Swim pretty : aquatic spectacles and the performance of race, gender, and nature / Jennifer A. Kokai.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Kokai, Jennifer A., author.

Series:

Theater in the Americas

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Synchronized swimming.

Aquatic sports--Social aspects.

Aquatic sports.

Water--Social aspects.

Water.

Social aspects.

Physical Description:

xiv, 234 pages ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

Carbondale : Southern Illinois University Press, [2017]

Summary:

Drawing on cultural associations with bodies of water, the spectacle of pretty women, and the appeal of the concept of "family-friendly" productions, performative aquatic spectacles portray water as an exotic fantasy environment exploitable for the purpose of entertainment. In Swim Pretty, Jennifer A. Kokai reveals the influential role of aquatic spectacles in shaping cultural perceptions of aquatic ecosystems in the United States over the past century. Examining dramatic works in water and performances at four water parks, Kokai shows that the evolution of these works and performances helps us better understand our ever-changing relationship with the oceans and their inhabitants. Kokai sorts the regard for and harnessing of water in aquatic spectacles into three categories-natural, tamed, and domesticated-and discusses the ways in which these modes of water are engaged in the performances through an aesthetics of descension. Ultimately, this study links the uncritical love of aquatic spectacles to a disregard for the rights of marine animals and lack of concern for the marine environment. Book jacket.

Contents:

Introduction: a drop of water

The 1939 New York World's Fair: mermaids obscene and glamorous

Weeki wachee girls and buccaneer boys: the evolution of gender in aquatic spectacles

Swine dives: the impact of novelty and commerce on aquatic spectacles

The deaths of mermaids and whales: the extremity of the aesthetics of descension

Conclusion: singing mollusks and dancing belugas.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780809336005

0809336006

OCLC:

956480320