First published in 1987. This book began in Bali during 1970–72, during the author’s Ph.D. research on the shadow theatre for the School of Oriental and African Studies in London. However, two subsequent trips to Bali in 1980 and 1984, when I studied other forms of dance-drama and ritual, greatly contributed to the work. The shadow theatre in Bali is described and its place in the society and culture explored. It is so called, as during the night performance puppets cast vibrant shadows against a white cotton screen which is illuminated by a flickering coconut-oil lamp.

On the run from assassins and worse, Wax and his friends cross the ice to a strange and deadly land. With several skars yet to find, the group heads to Tamas short on provisions and the means to buy them. Tamas has other ways of earning your stay, though, and what it costs may be more than Wax and Eujo can bear. Still, if they want to save their friends, their family, their world, the only answer is to play along. In the Dark Below, Ami plays a different game: keeping hope alive as more fiends crash into the isles and against a weakened Aegis. Desperate to untangle the mysteries behind the gods and these monsters, Ami takes a risk that could change everything, or destroy all she’s worked for. That same disaster befalls Gladdring, who balances his own survival in city where one’s life is measured by who he knows, what threats he can muster. The former Tenet finds knives in every corner, and if he means to survive, has to turn at least some against their owners. Success means vindication, a chance to put himself atop the shifting powers. Failure . . . no sense worrying about that miserable end. In The Dance of Gods, book five in The Seven Isles, legends meet their matches, steel clashes against monstrous terrors, and the fate of everyone rests on a single song.

In Lagos, a city shrouded in enigma, Detective Ayo Okafor races against time after a politician's unsettling demise. With every corner hiding secrets, Ayo, aided by the sharp-witted Dr. Amara Eze, navigates a maze of deception. Yet, the elusive Femi Adeyemi's influence adds layers of doubt, making allies unpredictable. As the city's veils lift, Ayo's tenacity begins to unveil obscured truths, asserting, "In this labyrinth of shadows, truth is our compass." Immerse yourself in "Shadows Awaken," the inaugural tale of the 'Shadowed Pursuit: Lagos Enigma' series. Journey with Ayo and confront the concealed in a city where reality is ever-elusive.

What choice do you have when allies and enemies become indistinguishable? "In the Shadow of the Black Serpent" is a thrilling adventure that plunges readers into the depths of ancient mysteries and modern dangers. Set in the bustling city of Cairo, the story follows Sarah Miller, a retired detective from England, as her tranquil life is shattered by a series of global incidents marked by the eerie Black Serpent symbol. This symbol, rooted in ancient civilization, leads Sarah from Tokyo to Berlin, and finally to Cairo's enigmatic alleys, where she unravels a conspiracy tied to Egypt's storied past. As she navigates a web of political intrigue and historical riddles, Sarah faces her own fears and the machinations of those who would harness the sinister power of the Black Serpent. With a backdrop rich in Egyptian mythology and pulse-pounding suspense, the novel offers a riveting blend of action and archaeological intrigue. Sarah emerges as a compelling heroine, her sharp intelligence and tenacity propelling her through a journey of personal growth and relentless pursuit of the truth. "In the Shadow of the Black Serpent" captivates fans of mystery and thrillers alike, weaving a tale of the enduring human spirit and a perilous quest that could forever alter history. Join Sarah Miller as she navigates the treacherous waters of a mystery that could change the world as we know it.

Anne Green Gilbert’s Brain-Compatible Dance Education, Second Edition, strikes the perfect balance between hard science and practicality, making it an ideal resource for dance educators working with dancers of all ages and abilities. Gilbert presents the latest brain research and its implications for dance educators and dancers. She makes the research findings accessible and easy to digest, always connecting the science to the teaching and learning that takes place in classrooms and studios.

