Best Dance Books of 2025

Dynamic Alignment Through Imagery, Third Edition by Eric Franklin is a comprehensive guide for dancers, athletes, and performing artists who want to improve their self-awareness, body image, and movement efficiency. The book includes over 600 anatomical imagery exercises, more than 500 full-color illustrations, and four audio files containing guided imagery exercises. Franklin expertly guides readers through foundational concepts of posture, dynamic alignment, and imagery, and provides exercises for anatomical imagery, covering every area of the body from head to toe. This book is a must-have for anyone looking to improve their body alignment and prevent injuries.

Functional Awareness: Anatomy in Action for Dancers is a comprehensive guide to improving dance skills and body wellness. It goes beyond the description of the musculoskeletal system and introduces the reader to the reflective practice of Functional Awareness®, which teaches strategies to change daily habits and have a profound effect on ease in action. With over 60 beautiful illustrations, the book provides essential information on functional anatomy and offers mental training through anatomical visualizations and tactile body mapping to improve specific dance movements. Each chapter concludes with a mindful practice to integrate practices into daily life. Overall, this book is a valuable resource for dancers looking to enhance their performance and maintain lifelong body wellness.

The Culture of Dance: The Power to Create, Connect, and Master is a thought-provoking book that explores the transformative power of dance. Written by over 30 leading experts, this book covers a wide range of topics, including performance, competitive, political, community-building, commercial, fitness, and therapy. The book provides insight into the ways dance has been used in culture throughout time to inspire creativity, enrich connections, and enhance mastery. Overall, The Culture of Dance is an excellent resource for those interested in dance, health, fitness, and wellness.

World Dance Cultures: From Ritual to Spectacle is a highly illustrated textbook that explores a wide range of dance forms from around the world, including India, Bali, Africa, and more. Each chapter covers a specific region's unique dances, pinpointing key issues and trends from the form's development to its modern iteration. The book also offers study features such as case studies, first-hand descriptions of dances, and discussion questions. Overall, this text is a comprehensive survey of non-Western dance traditions that fills a critical gap in the literature and is an essential resource for students and instructors alike.

Karen Clippinger’s Dance Anatomy and Kinesiology is an updated and improved edition of the definitive text on the subject. The book provides a comprehensive understanding of musculoskeletal anatomy and kinesiology, which is essential for dancers to understand. The material is presented in a reader-friendly manner, with graphics, photos, and anatomical illustrations that demonstrate muscle movements and technique considerations. The book also includes strength and flexibility exercises for each region of the body, making it a great reference for Pilates, yoga, and fitness instructors, as well as dance educators and dedicated dancers. Overall, this book is a valuable resource for anyone interested in dance anatomy and kinesiology.

This second edition of Dance Teaching Methods and Curriculum Design is an excellent resource for undergraduate students preparing to teach dance education. The book provides a comprehensive model of dance education that encompasses various dance forms, effective lesson and unit plans, and curriculum development. The book includes new material such as four new sample dance units, useful instructor ancillaries, and resources delivered on HKPropel. The book also offers a dance portfolio that students create as they work through the text. Overall, Dance Teaching Methods and Curriculum Design is a holistic approach to dance pedagogy that provides a solid foundation for teaching dance to children through adults in school and community environments.

Brain-Compatible Dance Education, Second Edition by Anne Green Gilbert is a valuable resource for dance educators of all levels. The book presents the latest brain research and its implications for dancers and educators, making it easy to understand and apply in a practical setting. The unique BrainDance warm-up is a highlight of the book, with eight developmental movement patterns suitable for all ages. The new edition also features 24 new lesson plans, teaching tips, and web resources, including video clips of BrainDance. The book is organized into three parts and offers a comprehensive approach to brain-compatible dance education. Overall, this book is an excellent guide for dance educators looking to incorporate brain research into their teaching methods.

La Nijinska: Choreographer of the Modern is a groundbreaking biography of Bronislava Nijinska, the premier female choreographer of twentieth-century ballet. Written by Lynn Garafola, the book sheds light on the sexism that was pervasive in the early and mid-twentieth-century ballet world and the barriers that women choreographers still face. Nijinska's career, which was overshadowed by her brother Vaslav Nijinsky, was far longer and more productive. The book highlights her greatest work, Les Noces, and her collaborations with leading figures of twentieth-century art, music, and ballet. Garafola's writing style is clear, unfussy, and easy to digest.

Laban for All is a comprehensive guide to Rudolf Laban's movement system. The book offers simplified versions of Laban's techniques that can be used by beginners and professionals alike. It includes illustrations and diagrams that lay out the basic vocabulary of the Laban system and offers specific exercises. The authors, Jean Newlove and John Dalby, have both studied and taught Laban's ideas around the world. This book is a practical and thorough grounding in one of the most important movement systems in use today.

Appreciating Dance: A Guide to the World's Liveliest Art is a comprehensive guide to the history of various forms of dance, including social dance, ballet, modern dance, tap, jazz, theatrical dance, and contemporary dance. The book also covers notable dancers and choreographers, the intersection of dance and religion, and budding dance trends. The fifth edition has been updated and revised with new information, including suggestions for YouTube viewing at the end of each chapter. Overall, this impressively informed and informative book is thoroughly reader-friendly and highly recommended for anyone interested in the art of dance.