Dance in Palestine has a history as complex and contentious as the land itself. Whether dismissed as bacchantic madness by Bible tourists in the 19th Century, revived and glorified by Zionists, Pan-Arabists and Palestinian Nationalists in the 20th Century, or rejected by Islamic Reformists in the 21st Century, dance in Palestine has a rich and elusive story that remains to be told. 'Raising Dust' traces one dancer's journey into Palestine's past and present. Through historical archives, the memories of dancers of yesteryear and into today's vibrant performing arts scene, Nicholas Rowe shows how dance has acted as a barometer of social change, a forum for debate and a means of expressing forbidden ideas. Far from apolitical, this most physical of art forms has often defined the political mood of the day. Sumptuously illustrated, the author provides a unique, rare and compelling cultural history of dance in Palestine.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS PART I ENTERING PALESTINE AND ITS HISTORY CHAPTER 1: DANCE, PEOPLE AND POLITICS CHAPTER 2: FINDING THE START FOR A HISTORY PART II 1800-1947 DANCE OBSERVED: THE SALVAGE PARADIGM CHAPTER 3: THE LATE OTTOMAN PERIOD CHAPTER 4 : THE BRITISH MANDATE PART III 1948-1980 DANCE REVIVED: THREE PROCESSES OF SALVAGE CHAPTER 5: ZIONIST SALVAGE CHAPTER 6: PAN-ARABIST SALVAGE CHAPTER 7: PALESTINIAN NATIONALIST SALVAGE PART IV 1980-2008 DANCE IN EVOLUTIONARY MOTION: THE POST-SALVAGE PARADIGM CHAPTER 8: THE FIRST INTIFADA CHAPTER 9: THE OSLO PERIODCHAPTER 10: THE SECOND INTIFADA CHAPTER 11: DANCING DOWN THE ROADNOTESBIBLIOGRAPHYINDEX