Dance criticism in the United States is the act of producing a written or spoken review of a dance performance (often

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

modern dance Modern dance is a broad genre of western concert or theatrical dance which included dance styles such as ballet, folk, ethnic, religious, and social dancing; and primarily arose out of Europe and the United States in the late 19th and early 20th ...

, or contemporary dance). It may also refer to the report itself, which may act as an archived review, critique, or highlight. As with other topics, dance criticism may employ its own

technical language Jargon is the specialized terminology associated with a particular field or area of activity. Jargon is normally employed in a particular communicative context and may not be well understood outside that context. The context is usually a particu ...

, and may also reflect the critic's opinions. Major newspapers cover the arts in some form and dance criticism may be included. Dance criticism is available in other types of media as well, such as online publishing, through blogs, websites, and online videos.

Current dance critics

Throughout the 20th century, dance critiques were available primarily through newspaper and magazine writing. With the improvement of technology, they have become increasingly available through social media platforms and blogs, significantly influencing how the general public views dance art forms. *

Joan Acocella Joan Acocella (née Ross, born 1945) is an American journalist who is a staff writer for ''The New Yorker''. She has written books on dance, literature, and psychology. Education and career Acocella received her B.A. in English in 1966 from the ...

of ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...

'' *

Jack Anderson (dance critic) Jack Anderson (born June 15, 1935) is an American poet, dance critic, and dance historian. He is well known for his numerous reviews of dance performances in ''The New York Times'' and ''Dance Magazine'' as well as for his scholarly studies in d ...

, formerly of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' * George Dorris, former editor of the ''

Dance Chronicle ''Dance Chronicle: Studies in Dance and the Related Arts'' is a triannual peer-reviewed academic journal focusing on dance. It was established in 1977 and first published in 1978 by Marcel Dekker. The founding editors-in-chief were George Dorris ...

'' *

Robert Gottlieb Robert Adams Gottlieb (born April 29, 1931) is an American writer and editor. He has been editor-in-chief of Simon & Schuster, Alfred A. Knopf, and ''The New Yorker''. Early life and education Robert Gottlieb was born to a Jewish family in New Y ...

of ''

The New York Observer ''The New York Observer'' was a weekly newspaper printed from 1987 to 2016, when it ceased print publication and became the online-only newspaper ''Observer''. The media site focuses on culture, real estate, media, politics and the entertainmen ...

'' *

Laura Jacobs Laura Jacobs is a novelist, journalist, and critic. Jacobs is a regular contributor to ''The Wall Street Journal'', where she reviews museum exhibitions on fashion. She was a staff writer at '' Vanity Fair'' from 1995 to 2018, where she wrote awar ...

of ''

The New Criterion ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' *

Deborah Jowitt Deborah Jowitt is an American dance critic, author, and choreographer. Her career in dance began as a performer and choreographer. Jowitt has received several awards for her work, including a ''Bessie'' (New York Dance and Performance Award) for h ...

, formerly of ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, th ...

'' *

Alastair Macaulay Alastair Macaulay is an English writer and dance critic. He was the chief dance critic for '' The New York Times'' from 2007 until he retired in 2018. He was previously chief dance critic at '' The Times'' and Literary Supplement and chief theater ...

of ''The New York Times'' *

John Rockwell John Sargent Rockwell (born September 16, 1940) is an American music critic, dance critic and arts administrator. According to '' Grove Music Online'', "Rockwell brings two signal attributes to his critical work: a genuine admiration for all ...

, formerly of ''The New York Times'' *

Michael Seaver Michael Seaver (born 1967) is a writer and musician in Ireland. He is the dance critic at ''The Irish Times'' and Irish correspondent with the ''Christian Science Monitor'', as well as principal clarinetist with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra. He als ...

of ''

The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...

'' *Judith Mackrell of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' *Luke Jennings of ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the ...

History of dance criticism

Richard Buckle (Christopher) Richard Sandford Buckle CBE (6 August 1916 – 12 October 2001), was a lifelong English devotee of ballet, and a well-known ballet critic. He founded the magazine ''Ballet'' in 1939. Early life Buckle was the only son of Lieute ...

Selma Jeanne Cohen Selma Jeanne Cohen (September 18, 1920December 23, 2005) was a historian, teacher, author, and editor who devoted her career to advocating dance as an art worthy of the same scholarly respect traditionally awarded to painting, music, and literatur ...

* Edwin Denby * Arnold Haskell * John Martin

References

External links

Write About Dance
Art criticism {{art-criticism-stub

Current dance critics

History of dance criticism

References

Further reading

External links