Books

* MIDNIGHT ROSE
by Wendy Buonaventura

Midnight Rose is based on the life of one of the most notorious female performers of the Edwardian age. Maud Allan found fame for her portrayal of the ultimate dancing femme fatale, Salome. Combining fact and fiction, Midnight Rose explores the extraordinary life of one of the earliest celebrities.

To purchase this book go to Cinnabar Books website: www.cinnabarbooks.co.uk

* Wendy’s latest book, just completed…

 

I PUT A SPELL ON YOU
by Wendy Buonaventura

From the cancan and tango to the waltz and black bottom: this book looks at how women have used dance for self-expression, financial independence and to escape the confines of society.

‘Buonaventura’s theatrical flourish never deserts her in her bravura leaps through history…She knows dance to be a language beyond words, but she has somehow translated it so that the story of how we move reveals also what moves us.’ - Justine Picardie, The Daily Telegraph

‘Biting and incisive…the writing bristles with the sharp observations of an informed insider’ - Dance Theatre Journal

‘Wendy Buonaventura’s wildly provocative book operates on many levels, using women’s dance to probe the subject of social power, class and gender politics the world over…For anyone who has had the pleasure of seeing this author perform, she dances as she writes: drawing you in with flowing ease and grace before shooting from the hip with a devilish twinkle in the eye!’ - Mosaic Magazine

Saqi Books: ISBN 0 83656 788 6 available from bookshops & by email from the publisher: orders@saqibooks.com Published in the U.S. by Da Capo Press under the title "Something In The Way She Moves"

 

FLUTE OF SAND
by Lawrence Morgan

Memories of a year in Algeria with the Ouled Nail. This rare account charts the personal lives of the legendary dancers of Bou Saada, their intrigues, secret language and the everyday customs of a vanished way of life.

First published in the 1950s and out of print for many years, this limited edition is reprinted in facsimile.

To purchase this book go to Cinnabar Books website: www.cinnabarbooks.co.uk

 

SERPENT OF THE NILE. Women and Dance in the Arab World
by Wendy Buonaventura

‘A lively and lavishly illustrated excursion into the history of Middle Eastern dance’ - New York Times

‘For anyone seriously interested in dance this book is invaluable’ - Dancing Times

Saqi Books. ISBN 0863566723 Reprinted 2009 with updated material in English (Saqi Books) and German; also available in Russian; French edition sometimes available on the internet.

 

BEAUTY AND THE EAST
by Wendy Buonaventura

Traditional body care and the creation of sensual ambiance in the East, including secrets of the steam baths and the uses of henna; a pot pourri of practical information, stories and extracts from poetry and literature.

Saqi Books. ISBN 0863560814 available from bookshops & by email from the publisher: orders@saqibooks.com 

 

Wendy Buonaventura
email: wendy

* all performance photos by Nick Spollin
copyright Wendy Buonaventura 2008
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