THEORY AND PRACTICE

The visual and written documentation on Halprin’s work from her early days as a modern dancer through to her current work is extensive. From the start of her career she has valued opportunities to share her views on dance in the public arena as demonstrated by the founding of Impulse magazine, through films, videos and the many contributions she has made to journals. In addition, her willingness to provide interviews, give presentations and document-specific projects has resulted in a sizeable body of work, some of which has been published and remains accessible. Evaluation of theoretical approaches to performance and of the performances themselves plays a vital role in her creative process, promoting a flexible, fluid attitude to both her theory and practice as opposed to reliance on a set style or formula. Moving Toward Life: Five Decades of Transformational Dance, the collection of writings compiled by Halprin with editor Rachel Kaplan and published in 1995, is the first time that such a wide range of documentation has been brought together in a single volume. It provides the reader with representative samples of writing and illustrations spanning her whole career. The text is divided into three broad sections: ‘The Halprin Life/Art Process: Theory, History and Practice’, ‘The Work in Community’ and ‘Leaning into Ritual’. Each one is introduced and placed in context by dance

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writers Sally Banes and Janice Ross, with the editor Rachel Kaplan. These short essays help to establish the thematic underpinning of the structure of the book and relate this to relevant periods addressed.