Today's Hip-Hop

May 1, 2019

Gr 3-5-In simple overviews, "Dance Today" showcases four of the most popular current dance styles. Each book in this series describes the origin and evolution of its specific style and provides brief biographies of big stars. For instance, Ballet includes Misty Copeland, the world-renowned American ballerina whose power and grace made her a modern icon. Tap Dancing charts the evolution of tap, from classic movie stars like Bill "Bojangles" Robinson to dancer/choreographer Savion Glover. There is some overlap between Hip-Hop and Street Dance, but Mortensen does an adequate job showing their differences, especially in the ways street dance can serve as a form of activism for movements like Black Lives Matter. Each book in the series briefly describes the dedication, athleticism, and training routines of top dance stars and crews. VERDICT Not a necessary purchase, but in communities where dance is particularly popular, these could be a sensation.

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