Dance criticism in the United States is the act of producing a written or spoken review of a

dance Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

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 dance, concert or theatrical dance which includes 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 ...

, or

contemporary dance Contemporary dance is a genre of Concert dance, dance performance that developed during the mid-twentieth century and has since grown to become one of the dominant genres for formally trained dancers throughout the world, with particularly stron ...

). 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, or technical language, 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 conte ...

, 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 Barbara Acocella (née Ross, April 13, 1945 – January 7, 2024) was an American dance critic and author. From 1998 to 2019, she was dance critic for ''The New Yorker''. She also wrote for ''The New York Review of Books'' for 33 years and a ...

of ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...

'' *

Jack Anderson (dance critic) Jack Warren Anderson (June 15, 1935 – October 20, 2023) was 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 h ...

, formerly of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' * 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 an ...

'' *

Robert Gottlieb Robert Adams Gottlieb (April 29, 1931 – June 14, 2023) was an American writer and editor. He was the editor-in-chief of Simon & Schuster, Alfred A. Knopf, and ''The New Yorker''. Gottlieb joined Simon & Schuster in 1955 as an editorial ass ...

of ''

The New York Observer ''The New York Observer'' was a weekly newspaper established in 1987. In 2016, it ceased print publication and became the online-only newspaper ''Observer''. The media site focuses on culture, real estate, media, politics and the entertainment ...

'' *

Laura Jacobs Laura Jacobs is an American 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 ...

of ''

The New Criterion ''The New Criterion'' is a New York–based monthly literary magazine and journal of artistic and cultural criticism, edited by Roger Kimball (editor and publisher) and James Panero (executive editor). It has sections for criticism of poetry ...

'' *

Deborah Jowitt Deborah Jowitt (born 1934) 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 ...

, formerly of ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first Alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, ...

'' *

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 cr ...

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 ki ...

, 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 was launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is Ireland's leading n ...

'' *Judith Mackrell of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' *Luke Jennings of ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...

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 Lieutenan ...

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 Arnold Lionel David Haskell CBE (19 July 1903, London – 14 November 1980, Bath) was a British dance critic who founded the Camargo Society in 1930. With Ninette de Valois, he was influential in the development of the Royal Ballet School, lat ...

* 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