Dance Subject Guide

Overview

This is a selective guide to resources, print and electronic, in Dance. For further assistance, ask for help at the Music and Dance Library, 3006 Dalton Center, or contact Greg Fitzgerald, Music and Dance Librarian, (269) 387-5236, gregory.fitzgerald@wmich.edu.

Most of the print sources listed are located in the Reference stacks of the Music and Dance Library ("Ref" precedes the call number). It is possible to list only selected Web sites under most categories. See the section "More Internet Resources" for many more Web sites.

Guides to the Field

A Core Collection in Dance Lists both print and non-print (audiovisual, electronic, etc.) resources in all areas of dance. Details

Research in Dance: A Guide to Resources A comprehensive annotated listing of reference sources, periodicals and other serial publications, indexes and abstracts, sources of reviews, and a directory of dance collections and archives worldwide. Details

Dictionaries and Encyclopedias

International Encyclopedia of Dance Almost 2,000 historical and analytical articles on all aspects of dance. Includes bibliographies and an index, but does not include worklists of choreographers. Details

Oxford Dictionary of Dance A quick reference to terms, people, companies, works. Print edition also available at call number: Ref GV 1585 .C73x 2000.

Oxford Music Online Covers music and musicians of all types and time periods; includes
bibliographies, composers' worklists, links to related sites, audio and music examples. Provides access to Grove Music Online (incorporating the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, the New Grove Dictionary of Opera, and New Grove Dictionary of Jazz), as well as The Oxford Dictionary of Music and The Oxford Companion to Music.
This subscription is limited to three simultaneous users. Please logout when finished. Includes articles on dance history, music, people (primarily choreographers), and styles.

Garland Encyclopedia of World Music Online
A comprehensive online resource devoted to music of all the world's peoples. Includes more than 9,200 pages of material in ten volumes, each volume containing an overview of the region, a survey of its musical heritage, traditions and themes; and a description of specific musical genres, practices, and performances, Includes: audio examples, illustrations, photographs, maps, drawings, and more.

Books

Classic Library Catalog WMU's Classic online catalog (also known as WestCat), is used to identify books (including electronic books), government documents, journals, audio and video, slides, music scores, and other items in the University Libraries' collections. The catalog can be searched by title, author, subject heading, keyword, call number, and more.

New Library Catalog In 2009 we added a new interface to our catalog. It still identifies books (including online books), journal titles, government documents, music, videos, maps, and other items in the University Libraries. It can still be searched by title, author, subject, but now you can choose the format and location in your first search. There are easy ways of narrowing your search in the left column, it offers "did you mean" spelling, favorite lists, and lets you tag items with your own labels.

Browsing for Books about Dance The dance collection is relatively small and easy to browse. Books are shelved in the General Stacks at the call numbers below.

GV 1588 Philosophy, study and teaching, etc.
GV 1600 Criticism and history
GV 1621 Dance by region or country
GV 1743 Folk and social dance, including jazz
GV 1753, GV 1784 Jazz
GV 1781- 2 Production, choreography, etc.
GV 1783 Modern dance
GV 1785 Biography
GV 1786 Ballet
GV 1788 Ballet - Technique and teaching
GV 1794 Tap
GV 1799 Dance for children and other special groups
RC 1220 Dance medicine and therapy

Additional books on dance education and therapy may be located in Waldo Library and the Education Library.

WorldCat Comprehensive catalog of books and other materials in libraries around the world. Contains millions of records in hundreds of languages. Nonbook materials include (among other publication formats) the titles of journals and magazines, manuscripts, maps, electronic resources, websites, computer programs, music scores, films, slides, sound recordings, conference proceedings, and videotapes. Items located through WorldCat must be requested through Interlibrary Loan unless they are also listed in the WMU Libraries catalog.

Articles in Periodicals

These sources may be used to find articles on dance topics and people. For reviews, see the "Reviews and Current Events" section of this study guide.

International Index to Performing Arts This database provides coverage of dance, film, television, drama, theater, stagecraft, and more, indexes more than 250 performing arts journals and provides full text for more than 100 journals. Coverage varies.

