This rich collection of essays and interviews explores modern-dance technique training from the last fifty years. Focusing on the culture of dance, editors Melanie Bales and Rebecca Nettl-Fiol examine choreographic process and style, dancer agency and participation in the creative process, and changes in the role and purpose of training. Bringing recent writings on dance into dialogue with dance practice, The Body Eclectic: Evolving Practices in Dance Training asks readers to consider the relationship between training practices and choreographic style and content. The contributors explore how technique training both guides and reflects the art of dance. 

Contributors include Melanie Bales, Glenna Batson, Wendell Beavers, Veronica Dittman, Natalie Gilbert, Joshua Monten, Martha Myers, and Rebecca Nettl-Fiol.

Dance professionals interviewed include David Dorfman, Ralph Lemon, Bebe Miller, Tere O’Connor, and Shelley Washington.

Melanie Bales is an associate professor of dance at Ohio State University. An expert in Laban Movement Analysis, she is also a performer and choreographer.  Rebecca Nettl-Fiol is an associate professor of dance at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, a choreographer, and an Alexander Technique specialist.