Power and the is cal and amoral. It fragments and diminishes the experience of the work, for artworks are made and judged ina world that is moral, social, and cognitive. ‘We are witnessing a shift in critical values during the present period. ‘An “anxiety of evaluation” has manifested itself in American criticism in many ways over the past thirty years or so—from an insistence on pure description to debates about cultural relativism. Even the growing em- phasis on the political dimension of evaluation noted above is linked to an anxiety of aesthetic evaluation when artists and critics themselves challenge the “right” of the citi to judge a work created by someone outside of her “race” ethnictylclass/genderlete. This anxiety now deserves to be put to rest. Although evaluation should not be the only function the critic per- forms, itis a valuable and crucial aspect of the eritic’s work. If evaluation causes anxiety, itis, nevertheless, unavoidable. 5 Power and the Dancing Body Doncng Bodies Change the Wold Dance historians often start from the premise that dance reflects society. For instance, in Time and the Dancing Image, Deborah Jowitt writes: Western theatrical dancing ... has always been responsive to cuurent trends, At its mast profound, like the other arts, it reflects aspects of the current world picture; tits most superficial, it acknowledges the eurent. fashions... The dancer’s image has been subject to many alterations since the beginning ofthe nineteenth century in response tothe immense social, political, scientific, and technological upheavals that have cherac- terized the period... Tryingto view the dancers ofthe pastas products of their age... isa challenge [italics added). For Jowitt, dancing and dancers do not produce culture, but are products of it. Dancing and dancers relect intellectual and material trends in other spheres of human activity; they do not catalyze trends. ‘Ghoreosraohine Histor Conference, Rives, Ci 192Sin on spn! on Ansan ties nd Amaia ese the mi 8 iste ta he ppl body feces ple body I ued binary modeled by the mtheylogat Nay ova thal contd ooh ver chagy ody her yon Si et oct od all Sd al hat he Seth, contol vito ly iage preyed tags st att bck an white dance cates the hts ee hein fd breskdancersn Fado Michel fon se an re Seashing es pone tht eit or ne ase ets nal anc orale wot ang aan ty nls Nove Esteem ito of ino acount i Pees Fr dancing pata pce fre Me nual hh ened yen atom. ays ed print tebe wig of MeN ta ed conse in deme See ee aa med te courte of Bue in he Washing Bete ceric, not ony aa bolic tei tenth en a ee oyrtotapacage phy dsc Fae izes To sd treme ti opermiilels Sal ern cin oer cage ed Sept. Te Shay sammie nny Ok Hi otrningevets—in regard fo, ft tanec, posiay of Pa eile nda pose, pesto of tent, ating ag 1 oles etal eeton and on, Are singh begin hing a ano tthe str he PED Bera et al, fa inte, rene aay he ofa nce bacon ale an eben ub! Did Ee Fee tee eed fom back dans) change the way a fo ei ste sod and eid heme se eth in arr a tae goverment dance 2 a te micrpates of how pone net se eaten dance ens Elvabel Adcom ia ence aa ane ee ian a on a eared makeovers Wat