ProQuest Research Library Indexes popular magazines, scholarly journals, newspapers and trade publications in a wide range of subject areas, including business, education, humanities, social sciences, and sciences. Full-text available for over 2,500 journals. Coverage from 1971. Includes recent articles from Dance Chronicle, Dance Magazine, Dance Research Journal, Dance Spirit, Dance Teacher.

Wilson Select Plus Index to full text articles in science, humanities, social sciences, education and business. The index includes records from: Readers' Guide Abstracts, Social Sciences Abstracts, Humanities Abstracts, General Science Abstracts and Wilson Business Abstracts. Coverage: 1994 to the present. Updated weekly. Articles on dance from general periodical sources.

JSTOR Full-text access to selected scholarly journals in a number of humanities and social sciences disciplines. Search by individual title or in the whole collection. This database contains only back issues and does not include issues of the most recent 3 to 5 years. Includes articles from older issues of Dance Chronicle, Dance Research Journal, Dance Research.

New York Public Library Performing Arts Catalog Online catalog of NYPL's comprehensive performing arts collections. May be used to locate citations of books and articles (no full text). Select "Performing Arts--Dance" collection.

International Index to Music Periodicals Full Text Indexes and abstracts articles, reviews and other features from more than 430 music periodicals from 20+ countries, with full text coverage of 125 journals and magazines. Articles cover the full spectrum of subjects within the field of music. All aspects and types of music are represented. Useful for finding articles on dance music as well as choreographer/composer collaborations.

Physical Education Index Indexes more than 230,000 articles in health, physical education, recreation, athletic training and dance. Coverage: 1970-present. Updated monthly.

Medline (FirstSearch) The major index to medical research, from clinical medicine to cellular and biomolecular biology. Produced by the US National Library of Medicine. Coverage: 1965 - present. Updated daily.

RefWorks Info: Medline will export marked citations directly into your RefWorks account. (You will be prompted to login.)

May be used for dance medicine and therapy, dancers' health and injuries, etc.

Journal Finder (Find It @ WMU)
Find electronic and print journals available at WMU. Search for a journal title, browse journals by subject or collection, or look for a specific article if you have a citation (CitationLinker).

Biographical Information

Biographical Dictionary of Dance Brief biographies of over 2500 dancers, choreographers, and other dance personalities. Includes worklists and some bibliographies. Details

Dancers and Choreographers: A Selected Bibliography Where to find information on dancers and choreographers in English-language books and scholarly periodicals. Covers ballet and modern dance. Includes bibliographies of selected reference sources such as dictionaries, chronologies and histories, ballet guides, collections of criticism, and other readings. Details

Fifty Contemporary Choreographers Brief biographies with excellent worklists and bibliographies of interviews, articles and books. Details

Biography Index Z 5301 .B5 (Reference Collection)
Indexes biographical information from thousands of periodicals and books. Coverage from 1984. Updated weekly.

Images & Video

Dance in Video Video streaming of over 150 dance productions and documentaries. Selections cover ballet, tap, jazz, contemporary, experimental, and improvisational dance, as well as forerunners of the forms and the pioneers of modern concert dance. Make your own playlists and save clips.

Dance on Camera: a Guide to Dance Films and Videos Ref GV 1595 .D342 1998
Basic information about 1400 dance films and videos, with indexes for dancers, companies, choreographers, directors, and composers. Details

Reviews and Current Events

These sources can be used to find reviews and news primarily from newspapers and magazines. See also listings under "More Internet Resources" in this guide.

CriticalDance Browse reviews from 1999. Primarily ballet and modern. Includes Ballet-Dance Magazine with interviews and feature articles. Also a moderated bulletin board. Details

New York Public Library for the Performing Arts: Dance Links to many resources related to dance: research, grants and funding, magazines and journals, technology, health, and much more. Click on "Online Journals, Magazines, and Newspapers" for links to several good sources for reviews.

InfoTrac Custom Newspapers Index to the full text from almost 500 newspapers from around the country and world, including the Grand Rapids Press, Detroit Free Press, London Times and the New York Times. Searches can be restricted to particular newspapers. Coverage varies.

