3 comments about The Meaning of Tango: The Story of the Argentinian Dance.

1. My wife and I are Argentinian natives who started to dance Argentine Tango as adolescents in Buenos Aires in the very late forties and early fifties. I say "started to learn" because if you ask any "porteño" (native of the city of Buenos Aires), he or she will tell you that "it takes a lifetime and a half to learn to dance Argentine Tango". Anyway, we moved to the United States in 1959 and continue with our passion for Argentine Tango dance, music, culture, and history.
   
   All of this to tell you that this is must-read book for everybody who got this far! Those mildly curious about Argentine Tango will find in it an easy to read mini-encyclopedia of Tango, covering every facet of its culture: its music, its dance, its history, and more. Those who dance Argentine Tango will learn to love it even more as they become acquainted with the historical facts that took Tango from the end of the 19th century to today.
   
   Christine Denniston describes Argentine Tango with such accuracy that I am convinced that it is the most factual book on Argentine Tango written by a nonnative author ever. Christine's writing style never allows a dull sentence to find its way into a single page.
   
   This book should be available in Spanish for Argentinians and and other Spanish speaking readers to enjoy.



2. It is rare for me to find a book on any dance that really excites and interests me. This was one of those rare books. Denniston explores the history of the tango without resorting to a list of dates and figures. Instead she focuses on the grand themes of the dance's unique history and how that shaped the way the dance developed and is viewed by its devotees. She also covers the fundamental techniques of the dance without becoming dry and boring. Instead she shows how the meaning and purpose of the dance influence the technique. Overall, this is a very enjoyable book on the tango. Not an academic book, but more a devotional book with very accessible writing on the history, culture, meaning, and technique of Argentine tango.
   
   If I have any criticism of the book, it is that the author could have offered some direct quotes or experiences from the dancers she consulted for the book. She places much emphasis on the Golden Age of the tango, how the dance developed, and the meaning those dancers derived from the dance. I enjoyed the focus she placed on these Golden Age dancers throughout the book; however, I felt she could have explored it even further and made it come alive even more if she had offered some direct quotes and experiences from the dancers she talked to. Despite this, the book is an excellent overview of the history, culture, meaning, and technique of the dance, and I greatly enjoyed it!



3. Learning to dance the Tango can be a confusing and sometimes frustrating experience. For those of us not brought up in the Tango culture of Buenos Aires, our first impressions are often of roses between teeth, and slick, stylish Tango shows. When you first see the social dance, you are presented with yet another variation. Different teachers provide their own take on the dance and may often appear to contradict each other. Even a visit to Buenos Aires - the source and spiritual home of the Tango - may add to the confusion. The Tango developed across a large city over a period of more than a century, as a result of which different styles have developed.
   
   In this book, Christine Denniston has identified the essence of the dance. From her first visit to Buenos Aires in the early 1990s, she sought out dancers who had first started to learn in Tango's Golden Age - the period from the mid 1930s to the mid 50s when the three elements of Tango - the music, song and dance - were at their height. Her time spent dancing with and talking with these older, experienced dancers allowed her to discover the essence that was common to all, regardless of their neighbourhood of origin or style of dance.
   
   This is the book that the Golden Age dancers themselves never wrote! Even if you don't dance Tango, but have an interest in dance and love watching the dance shows on TV, this book will give you a valuable insight into one of the world's most fascinating and exciting dances. If you are already a Tango dancer, whatever your style, this book provides a link to those dancers who came before, and perhaps answers some questions you may still have. If you are already addicted, this book will help you to understand why!

5 comments about Edith Head: The Life and Times of Hollywood's Celebrated Costume Designer.

1. This is a rich, fulfilling introduction to the life of Edith Head. One needn't be interested in fashion to find the author's description of the studio system in which Head flourished fascinating. Although part of the Paramount studio, Head worked everywhere at one time or another, on loan or in demand. She was quite a character. Although intimidating, she was in fact a desperately insecure woman whose fears the author places squarely in the studio system's insecure power structure. Chierichetti persuasively makes the case that the weird nepotism and vicious back-biting made one relax at one's own peril. Head stayed on her toes for decades and survived while other's were forced out or replaced by the girlfriends or relatives of thoughtless executives. The author blends personal anecdote with careful research, thus creating a very satisfying biography of this remarkable figure as well as a fine summation of the system that produced her. I was especially intrigued by the idea of the role costume design played in the overall "look" of the films. This is probably rather obvious to those in the know, but for me this was a new way of looking at favorite pictures. Head seems to have had a hand, literally, in the making of hundreds of classic pictures, yet the author seems rather restrained in his praise of Head, whose limitations he points out. This seems a good approach, for while we must all recognize her remarkable career, Chierichetti wants the reader to bear in mind the numerous talents who populated the Hollywood design world.



2. Don't read this book if you are expecting an exceptional book about Edith Head. Or even a good one. If you are looking for a book that is not-so-good, congrats - dig in. And enjoy.



