Designed for beginning and intermediate courses, this accessible, easy-to-read text provides students with concrete, practical information on both the technical and creative aspects of modern dance. It also covers the basics of anatomy, including posture and injury concerns.

James Penrod, M.F.A., has performed as a dancer and actor, choreographed nationally and internationally in venues ranging from concert, theatre, opera, and television. His work has been seen at such prestigious festivals as the Edinburgh, Holland, and Spoletto and opera companies such as Opera Pacific and San Francisco and for television BBC II and NBC. He has written two books and contributed numerous articles to national journals. As an administrator he was a founding faculty member of the prestigious dance department at the University of California, Irvine and served as the department chair for many years. He also has been Associate Dean for the Claire Trevor School of the Arts.Janice Gudde Plastino, Ph.D., is Professor of Dance, University of California, Irvine, and teaches injury prevention, dance conditioning, kinesiology, tap, modern dance, and choreography. She has published on the subjects of dance medicine/science and dance education. She is on the editorial board for the Journal of Dance Medicine and Science and member of the board of directors for Performing Arts Medicine Association and Music Intelligence Neural Development Institute (M.I.N.D.). She has performed and choreographed nationally and internationally. She was co-director of Penrod-Plastino Movement Theatre for 15 years. She established the first dance science emphasis in education at UCI in 1987 in cooperation with other health professionals. She was the 1991 NDA Dance Scholar and the 2001 Dance Teacher of the year.