Black Social Dance in Television Advertising

The influence of dance upon consumers has long been understood by advertisers. This work investigates the use of black social dance in television advertising. Covering the 1950s through the 2010s in the United States, dance is shown to provide value to brands and to affect consumption experiences. An interdisciplinary work drawing upon anthropological, phenomenological and cultural theoretical approaches, the text provides a theory of dance for a culture that has consistently drawn upon African-American arts to sell products.