Last revised: July 2008

Dance

Scope: This is a guide to the important sources for research in the field of Dance. Email Judy Markowitz, the subject area specialist at judym@umd.edu or call 301-314-1316 for more information.

Sources for Background Information and Introduction:

Encyclopedias, Dictionaries, Biographies

return to top

Listed in alphabetical order, but be sure to consult Cohen's, International Encyclopedia of Dance, the most comprehensive encyclopedia of dance.

• Benbow-Pfalzgraf, Taryn, ed. International Dictionary of Modern Dance. Detroit: St. James Press, 1998.
  LOCATION: PA LIB REF
  CALL NUMBER: GV1585.B46 1998
  Provides over 400 entries on all aspects of modern dance. Biographies, essays on major movements and styles and overviews of the development of modern dance around the world.

• Bremser, Martha. Fifty Contemporary Choreographers. New York: Routledge, 1999.
  LOCATION: PA LIB REF
  CALL NUMBER: GV1785.A1B74 1999
  Provides biographies of choreographers who are working in a variety of dance genres. References are included.

• Bremser, Martha, et al., eds. International Dictionary of Ballet. 2 vols. Detroit: St. James Press, 1993.
  LOCATION: PA LIB REF
  CALL NUMBER: GV1585.I57 1993 vols. 1-2
  This extensive source contains some 750 entries arranged in a single alphabetical sequence. The selection is historical and international in scope, tracing the development of classical ballet. There are three types of entries: individual artists, individual ballets, and ballet companies. All entries have a publications list including other relevant, written sources.

• Cohen, Selma Jeanne, ed. International Encyclopedia of Dance. 6 vols. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998.
  LOCATION: PA LIB REF
  CALL NUMBER: GV1585.I586 1998 vols. 1-6
  Comprehensive encyclopedia of dance, with widespread, international coverage. Includes signed articles and bibliographies.

• Chujoy, Anatole, and P. W. Manchester. The Dance Encyclopedia. Rev. and enlarged ed. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1967.
  LOCATION: PA LIB REF
  CALL NUMBER: GV1585.C5 1967
  A one-volume encyclopedia. Includes terminology, as well as biographical information.

• Cohen-Stratyner, Barbara. Biographical Dictionary of Dance. New York: Schirmer, 1982.
  LOCATION: PA LIB
  CALL NUMBER: GV1785.A1C58 1982
  Includes information on performers, choreographers, composers, designers, and teachers. A list of works performed or choreographed, and a brief bibliography is included with many sketches.

• Craine, Debra. The Oxford Dictionary of Dance. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000.
  LOCATION: PA LIB REF
  CALL NUMBER: GV1585.C73 2000
  Includes information on all aspects of dance, including people, specific dances, places and genres.

• Fletcher, Beverly. Tapworks: a tap dictionary and reference manual. 2nd edition. Hightstown, N.J.: Princeton Book Co., c2002.
  LOCATION: PA LIB REF
  CALL NUMBER: GV1794.F555 2002

• Giordano, Ralph. Social Dancing in America: a history and reference. Westport, CT.: Greenwood Press, 2007
  LOCATION: PA LIB REF
  CALL NUMBER: GVGV1623.G56 2007
  Comprehensive work on the history of dance in the United States from 1607 to 2000.

• Glasstone, Richard. Classical Ballet Terms: an illustrated dictionary. Alton: Dance Books, 2001.
  LOCATION: PA LIB REF
  CALL NUMBER: GV1787.G53 2001
  Terms, definitions and illustrations of classical ballet.

• Guest, Ann Hutchinson. Dancer's Glancer: a quick guide to Labanotation (the method of recording all movement). Reading, UK: Gordon and Breach, c1992.
  LOCATION: PA LIB REF
  CALL NUMBER: GV1587.G835 1972
  

• Matteo. The Language of Spanish Dance: a dictionary and reference manual. 2nd edition. Hightstown, NJ : Princeton Book Co., 2003.
  LOCATION: PA LIB REF
  CALL NUMBER: GV1673 .M35 2003
  Terms and definitions of Spanish dance. Includes illustrations and Labanotation.

• Preston-Dunop, Valerie. Dance Words. Harwood Academic, 1995.
  LOCATION: PA LIB REF
  CALL NUMBER: GV1585.P74 1995
  A classified compilation of terminology with definitions by eminent dancers, teachers, and choreographers. The entries were collected from "classes, rehearsals, workshops, and dance events" as well as published and unpublished sources: "In effect, from anywhere and everywhere that dance people communicate verbally."

• Raffe, W. G. Dictionary of the Dance. New York: A. S. Barnes, 1965.
  LOCATION: PA LIB REF
  CALL NUMBER: GV1585.R3 1965
  Contains some 3,000 terms, covering the history of dance through 1950, with considerable emphasis on dance in world cultures. Included are geographical and topical indexes, and a bibliography.

• Robertson, Allen. The Dance Handbook. New York: G.K. Hall, 19990.
  LOCATION: PA LIB REF
  CALL NUMBER: GV1601.R63 1990
  A concise guide to dance covering choreographers, companies, dancers and danceworks.

return to top

Subject Bibliographies

return to top

The following is a sample of the kinds of specialized subject bibliographies available. Many other bibliographies may be located through the Catalog, and the other library and union catalogs, by conducting a subject word/s search on the subject and adding the word bibliography, ex. danc* and bibliography = danc* = truncation and will retrieve all words with danc as the root = dance or dancing or dance or dances...
TRY THE SEARCH IN THE SEARCH BOX BELOW!

