Dance We Do: A Poet Explores Black Dance

by Ntozake Shange, Alexis Pauline Gumbs (Foreword), Reneé L. Charlow (Afterword)

In her first posthumous work, the revered poet crafts a personal history of Black dance and captures the careers of legendary dancers along with her own rhythmic beginnings.

Many learned of Ntozake Shange's ability to blend movement with words when her acclaimed choreopoem for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf made its way to Broadway in 1976, eventually winning an Obie Award the following year. But before she found fame as a writer, poet, performer, dancer, and storyteller, she was an untrained student who found her footing in others' classrooms. Dance We Do is a tribute to those who taught her and her passion for rhythm, movement, and dance.

After 20 years of research, writing, and devotion, Ntozake Shange tells her history of Black dance through a series of portraits of the dancers who trained her, moved with her, and inspired her to share the power of the Black body with her audience. Shange celebrates and honors the contributions of the often unrecognized pioneers who continued the path Katherine Dunham paved through the twentieth century. Dance We Do features a stunning photo insert along with personal interviews with Mickey Davidson, Halifu Osumare, Camille Brown, and Dianne McIntyre. In what is now one of her final works, Ntozake Shange welcomes the reader into the world she loved best.

Genres: Poetry, Nonfiction, Race

160 pages, Hardcover

First published October 13, 2020

About the author

Ntozake Shange (pronounced En-toe-ZAHK-kay SHONG-gay) was an African-American playwright, performance artist, and writer who is best known for her Obie Award winning play for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf.

Among her honors and awards are fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund, and a Pushcart Prize.

Reviews

[Briana Simmons · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shange captured such a necessary piece of history in Dance We Do! As a dancer I time traveled back to my own experiences and as if I was alongside Shange in the way she recalls her experiences with such color, truth, and power. May she rest knowing her commitment to completing this work is in fact changing lives.

[Chloe · Rating 3 out of 5]

read for my senior thesis

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Oh, how we dance" Indeed. Language with movement and rhythm reflects the beauty of Black dance. Part memoir, part interviews, part observations and musings.... Follow the rich text by viewing some of these dancers online.

[Larisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are so many Black dancers who have gone unnamed and unrecognized, and this book did a nice job sharing about some of the early great pioneers: Alvin Ailey, Katherine Dunham, Pearl Primus, Talley Beatty, and Donald McKayle.... allowing us to trace the movements, the hard work, what it takes to make a dance when we see Misty Copeland, Judith Jamison, Carmen de Lavallade.

Excellent book... Ntozake Shange was honored as a Living Legend by the National Black Theatre Festival and also with the Langston Hughes Medal, the Hurston/Wright Award, two Obies, a Pushcart Prize, and countless other awards.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely captivating storytelling and archiving. Ntozake's too-brief life blends beautifully with the many lives of her close friends and mentors including in this book. The attention to highlighting the world of a dance professional's career at various stages and in various forms is also appreciated. There's never just one voice telling one singular story; it's a chorus of wisdom and experience.

Definitely a must read for dance majors, studio students, and aspiring dance professionals.

[Lisa McMillon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this book was a book of poetry about dance... It was not. It was more like the special features - behind the scenes, exposure to the creative mind of dance genius. This book explores names of dancers and their mentors unknown to me prior to this reading. I was really hoping for poetry since the author is a known poet/ dancer that often created original work that combined them both.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

African American Dance

Ntozake Shange became a primary figure in African American dance and its history. She conducted several interviews with important African American dance figures across the USA. Interesting. Enlightening.

[Katie Ryann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ntozake Shange creates a fascinating and outrageously necessary collection of language, passion and movement, all through discussion of the fundamental mind-body experiences that are shared with her Black American mentors and friends.

[Ellice Patterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful description of following black dance ancestry and the mentors who teach it

[Michelle Pulignani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story.

[Radia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ntozake Shange dropped grad school to dance, she’s giving me dangerous ideas. She’s giving a much needed oral history of Black dance. Check this out!

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

a memoir looking at black dance.
perhaps if I was more in the dance world it would have held me more.

[Jbondandrews · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very joyful book.

[Marjorie Jensen]

Some of my thoughts about this book are now on my dance blog: https://open.substack.com/pub/maenadw...

[pumpampim · Rating 3 out of 5]

me hubiese gustado más si se hubiese explayado en reflexiones sobre el bailar y no hubiese mencionado con nombre y apellido a todas y cada una de las personas de la ciudad de nueva york

[Chanel Smith]

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