Reinventing Dance in the 1960s: Everything Was Possible - Book Review

Dance Magazine, Dec, 2003 by Allan Ulrich

Edited by Sally Banes, with assistance from Andrea Harris. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press. 2003. 232 pages, illustrations. $55.00. ISBN 0-299-18010-7 $19.95, paper. ISBN 0-299-18014-x.

The artistic ferment of the '60s was not notable for its linear coherence, a virtue that is also hard to discern in this elevenpart collection of essays, memoirs, and statements about that tumultuous decade. Standout contributions--those that transcend the musings for the in-crowd--include Janice Ross's brilliant introduction to Anna Halprin, Arlene Croce's reflections on the genesis of Ballet Review, Jill Johnston's evocation of that heady era, and Leslie Satin's fascinating survey of James Waring's too-brief career. They're enough to compensate for the predictable coming-of-age and to terms with Judson sagas and the self-indulgences that, inevitably, threaten to topple anthologies of this sort. This one, however, will survive.