A Time to Dance

The immense scope is handled with clarity and insight, fitting American country dancing into the broader context of American studies. . . . Nevell records American country dances as historical artifacts, as social expressions of rural and urban communities, as manifestations of democracy, and as an evolving traditional art that changes to meet the needs of a changing American society. The breezy, relaxed style lends itself to easy reading, and is accompanied by excellent illustrations.

A splendid book, at once personable and probing, I predict will become a dance classic.

Long before “social capital” emerged as a world-wide term for trust and community building, country dancing had been meeting this need of urban and rural Americans alike for more than three centuries. A Time to Dance explores the evolution of American country dance from Colonial time to the present, taking the reader across the USA in search of the reasons why so many millions of Americans love to share the country dance floor with friends, neighbors, even total strangers, in a celebration of community.