Anna Halprin

Anna Halprin traces the life’s work of this radical dance-maker, documenting her early career as a modern dancer in the 1940s through to the development of her groundbreaking approach to dance as an accessible and life-enhancing art form. Now revised and reissued, this book:

sketches the evolution of the San Francisco Dancers’ Workshop, exploring Halprin’s connections with the avant-garde theatre, music, visual art and architecture of the 1950s and 60s

offers a detailed analysis of Halprin’s work from this period

provides an important historical guide to a time when dance was first explored beyond the confines of the theatre and considered as a healing art for individuals and communities.

As a first step towards critical understanding, and an initial exploration before going on to further, primary research, Routledge Performance Practitioners offer unbeatable value for today’s student.

Author Biography

Helen Poynor is an independent movement artist specializing in environmental, site-specific and autobiographical performance and cross art-from collaborations. She runs the Walk of Life Workshop and Training Programme. She is Visiting Professor of Performance at Coventry University, UK and a Registered Dance Movement Therapist. Libby Worth is a movement practitioner focusing on collaborative art processes, performer training, and responsive performance. She is a Reader in Contemporary Performance Practices at Royal Holloway, University of London, UK. Both authors trained with Anna Halprin in the early 1980s.