100,000+ Books, Games & Puzzles in-stock 🇳🇿

🎉 Meet Toy Hero - our brand-new toy store, built by the team behind Book Hero

The Anatomy of Art

Unlocking the Creative Process for Theater and Dance
Brief Description
The Anatomy of Art is a field guide for artists working in dance, theatre, and performance. Twelve interrelated drivers of the creative process – including Time, Space, Relationship, Meaning, and Context & Culture – form a working map for inquiry. Through more than 1,000 questions, scores,... Read More
Format: Hardback
$23100
Pre-order
Releases 17th September 2026 (Approx. Date) Pre-order  "The Anatomy of Art" now to secure your copy from our first shipment

Found a better price? Request a price match

This book acts as a personal mentor, helping artists navigate and overcome creative blocks.

This book acts as a personal mentor, helping artists navigate and overcome creative blocks.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

The Anatomy of Art is a field guide for artists working in dance, theatre, and performance.

Twelve interrelated drivers of the creative process – including Time, Space, Relationship, Meaning, and Context & Culture – form a working map for inquiry.

Through more than 1,000 questions, scores, and frameworks, the book activates rehearsal, teaching, and performance, keeping choice alive in the body.

The book draws on three decades of devised dance and theatre and supports creative work of any scale that calls for bravery, personal vision, and rigorous inquiry. It can be opened anywhere and used for a few minutes in the studio or throughout the life of a project.

A preface by Marisa Tomei and short offerings from artists across three generations – including Bebe Miller, Brenda Dixon Gottschild, Deborah Hay, Emanuel Gat, and others – add pressure, contrast, and lived intelligence.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781350564183

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 17 September 2026

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Methuen Drama

Illustration: 20 b&w

Audience: General / adult, Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Width: 189.0mm

Height: 246.0mm

Weight: 0g

Pages: 400

About the Author

Alexandra Beller is a Brooklyn-based choreographer, director, performer and educator, and the Artistic Director of Alexandra Beller/Dances. A former member of the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company (1995–2001), she bridges dance and theater with a focus on somatics, creative process and embodiment. She has created over 60 works for concert stages, regional and Off-Broadway theaters and university programs. She holds an MFA, is a Certified Movement Analyst (CMA), served on the faculty at Princeton University for seven years and is a sought-after teacher in higher-education and graduate programs. Beller founded Praxispace, an artistic community for creative process. Her work has appeared at institutions including the Lincoln Center, A.R.T., La MaMa, the Goodman and the Folger Shakespeare Library.

Also by Alexandra Beller

View all
  • The Anatomy of Art
    Pre-order
    The Anatomy of Art
    The Anatomy of Art is a field guide for artists working in dance, theatre, and performance. Twelve interrelated drivers of the creative process—including Time, Space, Relationship, Meaning, and Context & Culture—form a working map for inquiry. Through more than 1,000 questions, scores, and frameworks, the book activates rehearsal, teaching, and performance, keeping choice alive in the body. The book draws...
    Paperback
    $6899
    Pre-order
    Out 29 Oct 2026

