The Knowing Body: The Artist as Storyteller in Contemporary Performance

by Louise Steinman

Steinman's book really stands alone among performance art books. While there are many that document what particular artists are doing, this one offers a way in for a person who wants to perform (or know more about how performance artists work). Must reading for anyone interested in performance art, it will also be fascinating to those in theatre, playwriting, visual arts and performance of any sort.

176 pages, Paperback

First published February 12, 1922

Reviews

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am reading this book at the suggestion of my son the actor / dancer / singer / scenic designer as it was used as a text in one of his classes at university & he loved it! I am quite new to performance art. I was exposed to it 1-2 years ago & was totally intrigued but also wondered what place it had in the 'real' world & what it was really all about. I was open to being educated about the creative process & this book is the perfect tool. The writing is engaging & deeply personal. It is at once very accessible & also profound. There is so much to take in that you have to read it just a bit at a time. I have come away with the understanding that performance artists are explorers, storytellers, transformers who share their experience with skill & passion. They reaffirm life in all it's processes & challenge us to feel, experience, evolve, live!

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book a few years ago and quite honestly I don't remember much of the details, but I do remember how it made me feel and the environment where I was while digesting it: I read a great chunk of it on the bus/train. I recall seeing the human body as an instrument. Steinman focused not just on teaching and choreography but also on live theatre. I think I gave this book to someone I thought would also really enjoy it and now I'm hungrily craving for my own copy again. I remember feeling a pure delight in recognizing my body as my first and most stable home and also how movement can be a vehicle of expression, on and off the stage.

[Rissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

So far, an amazing book for anyone interested in creating performances.