What Is Dance? Edited by Roger Copeland and Marshall CohenOxford University Press Oxford London Glasgow New York Toronto Melbourne Auckland Delhi Bombay Calcutta Madras Karachi Kuala Lumpur Singapore Hong Kong Tokyo. Nairobi Dares Salaam Cape Town and associate companies in Beirut Berlin Ibadan Mexico City Nicosia Copyright © 1983 by Oxford University Press, Inc. First published by Oxford University Press, New York, 1983 First issued as an Oxford University Press paperback, 1983 Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Main entry under title: What is dance? Bibliography: p. Includes index. 1, Dancing— Addresses, essays, lectures. I. Copeland, Roger. I. Cohen, Marshall. GV1599.W47 1983 793.3 82-14366 ISBN 0-19-503217-9 ISBN 0-19-503197-0 (pbk.) Since this page cannot legibly accommodate all the copyright notices, pages 569-572 constitute an extension of the copyright page. Printing (last digit); 9 8 Printed in the United States of AmericaCONTENTS I_WHAT IS DANCE? 1 JEAN=GEORGES NOVERRE From Letfers on Dancing and Ballets Letter 1 _10 SELMA JEANNE COHEN D Per JOHN MARTIN Erom The Dance From The Modern Dance Metakinesis __23 Extension of Range 25 Form and Metakinesis 26 SUSANNE K, LANGER From Feeling and Form Virtual Powers __28 The Magic Circle 36 ANDRE LEVINSON The Idea of the Dance: From Aristotle to Mallarmé a7