Sally Banes' 'Terpsichore in Sneakers' on Postmodern Dance

Sally Banes' seminal book 'Terpsichore in Sneakers: Post-Modern Dance' has been published in French translation by Chiron-Centre national de la danse, two decades after its original 1980 edition. The work documents the radical choreographic experiments of the 1960s-70s in the United States, focusing on figures like Simone Forti, Meredith Monk, and the Judson Dance Theater. It includes rare documents such as the score for Steve Paxton's 'Satisfyin Lover' (1967), Lucinda Childs' 'Street Dance' (1965), and Yvonne Rainer's diagram comparing minimalist sculpture and dance. The final chapters discuss the Grand Union improvisation collective. The French translation by Denise Luccioni uses a later edition with an updated perspective by the author. Laurence Louppe wrote the review.