnational exchange and highlights the contributions of immigrant and ethnic minority women, such as Chinese Trinidadian dancer Dai Ailian, Korean dancer Choe Seung-hui, Uyghur dancer Qemberxanim, Bai dancer Yang Liping, and Uyghur dancer Gulmira Mamat. It discusses the history of dance schools and companies such as the Beijing Dance Academy, the China National Opera and Dance Drama Theater, the Central Nationalities Song and Dance Ensemble, and the Xinjiang Arts Institute. Dance film is an important subject of analysis. Aesthetic experimentation is another key theme. Dance styles examined include Chinese classical dance, Chinese national folk dance (including ethnic minority dance and Han folk dance), Chinese military dance, New Dance, New Yangge, national dance drama, Dunhuang dance, peacock dance, and ballet. The book argues that kinesthetic nationalism, ethnic and spatial inclusivity, and dynamic inheritance are lasting features of Chinese dance. Revolutionary Bodies Is The First Primary Source-based History Of Concert Dance In The People's Republic Of China. Combining Over A Decade Of Ethnographic And Archival Research, It Analyzes Major Dance Works By Chinese Choreographers Staged Over An Eighty-year Period From 1935 To 2015. Using Previously Unexamined Film Footage, Photographic Documentation, Performance Programs, And Other Historical And Contemporary Sources, Emily Wilcox Challenges The Commonly Accepted View That Soviet-inspired Revolutionary Ballets Are The Primary Legacy Of The Socialist Era In China's Dance Field. The Digital Edition Of This Title Includes Nineteen Embedded Videos Of Selected Dance Works Discussed By The Author--provided By Publisher. Introduction : Locating Chinese Dance : Bodies In Place, History, And Genre -- From Trinidad To Beijing : Dai Ailian And The Beginnings Of Chinese Dance -- Experiments In Form : Creating Dance In The Early People's Republic -- Performing A Socialist Nation : The Golden Age Of Chinese Dance -- A Revolt From Within : Contextualizing Revolutionary Ballet -- The Return Of Chinese Dance : Socialist Continuity Post Mao -- Inheriting The Socialist Legacy : Chinese Dance In The Twenty-first Century. Emily Wilcox. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. A free ebook version of this title is available through Luminos, University of California Press's Open Access publishing program. Visit www.luminosoa.org to learn more. This book is freely available in an open access edition thanks to TOME (Toward an Open Monograph Ecosystem)—a collaboration of the Association of American Universities, the Association of University Presses, and the Association of Research Libraries. Learn more at the TOME website, available at: openmonographs.org.Revolutionary Bodies is the first English-language primary source–based history of concert dance in the People's Republic of China. Combining over a decade of ethnographic and archival research, Emily Wilcox analyzes major dance works by Chinese choreographers staged over an eighty-year period from 1935 to 2015. Using previously unexamined film footage, photographic documentation, performance programs, and other historical and contemporary sources, Wilcox challenges the commonly accepted view that Soviet-inspired revolutionary ballets are the primary legacy of the socialist era in China's dance field. The digital edition of this title includes nineteen embedded videos of selected dance works discussed by the author. At publication date, a free ebook version of this title will be available through Luminos, University of California Press’s Open Access publishing program. Visit (http://www.luminosoa.org) www.luminosoa.org to learn more. Revolutionary Bodies is the first English-language primary source–based history of concert dance in the People’s Republic of China. Combining over a decade of ethnographic and archival research, Emily Wilcox analyzes major dance works by Chinese choreographers staged over an eighty-year period from 1935 to 2015. Using previously unexamined film footage, photographic documentation, performance programs, and other historical and contemporary sources, Wilcox challenges the commonly accepted view that Soviet-inspired revolutionary ballets are the primary legacy of the socialist era in China’s dance field. The digital edition of this title includes nineteen embedded videos of selected dance works discussed by the author. Cover 1 Half Title 4 Title Page 6 Copyright Page 7 Contents 10 List of Illustrations and Audiovisual Media 12 Acknowledgments 14 Introduction: Locating Chinese Dance 20 1. From Trinidad to Beijing 32 2. Experiments in Form 67 3. Performing a Socialist Nation 97 4. A Revolt from Within 138 5. The Return of Chinese Dance 175 6. Inheriting the Socialist Legacy 205 Glossary of Chinese Terms 234 Notes and References 251 Index 305 Combining over a decade of ethnographic and archival research, Emily Wilcox analyses major dance works by Chinese choreographers staged over an eighty-year period from 1935 to 2015