Dancing on the Fault Lines of History - Selected Essays

In this review of Dancing on the Fault Lines of History, Susan Manning gathers influential essays that map how modern dance has been written and rewritten across gender, race, and nation. Readers will find a rigorous, reflective collection ideal for scholars and advanced students of dance studies because the essays combine historical depth with comparative perspective. Manning's work is especially valuable for those seeking a critical framework that links artists from Isadora Duncan to Reggie Wilson, and the book rewards repeated reading rather than casual browsing.

Key Features

• Collected essays: Brings together essential writings that trace Manning's intellectual development and methodological shifts over a career in critical dance studies.
• Tripartite focus: Organizes material around gender and sexuality, whiteness and Blackness, and nationality and globalization to illuminate intersecting approaches to modern dance history.
• Wide historical range: Discusses artists from early modern figures like Isadora Duncan and Vaslav Nijinsky to contemporary practitioners such as Reggie Wilson and Nelisiwe Xaba, offering cross-era connections.
• Comparative and transnational emphasis: Calls for historiography that moves beyond single-nation narratives, culminating in an extended case study of Mary Wigman and her exchanges with artists from Indonesia and India.
• Scholarly tone: Written for an academic readership, the essays model critical reading of archives, performance, and cultural context rather than beginner-friendly overviews.

Who It's For

This collection is best suited to graduate students, researchers, and teachers in dance studies, performance studies, and cultural history who want a sustained, critical engagement with the formation of modern dance canons. Those working on comparative, postcolonial, or raced analyses of performance will find Manning's essays directly relevant for course reading and seminar discussion.

Readers looking for an introductory textbook, a lavishly illustrated coffee-table book, or light biographical sketches should look elsewhere; the volume privileges argument, archival interpretation, and theoretical framing over pictorial documentation or beginner primers.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Brings together influential essays that chart a coherent intellectual trajectory in critical dance studies.
• Provides a clear analytical frame through its focus on gender and sexuality, whiteness and Blackness, and nationality and globalization.
• Offers comparative, transnational readings that expand the field beyond national narratives.
• Engages with a wide range of artists, from historical figures to contemporary choreographers.

Cons

• The scholarly, essay-driven approach can be dense and assumes prior familiarity with key names and theories in dance studies.

Specifications

Title	Dancing on the Fault Lines of History: Selected Essays
Series	Studies in Dance: Theories and Practices
Author	Susan Manning
Content focus	Modern dance history; comparative and transnational historiography
Key themes	Gender and sexuality; whiteness and Blackness; nationality and globalization
Artists discussed	Isadora Duncan; Vaslav Nijinsky; Ted Shawn; Katherine Dunham; Pina Bausch; Reggie Wilson; Nelisiwe Xaba; Mary Wigman

Our Verdict

For scholars and advanced students of dance and performance, Susan Manning's collection is a rigorous and rewarding volume that reframes modern dance history through comparative and raced lenses. Its essays offer sustained argumentation and archival nuance, making the book strong value for readers who want to deepen theoretical and historical understanding rather than seek a general introduction.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this book suitable for an undergraduate introduction to dance history?
Answer. It is best for graduate-level study or readers with prior background because the essays assume familiarity with key figures and theoretical debates.

Does the book cover contemporary choreographers?
Answer. Yes; alongside early modern figures it discusses contemporary artists such as Reggie Wilson and Nelisiwe Xaba to draw historical lines into the present.

Does Manning offer a global perspective?
Answer. Yes; the collection foregrounds comparative and transnational historiography and includes an extended case study of Mary Wigman's exchanges with artists from Indonesia and India.