DK Eyewitness Books: Dance: Discover the World of Dance from the Magic of Ballet to the Drama of Flamenco

We bought this inexpensively, to supplement my daughter's homeschool curriculum in the arts. The book is well organized and colorful.

As with all the other DK Eyewitness books, "Dance" has its music program crammed with information. The Eyewitness writers and editors fill all spaces on each page, designing each with photos, illustrations, general text, item text, and enough white space to prevent the viewer from getting lost in overwhelm. Topics in "Dance" are logically ordered from the question What is Dance?, learning to dance, ballet class, accompaniments, keeping time, themes and messages, then we get to the heart of dance: the story. Other topics included set design, behind-the-scenes workers, all integral to the story. How to carry the story through dance is explained in more pages: beauty of the body, makeup, costumes, footwear, and masks. Each of these is detailed in two-page spreads. The history of dance takes eight pages. Dance as a part of community--public dances of various kinds, dance crazes. Of course, a book about dance must include famous dancers and choreographers. If you are interested in dance and would like a good introduction, look no further. If you child is interested, this is a great start. I think interest level might begin at age nine or ten. Overall, "Dance" is a great book to own, to open again and again to learn a new piece of information about the great art of dance.

In ancient Greece, dance was seen as a gift. Dance is simply a series of movements performed in patterns and set to music. Every human society has some form of dance. It is a way to pass on history, exercise and express yourself in a way words can't. In this colorful guide, the magic and beauty of dance is shown in step-by-step sequences and full-color photographs. The costumes are spectacular and children can see the costumes, learn the stories of the great classical ballets and discover why Javanese dancers "flow like water." Dances include: Ballet Tonga - poetry interpreted in dance in the Pacific Island of Tonga Flamenco - Spanish Ghost Dance - Native American Morris Dance - England Gharata Natya - Classic Indian Dance (if you enjoy this - watch Lagaan) Orissi, Eastern India - originally performed by temple dancers Georgian Ballet - the costumes are amazing! Modern Ballet Ballroom Dancing and many more... There is a section on footwear and they show how a ballet shoe is made. They explain the process of creating costumes all the way from the drawings to the finished product. Makeup and set design is briefly discussed. A section on famous dancers and choreography shows what it takes. Finally, they discuss dance crazes through time. A trip around the world in dance! ~The Rebecca Review

DK eyewitness books are some of the greatest non-fiction books around. The distinctive white background and high-quality photography gives this book an edge over any other nonfiction picture book. And -- these pictures are real! They're beautiful photos of all things related to dancing, accompanied by informative captions and text. Learn about many different styles of dance, costumes and shows, performers, and many other dance-related topics (all augmented by beautiful museum-quality photos).If you know someone (young or old) who is fascinated dancing, then you must introduce them to this book! It's a great lesson about dancing, and a beautiful book.

This book is excellent for the education of all types of dance. The pictures are colorful, the information is accurate, and it keeps the readers attention. It covers a variety of dances, and goes into detail about costumes and shoes. It is a good book for those interested in the art of dance, and dances from around the world.