Frances Rust, Dance in Society: an Analysis of the Relationship between the Social Dance and Society in England from the Middle Ages to the Present Day. London: Routledge and K. Paul, 1969, 280 pages, 3.25.

Abstract

Why can we not simply try to understand the nature of The Dance as people on this earth perform it? What prevents us from understanding the gestural languages of people who dance, including ourselves? If the anthropology of dance is to assume its rightful place as a major contributor to general anthropological knowledge, we must be suspicious of methodology and theory which trivializes dance, making what in fact are supremely meaningful human actions into empty, meaningless 'gross physical behaviour'. One would have thought that the effects upon dance education and dance departments might be considered as well: does anyone really agree that future dance research should be determined by the results of Mr. Lomax's project?