Dancing postcolonialism: the National Dance Theatre Company of Jamaica

This book presents the first in-depth critical and historical examination of the internationally renowned National Dance Theatre Company of Jamaica (NDTC) in the context of postcolonial theatre. Combining a postcolonial theoretical framework with performance studies and dance analysis, the study examines the interrelationship of Jamaican modern dance theatre aesthetics and the Caribbean's complex cultural genealogy since 1492. Addressing issues of postcolonial nationalism and Jamaican identity politics, the book provides the first comprehensive study of the NDTC's modern dance theatre works as it situates dance theatre choreography at the centre of postcolonial independence politics and cultural theory in the Caribbean.

Frontmatter 1 Table of Contents 5 Acknowledgements 7 Intro: Tracking the Cross-Cultural Field - The Journey to Jamaican Dance 9 On Creolization - Theorizing Caribbean Identity 23 Dance and Postcolonial Nationalism - Embodying Emancipation 43 Jamaica's National Dance Theatre Company - A Postcolonial Reading of the Repertoire 95 Coda: After the Journey - The Remains of the Dance... 209 Bibliography 213 Backmatter 230