3. Edith Head is the single best-known costume designer Hollywood ever produced (she's such an iconic figure that a character modeled on her appeared in the Disney movie "The Incredibles" a couple of years back) and has probably won more Oscars than anyone else in film history. Given that, you would have expected a pictorial biography of this woman to be chock-full of her best designs. Well, it isn't. As other reviewers have noted, the pictorial selection is disappointing, and the writing is plodding. Considering that the author wrote an excellent book on costume design in film some years ago ("Hollywood Costume Design", which should be available from various Marketplace sellers), it's perplexing that what should have been a tour de force has fallen so flat. I suppose those who want to see an in-depth exploration of Ms. Head's work should look for the book "Edith Head's Hollywood" instead.



4. This is a breezy, readable, can't-put-it-down bio on the infamous, iconic Edith Head. The real advantage this author has, is one of proximity, having worked with her.
   This is not a filling meal... it made me want to find her own book - even though she dismisses it later in her life. It digs few probing holes, perhaps because she herself covered all the holes so well. But there is so much DISH here, we don't miss the meal. I'm giving this as a gift to someone who worked in the textile industry.
   The real quibble of this book is that there are so FEW pictures of her finished work. With so many juicy anecdotes about different stars, and backstage stories about films, it would have been really nice to have wardrobe shots. Publishers... it isn't too late to add these!
   I'm currently reading a bio of Coco Chanel, and it is interesting to see many paralells between the two women, including the trademark streamlined, simplicity they both shared. Edith Head didn't just look inscrutible. She was. This is a fun, fast read.



5. Edith Head was the Coco Chanel of Hollywood. Mysterious, implacable, and scary good at her job. I enjoyed reading a biography of her life and career. Unfortunately, as a costume designer, what I hoped to learn more about was her creative process and the tricks she used to make the actors look like their characters. This book was more of a love letter, so my search for knowledge continues.

2 comments about Fefu and Her Friends (PAJ Books).

1. "Fefu and Her Friends," by Maria Irene Fornes, is a witty and disturbing contemporary play. A key image from the play occurs early on, when one character talks about the experience of lifting up a stone and seeing the slime, fungus, and worms underneath. "Fefu" is about peeling back the gentile facades of life and seeing the unpleasant decay that lies beneath.

   The play, which has an all-female cast, takes place at an elegant New England country house where the characters of the title have assembled. As the women gather to talk in various groupings, Fornes dissects such topics as gender roles, marriage, and educational conventions. Stirrings of insanity, violence, heterosexual frustration, and repressed lesbian desire contribute to the play's unsettling atmosphere. Overall, a memorable work from a grand master of contemporary theater.




2. this book is a nearly forgotten classic of 70's theatrical avant garde; it is so good to see it in print. Read it. It's a hoot!

No comments about Supporting Children with Communication Difficulties in Inclusive Settings: School-Based Language Intervention (2nd Edition).

5 comments about Speak the Speech!: Shakespeare's Monologues Illuminated.

1. This book has been so helpful in my auditioning process. THANK YOU FOR PUBLISHING THIS!!



2. As a young actor currently studying Shakespeare in an acting conservatory, this book perfectly compliments the tools I am being taught.
   
   It is full of information written in a clear, efficient manner and is never patronizing to the reader. The tone has a lighteness and joy that invites the actor into the world of classical text and removes any stodgy stereotypes that may surround the poet's work.
   
   I recommend this book to any actor who is looking for some less performed Shakespeare monologues and comes equipped with an incredibley useful guide to understanding the plays themselves, as well as what is going on specifically with each monologue.
   
   I would buy it as a gift for all of my acting friends.
   
   Bravo to the authors.



3. Simply the best book ever to analyze Shakespeare's monologues: incisive, illuminating, deeply intelligent, always entertaining and sometimes brilliant. Experienced actors as well as those new to the craft will find this immeasurably helpful, and they will have plenty of company. Anyone who appreciates Shakespeare's words and work will find this wonderful book an oasis in a literary desert too often filled with mirages.



4. As a nonactor I'm in the midst of reading this book. Now for the first time I'm completely grasping the prose and verse. In the past I've tried to read Shakespeare cold, with no help, and as a modern English speaker you can pick up some things yes, but this book makes it all, and I mean all clear. We get well over 100 of his greatest monologues, and every unfamiliar word is fully explained, as well as multiple interpretations of the lines.

   I recommend this book to students, actors, writers, and layman for it will unleash the magic of the verse. And when it does you can read or see a performance and grasp it all...and there is so much to grasp, and a good play requires a good reader, a good performance, a good audience, and this book will make you one.




5. Learn the Speech! Actors need tools for their acting toolkit and not a day goes by here at my Writers & Performers Garage in Los Angeles that I don't mention this great new tool. With over 150 monologues, it's an essential for actor preparation. I can't think of any recent book I've read that is more useful for actors working seriously at their craft.

5 comments about Accents: A Manual for Actors- Revised and Expanded Edition.

1. Blackstone sent me a great book in great condition, as promised. I did not realize when they said without a CD, that it meant the book originally had one. I thought they meant it was published without a corresponding CD to listen to the dialects. I would give Blackstone 5 Stars for being expeditious and having the book in excellent condition; and 3 stars that I noted because they really should have been clearer about the difficulty in NOT having the CD that was made for the book.
   I would have spent more for a book with a CD so I could hear the dialects, this way it is really too difficult.