InfoTrac General OneFile Indexes news and periodical articles on a wide variety of topics. Millions of articles are full-text. Coverage: 1980-present.

Access World News Find full-text of current and archived state, national and international news articles on issues, events, people, government and more with this collection of over 4500 newspapers and other news sources. It includes the majority of the top circulating U.S. newspapers, along with thousands of local and regional titles.

LexisNexis Academic Indexes thousands of domestic and foreign newspapers, as well as journals, and other publications in News, Business company reports and articles, Legal Research, Medical and Reference. The legal research category includes law reviews, law news, federal and state laws and cases. Mostly full text. Includes Hoover's full text. Coverage dates vary. Do a "Quick News Search" for an individual performer, company, or performing group.

Bibliographies and Archives

These sources provide information about books, periodical articles, dissertations, and archival materials relating to particular areas of dance.

Dance Heritage Coalition An alliance of institutions with significant collections documenting dance history, the DHC provides access to archives of primary source materials. Examples include private libraries and collections of papers, letters, photographs, etc., and collections of dance organizations. Look at Finding Aids under Access.

Jacob's Pillow Dance Archives Repository of materials related primarily to Ted Shawn, Ted Shawn's Male Dancers, and the Denishawn Company.

Laban Library and Archive
One of the largest libraries and research collections on dance in the UK. Site features "Dance Resources on the Net."

Music and Dance Reference: Online Bibliography A bibliography of more than 6,000 bibliographies and other reference sources in music and dance. More than 1,600 entries include critiques about content and use ("pros and cons") of the sources. Details

Performing Arts Encyclopedia (Library of Congress) A guide to the performing arts collections and exhibitions at the Library of Congress, including music, dance, and theater. Includes digital collections accessible through the site. Details For dance, LC collections include Katherine Dunham, Bob Fosse/Gwen Verdon, Erick Hawkins, and others.

Writing Style Guides

Guide to Writing Styles Contains links to many practical examples for formatting citations in APA, Chicago, MLA, Turabian, and other writing styles. Examples include citations to both online or print materials. Call numbers for printed manuals are also given. Ask your instructor which writing style is required for your class assignment.

Online! Citation Styles How to cite Internet sources using MLA, APA, Chicago, CBE and other styles.

RefWorks This citation management software allows you to import citations directly from electronic indexes and create and manage your own bibliographies. Use with word processing software to cite and format references easily in a variety of writing styles. You will have to set up an individualized account the first time you use RefWorks. An excellent tutorial is available in RefWorks under Help. Tutorial

Ballet

American Ballet Theatre Library Includes a dictionary of brief definitions and video demonstrations of ballet terms (QuickTime plug-in required), and ABT's repertory archive, with information on premieres, casts, choreographers, composers, etc.

Andros on Ballet - History Historical timeline of ballet from its beginnings through the 20th century. Includes many biographies. Details

ArtsLynx Resources on Major Ballet Titles Links to sites with information about ballets--background, origin, production, etc.

Balanchine's Complete Stories of the Great Ballets Contains the plots of 400 ballets. Details

Ballet CD-ROM CD-ROM station, Music and Dance Library.
Definitions and video demonstrations of more than 700 ballet terms. Also includes a brief history of ballet and interviews with dancers. Details

BalletNotes Provides in-depth background on ballets, choreographers, and composers. Details

International Dictionary of Ballet 750 entries on individual artists, ballets, and ballet companies. Excellent worklists and bibliographies. Details

Modern, Jazz, Tap

International Dictionary of Modern Dance "More than 400 entries on all aspects of modern dance, ranging from biographical articles on dancers to essays on major movements and styles to overviews of the development of modern dance in countries around the world" (editor's note). Includes worklists and bibliographies. Details

Modern Dance Terminology "First published in 1953...provides an encyclopedic view of the aims, theories, and objectives of the pioneer artists" (introduction). Prepared through personal interviews with modern dance founders. Details

Jazz Dance World Congress

Tap Dance Homepage All kinds of information about tap and tap dancers; calendar of events and discussion areas.

