8 New Dance Books Reshaping the Industry in 2025

Jacqui Greene Haas brings a unique perspective shaped by her dual background as a professional ballet dancer and longtime performing arts medicine expert. In Dance Anatomy, you learn exactly how specific muscles, joints, and tendons engage during various dance movements, with over 100 vivid anatomical illustrations clarifying this connection. The book delves into topics like posture maintenance, flexibility enhancement, and injury prevention, while also addressing brain health to help manage performance anxiety. Whether you're a dancer aiming to refine technique or an instructor looking to deepen your understanding of the body in motion, this book offers precise insights grounded in decades of experience and updated modern expressions of dance.

Amanda Clark challenges the conventional wisdom that teaching dance is purely about movement mastery by framing it as a multifaceted educational practice. Her book dives into cognitive and motor learning principles, offering you concrete strategies for developing curricula and lesson plans that cater to diverse dance styles such as ballet, jazz, and hip-hop. What you gain is a well-rounded toolkit that covers everything from anatomy basics and injury prevention to classroom management and inclusivity, making it essential whether you teach in universities or community studios. This book suits anyone aiming to deepen their teaching effectiveness, not just perfect dance moves.

This tailored book explores cutting-edge dance techniques and innovative practices emerging in 2025, designed specifically to align with your dance background and goals. It covers the latest discoveries in movement, choreography, and training methods, offering a personalized journey that matches your skill level and interests. By focusing on the newest developments, it reveals how contemporary dance is evolving with fresh insights into technique, expression, and performance. This approach allows you to engage deeply with content that matters most to your dance practice, making your learning focused and relevant. Whether you seek to advance your artistry or master new styles, this book tailors knowledge to your specific dance aspirations.

Unlike most dance books that focus solely on technique or performance, Monika Saigal’s background as a dietitian and clinician specializing in eating disorders brings a crucial new perspective to the field. You’ll learn how to recognize and address the complex nutritional and psychological challenges dancers face, such as under-fueling and body dissatisfaction, through research-backed strategies. The book breaks down how to foster healthier relationships with food and body image within dance communities, with chapters dedicated to prevention and care approaches for everyone from dancers to coaches. This guide is especially helpful if you’re involved in dance education or healthcare and want to support dancer well-being beyond just artistry or fitness.

The methods Teresa Hill-Putnam developed over 35 years of teaching dance culminate in this focused handbook, which lays out clear skill checklists for Ballet, Tap, Jazz, and Acro-Gymnastics students at every training level. You gain a concrete framework to track and assess dance progress, making it easier to identify what skills need mastering before moving forward. This book suits instructors seeking structured curricula, parents wanting to understand their child's dance milestones, and students aiming for mastery in a systematic way. With just 43 pages, it’s a concise but practical guide that avoids fluff and zeroes in on measurable dance competencies.

Drawing from her experience as a professional ballroom dancer and instructor, Alexandra McKelvey developed this journal to help dancers deepen their practice through structured reflection. You’ll find dedicated pages to log lesson details, choreography, and specific dance steps, which encourages tracking progress over time. It also enriches your understanding by offering historical context for various ballroom styles, connecting you to the roots behind the movements. This book suits anyone serious about improving their technique, from beginners to seasoned dancers looking for a practical tool to organize their growth and insights. The journal’s format makes it easy to revisit your journey and spot areas for refinement.

This tailored book explores the evolving landscape of dance pedagogy and performance, offering insights aligned with your background and interests. It examines emerging trends and innovations anticipated in 2025, enabling you to stay ahead in dance education and practice. By focusing on your unique goals, the content reveals how new discoveries influence teaching methods, performance styles, and dancer wellbeing. You’ll engage with topics ranging from innovative training techniques to the integration of cultural and scientific knowledge in dance. This personalized guide allows you to delve deeply into areas that matter most to you, making your learning experience both relevant and inspiring.

What started as Alexandra McKelvey's personal challenge to keep track of her dance lessons evolved into a thoughtfully designed journal that blends practice with history. Drawing from her experience as a former professional ballroom dancer and instructor, she created a structured log that prompts you to note lesson details, choreography, and techniques, helping you sharpen your skills systematically. Beyond just recording steps, the book enriches your experience with brief historical insights into each dance style, grounding your practice in tradition. This journal fits dancers at all levels who want a tangible way to track progress and deepen their connection to ballroom dance.

Drawing from his extensive experience as a social tango dancer and author of a well-translated tango exploration, Dimitris Bronowski addresses a common frustration among tango followers: why some dancers get invited to milongas more often than others. By surveying over 16,000 dancers, he uncovers the real reasons behind partner choices and the subtle social dynamics at play, challenging popular assumptions like age or skill level as primary factors. You learn practical insights into how leaders select partners and how followers can increase their dance invitations, making the most of each milonga night. This book suits anyone looking to deepen their understanding of tango social culture and improve their dance engagement in milongas.

Marc Happel’s decades overseeing costumes for the New York City Ballet provide an insider’s view into the unique fusion of dance and fashion that this book captures. You’ll explore how more than thirty top designers like Virgil Abloh and Carolina Herrera tailor couture to the demands of ballet movement, blending aesthetics with practicality. The text pairs with Pari Dukovic’s striking photography to reveal both the artistry and technical innovation behind these collaborations. Whether you’re a dance professional curious about costume design or a fashion enthusiast interested in movement, this book offers a rich look at how choreography and couture intersect.