A Dance for The Gods


Book Description

Journey through ancient Africa by immersing yourself in this riveting story. View the world through the eyes of the enthralling characters as they dance to the hymns played by whatever gods they serve. King Ewuare is dead; another King has been captured. Now, vultures are circling to devour the once-great kingdom, Mombaka. Across all five kingdoms below the Moon Sea, new alliances are being forged to replace old ones as Kings and Queens vie for power. After betraying and leading her husband to slaughter, Queen Meha and her son, Kendi, return home to collect her prize as she watches the little boy ascend the throne. Princess Jamila remains in Amarea, navigating her way through an uneasy marriage to the Amarean Crown Prince, Gambo, with only her wits to aid her. Queen Idioba journeys deep into the mythical Agbon forest in search of a cure for the cursed Prince, Kamunde, facing many mysterious creatures on her way. Foreign merchantmen arrive in Songhai, bringing a new religion accompanied by peace and prosperity on the one hand, and chaos and destruction on the other. Across the Moon Sea, Eweka climbs up the ranks in the Vulkan army, while Lehani travels across treacherous lands and stormy waters to have her revenge on him. Up in the cold mountains and the valleys in-between, the Orbs continue rising, gaining power and strength as the lighting god prepares to unleash the great war upon them all.




Dancing with the Gods


Book Description

When Kent Nerburn received a letter from Jennifer, a young woman questioning her calling to spend her life in the arts, the writer and artist was struck by how closely her questions mirrored the doubts and yearnings of his own youth. Nerburn resolved that he would write his own letter: a letter of welcome and encouragement to all young artists setting out on the same strange and magical journey, sharing the wisdom of a life spent working in the arts. From struggles with money and the bitterness of rejection, to spiritual questions of inspiration and authenticity, Dancing With the Gods offers insight, solace and courage to help young artists on the winding road to artistic fulfilment. Tender and joyous, it is a celebration of art's power to transform the darkest of human experience and give voice to the grandest of human hopes.




Dancing Gods


Book Description

"A clear, sympathetic, and informed introduction to these people and their ceremonies ... should give every new onlooker a deeper appreciation of the dance which is really a prayer."--The Denver Post




Dancing with the Gods


Book Description

This book is an ode to the mythological heritage of Bharatanatyam. The visual narrative captures the rich heritage of this temple dance and its original exponents, the Devadasis or 'handmaidens of the deity'. Its repertoire of movements and moods bring alive the fascinating stories of Hindu gods and goddesses and their kaleidoscopic lives. In the following pages, the authors have traced the myths and legends that are cherished in our performing arts, to delight the culture-curious reader. And what is interesting is that in these stories, the reader will discover the inter-connectedness of ancient mythologies around the world. Perhaps such discoveries go a long way in validating the role that art plays in connecting civilizations. The book is designed to engage the reader without pedagogy or scholastic strictures, but with a lightness of touch, that entertains while it informs. Because the vision here is to weave information, anecdotes and trivia, together in the spirit of a popular cultural ranconteur. Replete with rare photographs curated from the Sohinimoksha World Dance and Communications archives, complemented by a lucid narrative that wraps facts in the language of romance and adventure, this book promises to be a collector's item for those who value the legacy of India's most celebrated dance form. For glimpses of some live performances by Sohini Roychowdhury, and her Sohinimoksha World Dance troupe, celebrating the music, dance, mythology of India and the World, go on-line to 'Dancing With The God.... with Sohinimoksha World Dance' at https://youtu.be/naR7p6SKiko




Cambodian Dance


Book Description

'Cambodian Dance' shows the links between the exquisite stone carvings of the 13th century Angkor temples and the living dance tradition. It includes in-depth interviews with dancers who survived the Khmer Rouge era to revive dance today.




Glamour of the Gods


Book Description

Glamour of the Gods is a survey of Hollywood portraiture from the industry's golden age, a period lasting from 1920 to 1960. All the photographs were selected from the astonishing archive of the John Kobal Foundation in London.




The Gods of Tango


Book Description

A San Francisco Chronicle Best Book of 2015 An NBC Latino Selection for Ten Great Latino Books Published in 2015 Arriving in Buenos Aires in 1913, with only a suitcase and her father’s cherished violin to her name, seventeen-year-old Leda is shocked to find that the husband she has travelled across an ocean to reach is dead. Unable to return home, alone, and on the brink of destitution, she finds herself seduced by the tango, the dance that underscores every aspect of life in her new city. Knowing that she can never play in public as a woman, Leda disguises herself as a young man to join a troupe of musicians. In the illicit, scandalous world of brothels and cabarets, the line between Leda and her disguise begins to blur, and forbidden longings that she has long kept suppressed are realized for the first time. Powerfully sensual, The Gods of Tango is an erotically charged story of music, passion, and the quest for an authentic life against the odds.




Kathakali Dance-Drama


Book Description

Kathakali Dance-Drama provides a comprehensive introduction to the distinctive and colourful dance-drama of Kerala in South-West India for the first time. This landmark volume: * explores Kathakali's reception as it reaches new audiences both in India and the west * includes two cases of controversial of Kathakali experiments * explores the implications for Kathakali of Keralan politics During these performances heroes, heroines, gods and demons tell their stories of traditional Indian epics. The four Kathakali plays included in this anthology, translated from actual performances into English are: * The Flower of Good Fortune * The Killing of Kirmmira * The Progeny of Krishna * King Rugmamgada's Law Each play has an introduction and detailed commentary and is illustrated by stunning photographs taken during performances. An introduction to Kathakali stage conventions, make-up, music, acting, and training is also provided, making this an ideal volume for both the specialist and non-specialist reader.




God's Red Son


Book Description

The definitive account of the Ghost Dance religion, which led to the infamous massacre at Wounded Knee in 1890 Winner of the Bancroft Prize in American History In 1890, on Indian reservations across the West, followers of a new religion danced in circles until they collapsed into trances. In an attempt to suppress this new faith, the US Army killed over two hundred Lakota Sioux at Wounded Knee Creek. In God's Red Son, historian Louis Warren offers a startling new view of the religion known as the Ghost Dance, from its origins in the visions of a Northern Paiute named Wovoka to the tragedy in South Dakota. To this day, the Ghost Dance remains widely mischaracterized as a primitive and failed effort by Indian militants to resist American conquest and return to traditional ways. In fact, followers of the Ghost Dance sought to thrive in modern America by working for wages, farming the land, and educating their children, tenets that helped the religion endure for decades after Wounded Knee. God's Red Son powerfully reveals how Ghost Dance teachings helped Indians retain their identity and reshape the modern world.




The Dancing Gods


Book Description

A FEW ALTERATIONS Throckmorton P. Ruddygore, master wizard, had troubles--again! Ruddygore had defeated the Dark Baron and exiled him from the magical realm of Husaquahr to Earth. But he hadn't counted on the Baron's using an earthly computer to create even more effective spells. Of course, the Baron couldn't use those spells. But the forces of Hell soon sent him a second-rank wizard who could--and together they worked a scam so that Ruddygore couldn't cross the Sea of Dreams to deal with the Baron directly. Now the Baron was developing a scheme that would surely result in Armageddon before its time. Once again Marge the fairy and Joe the barbarian were called upon to do the dirty work. They had to return to their home world and stop the Baron--if they could . . . And that would be only the beginning of their assignment! "A damn fine storyteller . . . Chalker is a master." --Orson Scott Card