Overview

Figure skating is one of the most popular spectator sports in the U.S., yet it eludes definitive categorization. In this engaging new book, Ellyn Kestnbaum examines figure skating from multiple perspectives: as sport, as performance, and even as spectacle, guiding the reader through both the technical aspects of skating and the sometimes convoluted rules of figure skating competition. By careful readings of skating events at the 1994 and 1998 Olympic Games, she argues that figure skating is a language, one whose meaning is inflected by the culture at large. In particular, she looks at the ways in which race, social class and gender all disrupt, subvert or reinforce the practices of figure skating, and examines the influence of the media in shaping perceptions of the sport. As a skater, skating fan and scholar, Kestnbaum brings a unique point of view to this study, providing not only a history of the skating world but also a feeling for what it is like to be on the ice.

Full Product Details

9780819566416

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Reviews

A brilliant exploration of the fascinating world of figure skating. It includes a detailed history of the sport from its earliest beginnings and delves into its many facets. A superb and thoughtful work. - Eugene Turner, figure skating champion; Kestnbaum's writing is lucid and often elegant, the material artfully arranged. Truly impressive. - Helena Mitchie, Professor of English, Rice University

Author Information

Ellyn Kestnbaum has published articles in Theatre Topics and is a contributor to Women On Ice: Feminist Responses to the Tonya Harding/Nancy Kerrigan Spectacle, edited by Cynthia Baughman (1995).

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