{"product_id":"the-dance-claimed-me-a-biography-of-pearl-primus","title":"The Dance Claimed Me: A Biography of Pearl Primus","description":"\u003cp\u003ePearl Primus (1919-1994) blazed onto the dance scene in 1943 with stunning works that incorporated social and racial protest into their dance aesthetic. In The Dance Claimed Me  Peggy and Murray Schwartz  friends and colleagues of Primus  offer an intimate perspective on her life and explore her influences on American culture  dance  and education. They trace Primuss path from her childhood in Port of Spain  Trinidad  through her rise as an influential international dancer  an early member of the New Dance Group (whose motto was \"Dance is a weapon\")  and a pioneer in dance anthropology. Primus traveled extensively in the United States  Europe  Israel  the Caribbean  and Africa  and she played an important role in presenting authentic African dance to American audiences. She engendered controversy in both her private and professional lives  marrying a white Jewish man during a time of segregation and challenging black intellectuals who opposed the \"primitive\" in her choreography. Her political protests and mixed-race tours in the South triggered an FBI investigation  even as she was celebrated by dance critics and by contemporaries like Langston Hughes. For The Dance Claimed Me  the Schwartzes interviewed more than a hundred of Primuss family members  friends  and fellow artists  as well as other individuals to create a vivid portrayal of a life filled with passion  drama  determination  fearlessness  and brilliance.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44984885379125,"sku":"ByrdShop_0300155344","price":29.94,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780300155341.jpg?v=1770842362","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/the-dance-claimed-me-a-biography-of-pearl-primus","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}