John Joseph Martin

John Martin, arguably the first modern dance critic in America and trail-blazer for the art form's validity in the public sector, first published The Modern Dance in 1933 and claimed it to be "perhaps the first attempt…to analyze the American modern dance." The book is the text of four lectures delivered by Martin at the New School for Social Research in New York City (1931-1932) on the dance form as a philosophic perspective.Certain common principles underlie the many systems and methods of modern dancing, and these texts endeavor to discover a full explanation of the modern dance. The distinguishing characteristics—what it is made of and how it differs from other types of dance—form the starting point.Martin discusses the dance form as a philosophic perspective, considering (among other topics) the basic experience of physical movement, the effectiveness of beauty in form, metakinesis, vertical and horizontal rhythms and divergent approaches to art. The content is organized in four parts: Characteristics of the Modern Dance; Form; Technique; The Dance and the Other Arts.

Everyone at Riverside High is talking about the winter dance. For three couples, it will be one magical night that will change their lives forever.

Although originally published in 1965, this edition of The Dance in Theory was republished in 1989 as the same text with a new introduction by Jack Anderson. The Dance in Theory reprints the first third of John Martin's seminal 1939 book, Introduction to the Dance. It presents Martin's analysis of the theoretical underpinnings of modern dance, including a discussion of the nature of movement, form and composition, and the basis of style.In clear and simple terms, Martin helps us to understand how dances are made and gives us knowledge to view the dance with the intelligence and open perspective it deserves. The content of The Dance in Theory is divided into three sections: The Nature of Movement; Form and Composition; The Basis of Style.

Explores The Dance in all its forms of expression; as spectacle, as communication, as a vehicle for the dancer.