[Dance: The Ritual of Experience] examines the shifting role of ritual, "a tribal, expressive form of man's relationship to the power of nature," in the development of dance through the ages, with specific attention to its manifestations in ten contemporary dance works…. Despite sometimes haphazard organization, several factual errors, and a distinct bias for the ritual practices of the American Indian, Highwater has made an interesting, if cursory, exploration of an important subject. However, this book seems more an introductory investigation than the fully developed study the topic could easily sustain. (p. 1193)

Barbara Newman, in Library Journal (reprinted from Library Journal, June 1, 1978; published by R. R. Bowker Co. (a Xerox company); copyright © 1978 by Xerox Corporation), June 1, 1978.