The popularity and profile of African dance have exploded across the African diaspora in the last fifty years. Hot Feet and Social Change presents traditionalists, neo-traditionalists, and contemporary artists, teachers, and scholars telling some of the thousands of stories lived and learned by people in the field. Concentrating on eight major cities in the United States, the essays challenges myths about African dance while demonstrating its power to awaken identity, self-worth, ...

Before he became one of the most influential composers in history, Johann Sebastian Bach was simply a boy growing up in a small German town where music filled the air and discipline shaped daily life. This book follows Bach from his earliest days in a household crowded with instruments, voices, and expectations, into a world where sound was learned through repetition, tradition, and hard work.When tragedy strikes and both of his parents die, Bach's childhood is abruptly cut short. ...