A groundbreaking choreographer, lighting designer, composer, and costumer, Alwin Nikolais (1910-1993) is recognized as one of the twentieth century's most innovative artists. Incorporating novel technological and performance tactics, he invented a total language of non-literal dance theater that attracted audiences worldwide for over forty years. The Returns of Alwin Nikolais is the first book devoted to a critical analysis of Nikolais's work, and it provides a broad and important overview of his artistic and philosophical trajectory. The volume brings together essays by scholars of dance history, theater studies, music, and art history, and includes primary materials such as reviews, diary excerpts, and photographs. It is a valuable resource for teachers and students of art and culture.Contributors: PHILIP AUSLANDER, HERBERT BLAU, JANA FEINMAN, MARK FRANKO, BOB GILMORE, CLAUDIA GITELMAN, YVONNE HARDT, REBEKAH KOWAL, RANDY MARTIN, NAIMA PREVOTS, AND MARCIA SIEGEL.

CLAUDIA GITELMAN is a veteran of Broadway and the concert stage, and professor emerita at Rutgers University. She has published on the modern dance artists Hanya Holm and Mary Wigman. RANDY MARTIN is a professor of art and public policy at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, and the author and editor of several books, including Critical Moves: Dance Studies in Theory and Politics (1998).