The guard at the city gates does not attempt to stop the stranger entering Nuthollia, for his job is to keep people inside the city and no person would enter the city voluntarily unless he were an agent of Grimlindus. Nuthollia, the capital of Neuthonia, is no longer a trading metropolis. Its remaining inhabitants are usually hiding indoors, trying to escape Grimlindus's violent soldiersthe tall blond northerners, bandit warriors and Knights of Destruction, as well as goblins, hobgoblins, kobolds and ogres from further east on the steppes. While contact with these soldiers is dangerous and unpredictable, the soldiers do keep the city's economy moving, the trade continuing. So Nuthollia's inhabitants, the original Neuthonics as well as countless released prisoners-of-war, attempt to earn a meagre living in fear and dread. The stranger is rnwulf, the tall barbarian who had been learning sword-skills in the cold hills of the Borderlands. He is dressed in heavy furs. His long, straight, black hair is tied back by a broad cloth that completely conceals his forehead and from which hangs three beaded feathers. His heavy broadsword is strapped to his back, partially buried within his fur coat, while a number of knives are strapped to his chest and belt. A two-headed tomahawk hangs from his belt. He is accompanied by Caleb, the huge wolf that is as large as a small pony and which has a thick mane of grey fur. Man and wolf survey the cold, snow-covered streets, looking beyond the unhappy houses to the dark palace standing on a hill near the centre of the city. They turn away from it and head into one of the darker and less inviting neighbourhoods, where even Grimlindus's soldiers would think twice before entering. The houses are closer together than elsewhere; the streets disappear into narrow alleyways and blind corners. Open doorways and boarded windows show that many of the residences are empty of normal occupation. However, a quick survey inside would reveal hiding squatters, ruffians, thieves and muggers. The man and wolf stop in front of a building that is deep within this neighbourhood. This building is similar to all the others, dismal and grey. It has a heavy steel door with a small window at face height, covered by a shutter. The man thumps on the door and the shutter is pulled back, revealing two dark, slanted eyes. "What do you want?" says the bouncer. "Where are your mistresses?" asks rnwulf, with a heavy, northern accent. "They are busy. Who wants to know?" "I was sent by Cleosius the warlord, to purchase something which was stolen from him. They are expecting me." The shutter is slid shut and rnwulf hears muted discussions behind it. The shutter slides open again. "You are early!" snaps the voice and the shutter slams closed. rnwulf thumps on the door again, his blows echoing inside. The shutter is pulled back again. "Can I wait inside?" he asks. The door opens, revealing a seven-and-a-half foot monstrosity, which bends over inside the small front room; its hairy frame fills up the doorway. Bugbear! thinks rnwulf, staring at the hairy giant-goblin, which would tower over one of its smaller goblin or hobgoblin cousins. "Come inside," it snarls, "but the wolf stays out there." After re-locking the door, the bugbear leads rnwulf along a dimly lit corridor, before arriving at a small room, furnished only with a hard-backed chair. "The mistresses are busy, the bugbear growls, but I will send someone to fetch them when they are, um, finished. Would you like a drink while you are waiting?" rnwulf waves the bugbear away and sits on the chair. In a moment, he becomes completely motionless, his keen eyes surveying every inch of the room. He waits, becoming tenser as he looks at the low ceiling and the walls. After a short time he stands up, goes to the door and tries the handle, finding it locked. H

Inventors in the age of the Enlightenment created lifelike androids capable of playing music on real instruments. Music and the Forms of Life examines the link between such simulated life and music, which began in the era's scientific literature and extended into a series of famous musical works by Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven. Music invented auditory metaphors for the scientific elements of life (drive, pulse, sensibility, irritability, even metabolism), investigated the affinities and antagonisms between life and mechanism, and explored questions of whether and how mechanisms can come to life. The resulting changes in the conceptions of both life and music had wide cultural resonance at the time, and those concepts continued to evolve long after. A critical part of that evolution was a nineteenth-century shift in focus from moving androids to the projection of life in motion, culminating in the invention of cinema. Weaving together cultural and musical practices, Lawrence Kramer traces these developments through a collection of case studies ranging from classical symphonies to modernist projections of waltzing specters by Mahler and Ravel to a novel linking Bach's Goldberg Variations to the genetic code.

This package contains a book and CD of music. It explores the interactive relationship between dance and the other arts including visual, musical and dramatic and literary. Each chapter contains improvisational exercises for gaining perspective and understanding the commonalities across the arts.

Follow in the footsteps of a coven of witches in the 1940s as they dive deep into magical practice. Using the same storybook-style of teaching magic that Chris Allaun introduced in his previous book, The Black Book of Johnathan Knotbristle, the reader will find an incredibly hands-on system of witchery designed to heighten their magical prowess and refine their skills in the Art. Each chapter is set up as a journal entry from a different member of the coven, and through each entry the reader is shown how to weave spells to bring protection, reveal the truth, or even reenter a dream. They’ll also be shown how to conjure spirits, influence another’s thoughts, and to capture the heart of one they love. It would be all too easy to see a coven such as this operating in the 1940s—meeting under the cloak of night, conversing with the spirit world, and conjuring a breadth of magic that could withstand the test of time. While the coven itself may dwell mostly in the mind and heart of the witch, Chris Allaun has creatively incorporated actual folklore from Chicago, his now hometown, which will go on to inspire all readers to build their own magical practice off their own living, breathing landscape, wherever that may be.

'Properly creepy and Gothic' IAN RANKIN on the Frey & McGray mysteries... December, 1889. There have been many bad days in Edinburgh police's secret subdivision 'The Commission for the Elucidation of Unsolved Cases Presumably Related to the Odd and Ghostly'. But today is surely the worst. Because the exiled English Inspector Ian Frey, and his Scottish boss 'Nine-Nails' McGray are summoned to a meeting in the middle of the night with the Prime Minister himself. And he tells them that Queen Victoria - the most powerful person in the world - wants them both dead. To be pardoned they must embark on a mission so dangerous that they might be saving Her Majesty the job of executing them. Because this case ties together the dark history of the Pendle witches, with the tragic case of McGray own sister, to a conspiracy within the highest office in the land... * * * * * * * Praise for the Frey & McGray mysteries: 'A hugely entertaining Victorian mystery' New York Times 'A fun to read fast page-turner' Independent 'A brilliant mix of horror, history, and humour. Genuinely riveting with plenty of twists, this will keep you turning the pages. It's clever, occasionally frightening and superbly written ... Everything you need in a mystery thriller' Crime Review 'It's official: I am addicted to Frey and McGray' Christopher Fowler, author of the BRYANT & MAY series