I instigated, curated, and edited this book because I felt that though ballet is often seen as a white, cis-heteropatriarchal form of dance, in fact it has been, and still is, shaped by artists from a much broader range of backgrounds. This anthology looks beyond the mainstream, bringing to light the overlooked influences that continue to inform the culture of ballet. Essays illuminate the dance form’s rich and complex history and start much-needed conversations about the roles of class, gender normativity, and race, demonstrating that despite mainstream denial and exclusionary tactics, ballet thrives with “difference.”

With contributions from professional ballet dancers and teachers, choreographers, and dance scholars in Europe and the United States, the volume introduces important new thinkers and perspectives. An essential resource for the field of ballet studies and a major contribution to dance scholarship more broadly, (Re:) Claiming Ballet will appeal to academics, researchers, and scholars; dance professionals and practitioners;  and anyone interested in the intersection of race, class, gender, and dance.

Adesola Akinleye editor and curator of the book with chapters from: Julie Gleich & Molly Faulkner, Joselli Audain Deans, Sandie Bourne, Mary Savva, Brenda Dixson-Gottschild, Elizabeth Ward, Kehinde Ishangi, Theresa Ruth Howard, Theara J. Ward, Jessica Zeller, Selby Wynn Schwartz, Nena Gilreath, Endalyn Taylor, Melonie B. Murray, Tia-Monique Uzor, Luc Vanier & Elizabeth Johnson

Citation: Akinleye, A. (ed.), (2021). (re:)claiming ballet. Bristol UK and Chicago USA: Intellect Books, University of Chicago Press.