Dance marathons : performing American culture of the 1920s and 1930s

Available (1)

Location	Collection	Call #
CLP - Main Library	Mezzanine - Non-fiction	GV1623.M37 1994
Location	CLP - Main Library
Collection	Mezzanine - Non-fiction
Call Number	GV1623.M37 1994

Something

Summary

Published Reviews

Booklist Review: "Martin, a drama professor, was curious about why dance marathons are still "alive" in our imaginations decades after their abrupt rise and fall. After discovering a lack of accurate information about these spectacles, she set out to document the invention and culmination of this quintessentially American craze from logistical, economic, social, and artistic perspectives. Dance marathons evolved out of the passion for absurd record-breaking activities that erupted in the 1920s, but they soon became an outlet for anger and fear during the Depression when people were willing to pay to see others suffer. Martin monitors the mood of the country as she describes, in impressive detail, all the promotional machinations and controversies associated with this odd form of performance. She also explains the quirky mix of the staged and the spontaneous that captivated audiences and profiles promoters and professionals, such as Red Skelton, who ensured a certain level of crowd-pleasing theatricality. Martin discovered that women played a prominent role in ensuring the popularity of dance marathons. It was a woman, in fact, who set the first nonstop dancing record in the U.S.: Alma Cummings danced for 27 hours in 1923. ~--Donna Seaman"
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Publisher's Weekly Review: "As part of an expanding scholarly movement to convert popular amusements into cultural studies, dance marathons are depicted here as a symptom of America's troubled times between the wars. An assistant professor of drama at New York University, Martin's premise is a stretch at best, and detracts from what is otherwise a worthy and nostalgic glimpse at a national craze. Claims that endurance contests mirrored post-WW I optimism, and later, the despair of the Great Depression, are less than convincing. Statements such as, ``modeled on a radical version of social Darwinism, where the fittest would not just survive, but triumph and win cash prizes'' slow the book down. Beyond the academic probing is an engaging behind-the-scenes look at the genre's evolution. Originating in a time when feats of endurance, such as flag pole sitting, were considered patriotic, dance marathons were never regarded as legitimate entertainment. The monotony and unprofitable practice of watching endless hours of dancing were alleviated by shrewd promoters. Dramas such as mock weddings and torturous elimination races were played out on the floor--``the popularity of marathons rested on their gladiatorial displays.'' Dance marathons were under constant scrutiny by health and government officials and were sometimes banned. Though theoretically weak, in the end, this becomes an absorbing account of a fad that captivated millions. Photos not seen by PW. (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved"
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Additional Information

Series	Performance studies (Jackson, Miss.)
Subjects	Dance marathons -- United States -- History. Dance marathons -- Social aspects -- United States. United States -- Social life and customs -- 1918-1945.
Publisher	Jackson :University Press of Mississippi,1994
Language	English
Description	xxv, 182 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm.
Bibliography Notes	Includes bibliographical references (pages [171]-176) and index.
ISBN	0878056734 (alk. paper) 0878057013 (pbk.)
Other	Classic View