2. I tend to judge the value of a book on accents by listening to an example of the way I, as an Australian, supposedly speak. From this I tend to gauge the accuracy of the other accents.
   
   Robert Blumenfeld has obviously NEVER heard an Australian speak. There may be, in some remote corner of the country, someone who speaks as he describes - a cross between South African and New Zealander- but I have never encounterd them. On this basis, I would avoid this work like the plague for fear of being laughed off the stage, or screen - or out of the audition room



3. At first glance at the table of contents, it looks like this book practically covers it all, i.e. all the English language accents in the world! While the book and CD handle major European accents decently, I have to say that the Asian/ middle eastern accents are broad caricatures at best, racist at worst. I had to learn an Indonesian accent for a role and thought this book and CDs would be a great investment. The Indonesian accent was grossly approximated by Blumenfeld's deep, effete voice as a Germanic/Orientalized pidgin dialect. After further, better research on the real language and culture, I can best surmise he was attempting a white, DUTCH Indonesian accent. Perusing the other Asian accents, I saw a cursory, pidgin attempt. I haven't looked at the other accents of other continents (on the CDs) as I got tired of listening, but while this book seems to have it all, a student of theatre/acting/dialects is far best served 1.) learning the actual source language (for rhythm and structure) and history of the people(for the all important CONTEXT), 2.) contacting and interviewing people from that country through local universities/libraries/community newspapers, 3.) watching documentaries from the source country and visiting the Speech Accent Archive online.



4. Useful and valuable - for actors and theatre groups. Robert Blumenfeld really knows his stuff. Examples on the CD were great, but unfortunately short.



5. What I think some of the "the accents are terrible" critics are missing regarding the audio portion is that the accents are intended as exaggerations of sound for learning purposes. They're not intended as accurate representations of how the accents sound. Just as no two Scotsmen sound alike, no two actors doing Scottish accents will sound alike. The point of the audios is to explain the "phonics" of the accents, if you will, so that actors with trained ears can practice them; then they can tone down those elemental exaggerations into a subtler, more realistic accent. It's a simple case of the author acknowledging that you've got to crawl before you can walk.
   
   I just bought the book for fun. I thought it would be neat to be able to do accents. So far I am finding the book helpful.

2 comments about Modern Drama: Selected Plays from 1879 to the Present.

1. A good collection, but why O'Neill's Desire Under the Elms rather than one of the big three (Iceman, Moon, Long Day's)? Why All My Sons by Miller rather than Death or Crucible? Why Glaspell's Verge at all, when Inge and Rice, much better playwrights, are left out entirely?



2. This book is essencial to anyone who is willing to start studies on modern drama. It brings a wonderful selection of 25 plays, from Ibsen's "A Doll's House" (1879) to Wasserstein's "The Sisters Rosenweig" (1992), and featuring other authors such as Wilde, Shaw, Pirandello, Brecht and Ionesco. It also includes a second part of critical essays by the main drama authors and critics from the XX century.

2 comments about Cinema Nation: The Best Writing on Film from The Nation. 1913-2000 (Nation Books).

1. Like I said in my review of The Best Of The Nation, I'm not your typical Nation reader. I'm fiscally a right winger, and I share right wing views on many social issues as well. But censorship is not one of them. Needless to say, I don't care if they're right wing censors or left wing censors, this is an issue that I feel strongly about. It was very intesting to read this book since it gave light to many of the issues of the day involving film and film censorship. As the editor called it a "You are there" look from 1913 to the present. Not only that, but reviews for film classics written as they came out can be both hilarious and insightful. You might not agree with the reviewer's outlook on the film, but you can't help but be entertained by it. The only reson I didn't give this book a five stars was too much emphasis on Union activites in Hollywood. I would agree that the strikes and what not are of major importance to a leftist magazine like The Nation, but I'm the outsider here, so it's probably more a problem with me. (I can't say I'm too pro-union, at least not in the 21st Century). No matter what your outlook on politics, movies or religion, this is definitely an interesting book to have if you're a film buff, or you're intresting in the history of motion pictures in the USA. You might not always agree with what the writer says, but it's written well enough that it is not an issue.



2. Mr. Bromley and his colleagues have done a beautiful job of collecting what is certainly the best examples of film review and comment of the 20th Century. With The Nation's unique and insightful bent towards all that's good in the world, the book reads with a consistency and fluidity unmatched in other collections. I highly recommend this book for movie fans!

1 comments about The Misanthrope and Other French Classics (Eric Bentley's Dramatic Repertoire ; V. 3).

1. Bentley is a great reference for the study of old plays from Italy, France, and Spain. If you're looking to see what plays had their hay-day several hundred years ago, this is a great place to start.

1 comments about A Century of Dance: A Hundred Years of Musical Movement, from Waltz to Hip Hop.

1. There are a couple areas of dance in which I am profoundly knowledgeable. The short paragraphs about those two areas are so full of errors that they were obviously invented by the author without bothering to do even the slightest amount of research into them. If I can't trust those two short passages, why should I trust the accuracy of anything at all in this superficial mess. Huge waste of money.