Dancing On Common Ground

"This unique book combines linguistics, history, archaeology, and anthropology into a whole overview of the development of tribal alliances and self-governance through time. No other scholar addresses so successfully and so well the imagery of political and historical issues through dance". -- C. Blue Clark, author of Lone Wolf v. Hitchcock.

This tract of land in Niagara-on-the-Lake has witnessed an amazing cavalcade of Canadian history. For 250 years a large tract of oak savannah at the mouth of the Niagara River designated as a Military Reserve has witnessed a rich military and political history: the site of the first parliament of Upper Canada; a battleground during the War of 1812; and annual summer militia camps and the training camp for tens of thousands of men and women during the First and Second World Wars. In the midst of the Reserve stood the symbolic Indian Council House where thousands of Native allies received their annual presents and participated in treaty negotiations. From its inception, this territory was regarded by the local citizenry as common lands, their "Commons." Although portions of the perimeter have been severed for various purposes, including the Shaw Festival Theatre, today this historic place includes three National Historic Sites, playing fields, walking trails, and remnants of first-growth forest in Paradise Grove. On Common Ground chronicles the extraordinary lives and events that have made this place very special indeed.

This look at Progressive-era women and innovative cultural practices “blazes a new trail in dance scholarship” (Choice, Outstanding Academic Book of the Year). From salons to dance halls to settlement houses, new dance practices at the turn of the twentieth century became a vehicle for expressing cultural issues and negotiating matters of gender. By examining master narratives of modern dance history, this provocative and insightful book demonstrates the cultural agency of Progressive-era dance practices. “Tomko blazes a new trail in dance scholarship by interconnecting U.S. History and dance studies . . . the first to argue successfully that middle-class U.S. women promoted a new dance practice to manage industrial changes, crowded urban living, massive immigration, and interchange and repositioning among different classes.” —Choice

There are many ways to live a life, but one thing we know for sure through studying history, the arts, psychology, business, or nearly any field you wish is that there are certain characteristics to living a life of meaning and purpose—elements that also resonate with the founding ideals of the United States. Author Elizabeth Moro refers to these self-evident truths as the Civil Graces. The Civil Graces Project invites you to embark on a journey that has the power to transform your life and the world around you. There are many graces to choose from, and embracing a few or even one in your life can shift your perspective and bring about dramatic change. You can live your life with intention and attention, despite what might be happening in the larger context of the world. Escape the noise and live the life of your dreams. You can save the world by first examining your life and then putting these truths into practice. This self-improvement guide focuses on uniting principles that uplift us and bring us together to pursue common ground and make a more perfect union.