Converging Movements: Modern Dance and Jewish Culture at the 92nd Street Y
The Y located at 92nd Street and Lexington Avenue in New York City is the largest and oldest continuously operating YM-YWHA in the U.S. Many of the most important figures in modern dance premiered on its stage, but until now no one has thought to ask why this should have been so. As Naomi Jackson shows in "Converging Movements," the Y's particular conception of Jewishness laid the groundwork for the establishment of a center for dance in the 1930s.
Bio
Naomi Jackson is an associate professor in the School of Film, Dance and Theatre in ASU's Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts.
Praise for this book
In her pathbreaking book, Naomi Jackson situates modern dance at the heart of the Jewish encounter with America. Her history of the 92nd Street Y’s dance program compellingly chronicles the reasons for the Y’s renown as an influential and pioneering cultural institution. Jackson writes with verve and energy as she tells the story of New York Jews’ improbable love affair with dance, Modernism, and Zionism.This eminently readable account uncovers the multicultural roots of America’s modern dance movement.
Deborah Dash Moore Author of "At Home in America: Second Generation New York Jews"
In "Converging Movements," Naomi Jackson tells a remarkable story that will be of interest to scholars of American cultural history and that reinforces the importance of the committed individual and institution in the enhancement of the arts.
Theatre Journal
