Weird Dance: Curious and Captivating Dance Trivia

by Tim Rayborn, Abigail Keyes

Attend a grand ball of the bizarre and never look at dance the same way again!Weird Dance processes through the odd, grim, and unintentionally humorous history of dance, uncovering strange stories and weird facts.These dark tales of murder, rivalry, insanity, and more reveal all sorts of grim goings-on, proving that—for dancers—life was not just one grand plié. Stories An elderly woman who stepped out of her Strasbourg home one summer day in 1518 and began to dance furiously; nothing and no one could stop her. Soon, dozens more joined her, and so began another strange epidemic of the deadly dancing plague. The horrific fate of a young ballerina who had a run-in with a gaslight and saw her career go up in smoke. The medieval Dance of Death that reminded all of their inevitable doom. The controversial ballet that sparked a riot. The strange and macabre fate of the infamous Mata Hari’s head after her execution. The grotesque scarf accident that led to Isadora Duncan’s demise.From Roman Bacchanals to medieval and Renaissance dancing plagues, from the bloody world of ballet to scandals, ghosts, spirit possessions, superstitions, and more, you will attend a grand ball of the bizarre that shows just how awful dancers, choreographers, and even audience members have been to each other over the centuries.

Genres: Nonfiction

336 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 18, 2018

About the author

Tim Rayborn is a historian, medievalist, and musician, with an MA and PhD from the University of Leeds in England. He is a writer on a variety of topics in history and the arts, from the academic to the amusing to the appalling. He has written nearly 50 books to date.

A professional musician with a specialty in medieval repertoire, he plays dozens of musical instruments, has appeared on more than 40 recordings, and has performed in the US, Canada, Europe, and Australia.

Reviews

[Leo · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I don't know much about the history of dance or dance in general but found this interesting to read through. Wanted a little more but it was a read that made me curious to learn more. And it was fitting I read this weekend as me and my group home went out to a dance place/park/thingy and I actually danced amongst quite a few people. More fun than I expected it would be

[Whitney · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is enjoyable to read these bite sized anecdotes about the history of Western dance. The phrase “western dance” indicates the way that European type people (and Greek?) have documented rhythmic body movement throughout many centuries. The authors tried very hard to entertain. The writing is overworked and cheesy. But if you ever want to read the most fun synopsis of Victorian era pamphlets, listing the ways how dancing is a terrible sin, here it is!!

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was definitely curious and captivating and taught me a lot of fun facts about the history and historical figures of dance. It was overall an enjoyable read content-wise, but the cheesy humor and bad jokes of the writing style took me out of it so often that I'm only just now finishing it after almost two months. Recommended with reservations.

I received a digital ARC from the publisher via Edelweiss+.

[Annarella · Rating 4 out of 5]

fun to read and very entertaining.
A very good book that is highly recommended!
Many thanks to Skyhorse Publishing and Edelweiss for this ARC

[Abraham Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best of books in my opinion.

[Mills College Library]

793.2 R265w 2018