More from Arts & Culture

View all
  • Dylan's Pick
    Bold Types
    A tribute to 32 truly independent bookshops throughout Aotearoa New Zealand, from north of Auckland down to Dunedin, and coast to coast. Jane Ussher's photographs show every bookstore in its unique nature - including behind the counter, smoko rooms, the mess which tells the hardworking story behind the joy of matching books with customers. Jemma Moreira's careful editing has crafted...
    Hardback
    $5999
    Elsewhere:
    $7000
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Disney Moana: The Official Cookbook
    New Release
    Disney Moana: The Official Cookbook
    Embark on a culinary adventure with Moana of Motunui with Pacific recipes inspired by Moana and Moana 2! After a long day of sailing to see how far you’ll go or keeping the demigod Maui out of trouble with Te Fiti, catch a break with the delicious dishes in Moana: The Official Cookbook! Featuring more than 50 recipes spanning the...
    Hardback
    $4499
    Elsewhere:
    $5299
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • This Angry Pen of Mine
    This Angry Pen of Mine by Layne Staley invites you to dive into the untold creative world of Layne Staley, the legendary voice behind Alice in Chains. This extraordinary collection showcases his handwritten lyrics, deeply personal poetry, stunning original artwork, rare photos, fan tributes, and so much more. Step into the world of Layne Staley like never before. For the...
    Hardback
    $7299
    Elsewhere:
    $8999
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • They Bloom Because of You
    Bestselling author and Instagram sensation Jessica Urlichs returns with a new collection of beautifully observed poems about the ever-evolving journey of motherhood - the hard, the magic and the fleeting. ‘A raw and honest read that makes you feel seen and understood in a way that will bring you to tears.’ - Hilary Swank ‘A book to keep close and...
    Paperback
    $3000
    Elsewhere:
    $3600
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Leaves of Grass
    A collectible new Penguin Classics series offers beautiful, slim, clothbound editions of ten favourite poets. In 1855, Walt Whitman published his first collection of poetry, Leaves of Grass. The volume received great praise from leading Transcendentalist poet Ralph Waldo Emerson. This encouragement led to what would become a lifelong project, as Whitman expanded and rewrote the volume until his death...
    Hardback
    $2200
    Elsewhere:
    $2400
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Great Writers and the Cats who Owned Them
    Throughout history, cats and writers have bonded together in a magical combination of comfort, companionship and inspiration. The famous authors featured here range from Samuel Johnson, whose cat Hodge dined on oysters, and Edward Lear, whose charismatic cat Foss was missing half his tail, to Margaret Mitchell, L. M. Montgomery and Dorothy L. Sayers, who rescued her kitten Blitz from...
    Hardback
    $3999
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Beautiful Chaos
    The Instant Sunday Times Bestseller Selected poems from bestselling author and Instagram poet, Jessica Urlichs. 'These words awaken the magic of life by celebrating the ordinary.' - Giovanna Fletcher Motherhood is messy and beautiful, and hard and humbling. We adore our children and sometimes we miss ourselves. Beautiful Chaos is a collection of raw, honest poems about motherhood, capturing everything...
    Paperback
    $2900
    Elsewhere:
    $3500
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • To the Women - The New Collection of Wise Words Every Woman Needs
    THE COMPLETELY UPDATED COLLECTION WITH OVER 70 BRAND NEW POEMS, FROM THE SUNDAY TIMES NO.1 BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF WILD HOPE AND WORDS TO LIVE BY 'Amazing . . . Donna's words speak to my heart' Davina McCall To the Women is a celebration of the beauty, strength, and joy of being a woman. A love letter to our deep capacity...
    Hardback
    $2999
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • The Odyssey
    Composed at the rosy-fingered dawn of world literature almost three millennia ago, The Odyssey is a poem about violence and the aftermath of war; about wealth, poverty and power; about marriage and family; about travellers, hospitality, and the yearning for home. This fresh, authoritative translation captures the beauty of this ancient poem as well as the drama of its narrative....
    By Homer
    Paperback
    $2999
    Elsewhere:
    $3599
    Backorder
    Ships late August
  • Wreck This Journal: Now in Colour
    The creative journey continues with Wreck This Journal: Now in Colour by Keri Smith, the latest and most vibrant edition of the groundbreaking series that redefined journaling. Celebrating its 10th anniversary, this edition brings the playful destructiveness of the original to life in dazzling full colour, adding a dynamic new dimension to the beloved prompts. Whether you're a seasoned Wreck-er,...
    Paperback
    $2500
    Elsewhere:
    $2800
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Did I Ever Tell You This?
    In this unexpected memoir, written in a creative burst of just a few months in 2022, Sam Neill tells the story of how he became one of the world’s most celebrated actors, who has worked with everyone from Meryl Streep to Isabel Adjani, from Jeff Goldblum to Sean Connery, from Steven Spielberg to Jane Campion. By his own account, his...
    Paperback
    $3799
    Elsewhere:
    $4500
    Backorder
    Ships 1 Week
  • A Thousand Feasts
    THE INSTANT #1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER From award-winning writer Nigel Slater, comes a new and exquisitely written collection of notes, memoir, stories and small moments of joy. 'Nigel Slater’s prose is the rarest delicacy of all: exquisite yet effortless, filled with heart, tenderness, yearning and humour' ELIZABETH DAY For years, Nigel Slater has kept notebooks of curiosities and wonderings, penned...
    Paperback
    $2999
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.