Tapworks Defines terms and styles and includes an historical overview of tap. Details

Education, Medicine, Technology

Dance & Technology Zone "Resource for artists interested in using new media and information technologies in the creation and performance of dance, dance theater, and related live performance works."

Dance from the Campus to the Real World (and back again): a resource guide for artists, faculty and students GV 1589 .D364 2005
"Designed to prepare artists, faculty and students to navigate between and within" the two worlds of college and professional dance. Includes essays from writers of varying backgrounds in dance; how-to articles, like what to expect in moving from college to the "real world"; and other topics related to education and career. Details

Dance Medicine and Science Bibliography Lists published material in this field from approximately 1970. Details

Dancer's Health (NY Public Library of the Performing Arts) Links to HIV and AIDS information, general and medical support sites, and other sites dealing with dancer's health and fitness issues.

International Association for Dance Medicine and Science Information for the dance science, medicine, and education communities.

National Association of Schools of Dance Organization of and accrediting agency for schools, colleges, universities, and conservatories with dance programs. Site provides addresses and URLs of member schools under "Member Lists." More complete information is available in the printed directory: Ref GV 1753.5 .N38x (addresses, phone and fax numbers, contact persons, degrees offered).

NDEO: National Dance Education Organization For the advancement of dance education, providing artists and educators a network of resources and support.

History, Notation

See also listings under Bibliographies and Archives

Congress on Research in Dance (CORD) Pioneering organization in dance scholarship, publisher of Dance Research Journal.

Dance Notation Bureau Dedicated to the creation of dance scores using the symbol system Labanotation. Information, publications, links.

Society of Dance History Scholars (SDHS) The SDHS "advances the field of dance studies through research, publication, performance, and outreach to audiences across the arts, humanities, and social sciences." Site provides information on the society and its publications and links to online resources.

Careers and Employment

ArtsLynx International Dance Resources Links to university programs, schools and studio directories, job lists, organizations, services, and much more.

Back Stage: The Performing Arts Weekly Covers New York and the national show scene, with news, jobs, services, etc. In library in Current Periodicals; also online at http://www.backstage.com. (Some parts of the site are available only to members.) Details

The Dancer's Survival Manual GV 1597 .H68 2009
Facts and advice about all aspects of a dance career: training, auditioning, health issues, and many practical matters (like hair and makeup and caring for shoes).
Details

Your Dance Resume: A Preparatory Guide to the Audition GV 1595 .W65 1994
Advice on preparing your materials and yourself for auditioning. How to write cover letters and assemble photos, reviews, and references. Details

Organizations, Services

American Dance Festival Information on ADF performances, school, projects, archives, etc.

ArtsLynx International Dance Resources Links to university programs, schools and studio directories, job lists, organizations, services, and much more.

Dance Directory Listings of dance companies, managers and booking agents, service and professional organizations, educational programs, festivals, funding sources, merchandise providers, and more. Published annually in July issue of Dance Teacher magazine. Details

Dance/USA National service organization for dance. Programs and information for education, professional development, advocacy, etc.

More Internet Resources

ArtsLynx International Dance Resources Links to university programs, schools and studio directories, job lists, organizations, services, and much more.

CyberDance More than 3,500 links to ballet and modern dance resources, including colleges, universities, and schools; companies and individuals; professional and service organizations; and commercial sites.

Dance Insider Online Reviews of recent performances, news, articles, classifieds, and other features.

DanceHelp.com A chiefly commercial site with articles on dance history and styles; tips, news, forums; videos and photo galleries; a dance dictionary; and other features. Details

New York Public Library for the Performing Arts: Dance Links to many resources related to dance: research, grants and funding, magazines and journals, technology, health, and much more.

Online Dance Resources Provides many links to a variety of online dance resources--dance companies, schools, presenters, newsgroups, organizations, etc. Details

Voice of Dance Current information and events in the world of dance...archived news articles, Q&A columns with top professionals, message boards, chats, and links to sites selected and reviewed by their editorial board.

Ask A Librarian

Greg Fitzgerald
gregory.fitzgerald@wmich.edu
269-387-5236
Last updated: July 2009