Learning to Kneel: Noh, Modernism, and Journeys in Teaching

In Learning to Kneel, Carrie J. Preston locates noh drama’s influence on American and European writers, dancers, and composers. Preston’s work has been profoundly shaped by her training in noh performance technique in Tokyo, a cross-cultural exchange that challenged her assumptions. Pound, Yeats, Brecht, and others are often criticized for their Orientalist tendencies and misappropriation of noh, but Preston’s analysis and her own journey reflect a more nuanced understanding of cultural exchange.