Outskirts Press, Inc. has published Musical Theatre Choreography: Reflections of My Artistic Process for Staging Musicals by Linda Sabo, which is the author’s most recent book to date. The color paperback in the performing arts/dance/choreography and dance notation category is available worldwide on book retailer websites such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
Musical theater choreography has indisputably evolved over the years and, in many cases, choreographers develop methods of working and philosophical approaches that should be documented but rarely are. Textual information is limited, and what has been written is generally more practical than theoretical and is minimal compared to those books written for choreographers of modern and contemporary dance. By pointing out the similarities and dissimilarities between concert dance genres and theater dance, and identifying the specialized demands of crafting artistic and script-serving theater dance and staging, this text differentiates musical theater choreography as a separate and bona fide art form and suggests that 1) universities recognize it as such by offering training possibilities for future musical theatre choreographers, and 2) established choreographers of musicals begin to write down their own artistic processes to give young choreographers wanting to work in the field some tools to use and a place to begin. Through reflective accounts, various choreographic objectives are examined in each chapter of Part One with descriptions of how the author has encountered, analyzed and then accomplished them in her own work. At the end of each chapter, assignments are suggested for student choreographers.
In Part Two, the author offers an overview of the scope of literature that has been published on both topics, modern dance composition and musical theater choreography. At the same time, she concisely traces the history of modern dance pedagogy, aligning it with concurrent trends happening within the American musical theater. This book is a valuable resource for teachers designing an undergraduate or graduate course in musical theater choreography and staging, as well as for professional directors and choreographers who want to think more deeply about their work.
Deftly constructed at 256 pages, Musical Theatre Choreography: Reflections of My Artistic Process for Staging Musicals is being aggressively promoted to appropriate markets with a focus on the performing arts/dance/choreography and dance notation category.
Linda Sabo, BFA Dance (Boston Conservatory), MA English (Iowa State University), MFA Choreography (UNCG), was a professional performer before establishing the dance program for musical theater majors at Syracuse University in 1977. As a professor of music theater for the past 20 years at Elon University, she has now had the privilege of teaching and working with hundreds of theater artists over her 48-year career.
To order a copy of Musical Theatre Choreography: Reflections of My Artistic Process for Staging Musicals by Linda Sabo, head to outskirtspress.com/musicaltheatrechoreographywithsabo.
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