Routledge Performance Practitioners is a series of introductory guides to the key theatre-makers of the last century. Each volume explains the background to and the work of one of the major influences on twentieth- and twenty-first-century performance. These compact, well-illustrated, and clearly written books will unravel the contribution of modern theatres most charismatic innovators.Anna Halprin traces the lifes work of this radical dance-maker, who has been a seminal influence on the development of contemporary performance practice from her early work with the San Francisco Dancers Workshop until the present. Drawing on Halprins recent work and examining the evolution of her groundbreaking approach to dance as an accessible and life-enhancing art form, this updated edition: sketches the evolution of the San Francisco Dancers Workshop, exploring Halprins connections with the avant-garde theatre, music, visual art and architecture of the 1950s and 1960sinvestigates her methodology including the Life/Art Process, RSVP Cycles for Collective Creativity and the Five Stages of Healingcontributes an in-depth analysis of her community performance rituals Circle the Earth and The Planetary Dance from the 1980s until todayoffers an experiential approach to Halprins work through movement explorations and scores.As a first step towards critical understanding, and as an initial exploration before going on to further, primary research, Routledge Performance Practitioners are unbeatable value for todays student.
