Paperback Edition
ISBN: 9781558616561
Publication Date: 04-01-2010

Foreword by Anna Deavere Smith
Introduction by Peggy Phelan

Elizabeth Streb has been testing the potential of the human body since childhood. Can she fly? Can she run up walls? Can she break through glass? How fast can she go? With clarity and humor—and with a world-class dance troupe called STREB—she continues to investigate what real movement is and has come to these conclusions: It's off the ground! It creates impact! It hurts trying to stop it! In this pathbreaking book, Streb combines memoir and analysis to convey how she became an extreme action dancer/choreographer, developing a form of movement that's more NASCAR than modern dance; more boxing than ballet.

"[A] dizzying, inspirational self-help memoir . . . Streb's riveting prose should provoke and inspire philosophy students, dancers, and athletes of all kinds." —Publishers Weekly

"Fearlessness and intelligence combined—that is what makes Elizabeth Streb's work so potent and beautiful." —Mikhail Baryshnikov, former artistic director of the American Ballet Theatre

"It’s incredibly well written, blazingly articulate, brimming with ideas regarding space, time, movement—as if Martha Graham and Albert Einstein had a love child and named her Streb; like Batman and Robin gave her the secret code to how to explain all that happens behind KAPOW, SPLAT, and ZOWIE." —A. M. Homes, author of The End of Alice

"Elizabeth courts danger, tricks the eye, and thrills the spirit. She is a dynamic force. She's superhuman. She's Superwoman." —Trisha Brown, choreographer and visual artist

"in this inspiring and passionate book, ultra-tenacious Elizabeth shares with the reader some of her surrealist goals: leaving a room through the walls; never landing after jumping; and moving so fast that you stand still. Wow!" —Philippe Petit, high wire artist

"[Streb] . . . has long been a pioneer in blending gymnastics, dance, acrobatics and sheer daredevil insanity, and many have seen her work as an exhibition of pure dance energy." —New York Times

"Streb is a glorious acrobatic adventure." —The Guardian

"Streb cooks up a vibrant stew that's part circus, part sporting event, part theater, part student recital, and part scrupulous time-motion-energy investigation. The neighborhood sniffs the aroma and crowds in the door." —Village Voice