Social Dancing in America: A Review
Copyright © 2008 Karin Norgard
As popular as social dancing is in the United States, it is amazing that there has never been a single comprehensive text dedicated to the history of social dance in this country. That is, until now. Ralph Giordano ‘s Social Dancing in America: A History and Reference consists of two volumes: Volume 1: Fair Terpsichore to the Ghost Dance, 1607-1900 and Volume Two: Lindy Hop to Hip Hop, 1901-2000. Over 600 pages of social dance history along with an extensive bibliography make these texts an invaluable resource for the social dancer who is interested in the historical and cultural development of their craft.
Social Dancing in America begins with the settlement of the American colonies, tracing the importation of European dances along with the development of dances indigenous to the continent. Each chapter provides an overview of the political, social, and cultural climate of the time period as well as an examination of the dances themselves. The book is well-researched, giving the reader plenty of quotes from primary sources as well as excellent diagrams and pictures to give a visual image of the dances and the cultural environment in which they developed. Giordano pays special attention to the cycle of rejection and acceptance that all social dances have gone through, painting of vivid picture of the controversy that social dancing awakens.
Though Social Dancing in America ambitiously attempts to provide a history and reference that encompasses all social dances, it falls short in several respects, perhaps betraying only the author’s personal dance experience and preferences and nothing else. The second volume is meticulous in its exploration of swing dancing throughout the twentieth century; however, other dances are not given the same thorough analysis. The Latin dances in particular are given cursory examination, and in some cases the information he provides is misleading and even incorrect. There are sins of omission as well: ten pages were devoted to the swing dance revival of the late twentieth century, while the development of some Latin dances during this time period – Argentine tango and bachata are two specific examples – are not even mentioned. Giordano himself is an avid swing dancer, so perhaps this bias is subconscious and even natural. However, it does detract from the enjoyment of the book for Latin dancers.
Despite this major limitation, this two-volume set presents an excellent in-depth exploration of social dancing in America as well as the historical, social, and cultural forces that shaped its development. No other text even attempts to offer such a comprehensive overview of this field. For this reason, Ralph Giordano’s Social Dancing in America is an invaluable history and reference and a must-have text for every avid social dancer.
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