Professor Helen Myers, director of Dance in the Department of Theatre and Dance, is the author of the chapter, “Piercing the Mask of Japanese Dance Theater,” in a new edition of the book, “The Dance Experience,” released by Princeton Book Company. The book is intended to be used as a text (or reference) for a dance History or dance survey course.
In the chapter, Myers offers a historical, cultural and aesthetic overview of the Japanese dance theater forms of Bugaku, Noh, Kabuki and Butoh, comparing and contrasting each form.
“The Dance Experience” is designed to provide an understanding of the history, evolution, and universality of dance by exploring the significance of dance in culture, its relationship to other art forms, the contributions of great choreographers, dancers, and teachers and the creative process itself.
Myers choreographs, teaches, and performs as a free-lance artist. Her work is often multi-media, blending dance, theatre, and video. She has trained and appeared as a guest performer with the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company and The Twyla Tharp Dance Company; and was a member of The Moving Arts Company and the Tom Evert Dance Company. She regularly choreographs and performs around the U.S., as well as in Canada and Mexico.
Myers previously taught at the Ohio State University, Kent State University, SUNY Geneseo, New Mexico State University and Eastern New Mexico University, where she earned an award for teaching excellence from the secretary of state for New Mexico.
