Hiking the Horizontal by Liz Lerman

As Liz Lerman writes in the prologue (xvii):

"Keep one foot in the professional world and one in the community," I would say. "I am not fragmented. I live like this because the world is fragmented. I am just being the whole person that I want to be."

I truly have been waiting 20 years for a book like Liz Lerman's generous contribution to the field, Hiking the Horizontal. This level of detail and reflection on a career in dance and the dynamic interplay of artmaking and community making is what I have searched for for many years. Lerman's book, now in paperback, is a hefty 322 pages chronicling her career, family, the Dance Exchange, site-specific projects, and questions for the greater dance community. Lerman has been my role model for 20 years about multigenerational dance, dance theater work, and a fluid relationship between professional work and community-based work. She was the first person in college that I saw doing this work; she had my heart. 

What can I say? I say a huge thank you to Liz. 

Whether you have personally studied with Liz, or are simply a fan of her work, purchase this book here. In terms of graduate level books while pursuing choreography, the shortlist for me includes:

• Hiking the Horizontal – Liz Lerman
• A Choreographic Mind – Susan Rethorst
• The Place of Dance – Andrea Olsen
• The Choreographer's Handbook – Jonathan Burrows

To read further about Liz's career, please read her artist profile on the blog here.

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Related posts:

A Choreographic Mind by Susan Rethorst

Writing Dancing: With Andrea Olsen

Artist Profile #119: Liz Lerman

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