Appalachian Dance: Creativity and Continuity in Six Communities (Paperback)

"While each of these six community profiles can stand on its own, together they reveal the diversity as well as the commonalities and continually evolving nature of the dance traditions in rural Appalachia. . . . Spalding's study, however, does more than simply describe the dance traditions of these communities. It reveals much about the broader history and culture of these rural Appalachian communities. I highly recommend Susan Spalding's Appalachian Dance, not only to those with an interest in traditional dance, but also to anyone with an interest in the traditional culture of Appalachia."--The Old-Time Herald

"This is one of those rare scholarly works that is both readable and fascinating to read. For anyone interested in the history of folk dance in the twentieth century, this book is a must-read."--CDSS (Country Dance and Song Society) News

"In Appalachian Dance: Creativity and Continuity in Six Communities, Susan Eike Spalding draws the reader into a sorely needed conversation about dance scholarship and Appalachian studies, fields that Spalding argues rarely speak to one another. . . . Appalachian Dance is a useful text, merging dance and Appalachian studies, highlighting cultural diversity, and providing a unique lens through which to understand Appalachian history."--Register of the Kentucky Historical Society


"Spalding gives us a wealth of information, not only about the role of dance in six communities (in Tennessee, Virginia, and Kentucky) but also about how history, culture, geography, industrialization, urbanization, and even desegregation influenced its survival and/or revival... Spalding's book is clearly organized and eminently readable."--The Journal of American History

"In Appalachian Dance: Creativity and Continuity in Six Communities, Susan Eike Spalding draws the reader into a sorely needed conversation about dance scholarship and Appalachian studies, fields that Spalding argues rarely speak to one another. . . . Appalachian Dance is a useful text, merging dance and Appalachian studies, highlighting cultural diversity, and providing a unique lens through which to understand Appalachian history."--Register of the Kentucky Historical Society

"Appalachian Dance is a well-researched and elegantly written academic work that will appeal to a broad audience of scholars as well as the general public. Spalding presents a complex picture of Appalachia through dance that productively complicates myths of isolation, poverty, and homogeneity often associated with this area. This is a compelling book."--Journal of Appalachian Studies