British Dance: Black Routes re-examines the distinctive contributions made to British dance by dancers who are Black. Covering the period 1946 to the present, it presents a radical re-reading of dancers and their companies, placing their achievements within a broader historical, cultural, and artistic context.

The result of a two-year research project, British dance and the African Diaspora, led by editors Christy Adair and Ramsay Burt, the collection looks at artists working with contemporary dance African Caribbean dance, jazz dance, and dance improvisation. Chapters illuminate the commonalities and differences between sub-Saharan West African dance forms and hybridized dance forms from the USA and the Caribbean, addressing key themes such as rhythm, community, and spirituality.

This outstanding collection re-evaluates dancers’ work in the context of cultural and aesthetic issues relevant to the African diaspora, looking afresh at over five decades of artistic production to provide an unparalleled resource for dance students and scholars.