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Victoria and Albert Museum

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Dance

Dance

The V&A’s Theatre and Performance collection encompasses the history of dance from the 17th century to the present day. It includes many different forms of dance from music hall to ballet and also covers the history of Black and South Asian dance in the UK.

Dance in Popular Theatre
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Dance in Popular Theatre

A brief history of dance in popular theatre from the 17th century, through music hall, the development of ballet, skirt dancing and the Tiller Girls.
20th-Century Dance

20th-Century Dance

From the early 20th century dancers, especially in Germany and America, experimented with freer, more personal ways of moving. They rejected the rigidity of classical ballet. This style of movement is often referred to as ‘modern dance’, a term which encompasses a wide range of styles and techniques.
London Contemporary Dance Theatre
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London Contemporary Dance Theatre

London Contemporary Dance Theatre was established in 1966, becoming the flagship of modern dance in Britain.
History of Black Dance: The Origins of Black Dance
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History of Black Dance: The Origins of Black Dance

The term black dance describes a range of styles whose origins include the tribal dances of Africa, the slave dances of the West Indies and the American Deep South
History of Black Dance: 20th-Century Black American Dance
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History of Black Dance: 20th-Century Black American Dance

Black culture had a real influence on dance and other art forms in the 20th century. After the American civil war a surge of people from the Caribbean and Deep South migrated into North American cities.
History of Black Dance: Black British Dance
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History of Black Dance: Black British Dance

The first British black dance company was Ballets Nègres. Its founder, Berto Pasuka was born in Jamaica and learned dancing from the Maroon Negroes, descendants of runaway slaves.
Dance Costume Design
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Dance Costume Design

Dance costume is a highly specialised field and as well as having to reflect the overall concept of the work, body movement, the demands of the choreography of a particular work and the effects of different fabrics in motion all have to be taken into consideration.
Fred and Adele Astaire
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Fred and Adele Astaire

Fred Astaire (1899–1987) was one of the greatest dancers of the 20th century. He and his sister Adele (1896–1981) were child stars in American Vaudeville before moving into musicals in their late teens. They became major Broadway stars and then in 1923 appeared for the first time in Britain, where they were an immediate hit.
Josephine Baker
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Josephine Baker

Josephine Baker, international star of sensational, exotic cabarets including La Revue Nègre, and the infamous Folies Bergère in Paris and Berlin, was born on 3 June 1906 in St Louis, Missouri.
Dance Reading List

Dance Reading List

Recommended reading about dance
Ballet

Ballet

Ballet dates back to the royal courts of 17th-century Europe. Styles of choreography have changed radically over the years, through the Romantic, Classical and 20th-century ballet periods. The V&A holds a large collection of ballet-related items in its Theatre & Performance collections including set designs, costumes, production photographs and orchestral scores.
Musical Theatre

Musical Theatre

The history of musicals from early ballad operas to today’s West End blockbusters can be explored through the V&A’s Theatre and Performance Collections.
Theatre & Performance

Theatre & Performance

The Theatre and Performance collection was founded in the 1920s when a private collector, Gabrielle Enthoven, donated her extensive collection of theatrical designs, memorabilia, books and photographs to the Museum. Since then the collection has continued to grow and has provided a home for many other significant objects and archives. All areas of the live performing arts are represented in the collections, documenting both current practice and the history of the performing arts in the UK.

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