• Adamczyk, Alice J. Black Dance: An Annotated Bibliography. New York: Garland, 1989.
  LOCATION: PA LIB REF
  CALL NUMBER: GV1595.A25 1989
  An annotated bibliography of published material documenting African-American dance in all its forms. International coverage; foreign language books and articles are included.

• Chaiklin, Sharon, ed. Dance/Movement Therapy Abstracts: Doctoral Dissertations, Masters' Theses, and Special Projects, 1991-1996. Columbia, MD: American Dance Therapy Association, 1998.
  LOCATION: PA LIB REF
  CALL NUMBER: RC489.D3D35 vol.2 1991/1996

• Fledderjohn, Heidi. An Annotated Bibliography of Dance/Movement Therapy:1940-1990. Columbia, MD: American Dance Therapy Association, 1993.
  LOCATION: PA LIB REF
  CALL NUMBER: RC489.D3F58 1993
  Includes clinical, theoretical and research material covering dance/movement therapy.

• Fleshman, Bob. Theatrical Movement: A Bibliographical Anthology. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow, 1986.
  LOCATION: PA LIB REF
  CALL NUMBER: PN2071.G4T46 1986
  Bibliography and narrative on all aspects of movement including dance.

• Forbes, Fred R. Dance: An Annotated Bibliography, 1964-1982. New York: Garland, 1986.
  LOCATION: PA LIB REF
  CALL NUMBER: GV1594.F67 1986.
  A classified, annotated bibliography. Includes 1,666 entries covering the history, physiology, psychology, literature, and aesthetics of dance. Includes indexes to authors and subjects.

• Getz, Leslie. Dancers and Choreographers: A Selected Bibliography. Wakefield, RI: Asphodel Press, 1995.
  LOCATION: PA LIB REF
  CALL NUMBER: GV1785.G47 1995
  Bibliography of dancers and choreographers involved with ballet and modern dance.

• Hodgens, Pauline. Dance: A Selected and Annotated Bibliography of Philosophical Readings in Art, Aesthetics, and Criticism. Surrey, UK: National Resource Centre for Dance, 1985.
  LOCATION: PA LIB REF
  CALL NUMBER: GV1588.H63 1985
  A bibliography of philosophical and aesthetic writings relating to dance.

• Solomon, Ruth. Dance Medicine & Science Bibliography. Second Edition. Andover, NJ: J. Michael Ryan Publishing, Inc., 2001.
  LOCATION: PA LIB REF
  CALL NUMBER: RC1220.D35S64 2001
  English language bibliography listing the last thirty years of published materials on dance medicine and dance science.

• Warner, Mary Jane. Laban Notation Scores: an annotated bibliography. International Council of Kinetography Laban]; New York, N.Y.: Distributor, Dance Notation Bureau, 1984-.
  LOCATION: PA LIB REF
  CALL NUMBER: GV1587.W37 1984 vols. 1-4
  Bibliography of scores in Labanotation.

return to top

UM Libraries Catalog: Books

BOOKS search strategies:

1. Start with Word/s Anywhere Search
2. Follow the links to the Library of Congress Subject Headings
3. If too many items are retrieved with the Word/s Anywhere Search
4. Start with a Subject Word/s Search.

Type in the following search strategy: danc* and india (danc* = truncation and will retrieve all words with danc as the root = dance or dancing or dance or dances...)

1. first using word/s anywhere
2. then using the drop-down menu switch and search using subject word/s.

return to top

Research Port: Gateway to Databases, Video Resources, and E-journals

Research Port is the Libraries gateway to the databases and electronic journals and off campus access. Use these sources (listed in alphabetical order) to locate journal articles, book chapters, music (audio) and other types of publications on all aspects of dance, including reviews of dance performances.

When using a database or E-journal, be sure to follow the link. This will direct you to the available online fulltext, the available print copy listed in the catalog, or Interlibrary Loan if online fulltext is not available and if the Libraries do not subscribe to the journal or needed vol/issue/s.

For Music Databases, including Audio Databases, please see the Music Databases listed in Research Port.

• Academic Search Premier (Ebsco)
  Multidiscipilinary database covering popular and scholarly journals. Very useful for locating reviews of dance performances. Use the following strategies:
  giselle and (ballet or dance) and review
  giselle and royal danish ballet

• America: History and Life
  Major database for journal articles dealing with the history of North America. The history of dance is included. Books, book reviews and dissertations are also included. For articles on history concerning the rest of the world, see the entry for Historical Abstracts.

• ERIC
  One of the major sources for locating journal articles and research reports on education. This database is especially useful for materials on dance education. All available research reports (RIE ERIC microfiche documents) are located in the McKeldin Library Periodicals Room. Many ERIC documents are available fulltext.

• Education Research Complete
  One of the major resources for education, includes dance education.

• Historical Abstracts
  Major abstracting source for journal articles dealing with the history of the world, excluding North America. The history of dance is included. Books, book reviews and dissertations are also included. For articles on the history of North America, see the entry for America: History & Life.

• Humanities International Complete
  Humanities International Complete is an essential collection for comprehensive coverage of the humanities with full text content.

• International Bibliography of Theatre and Dance
  Comprehensive index for researching all aspects of dance in journal articles, books, book articles, dissertations and newspapers published worldwide.

• JSTOR
  Electronic archive of core journals in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences. Includes complete runs of journals with full-text of all articles published prior to the most current five years. Includes several dance journals.

• LEXIS-NEXIS Academic
  Fulltext news service very useful for locating reviews of dance productions.
  

  

  For additional help, please consult with the reference librarian.

• New York Public Library Dance Catalog.
  Library catalog from the New York Public Library's collection of materials on dance. This collection is the world's leading repository for materials on dance. The collection includes monographs, periodical articles, films, and other archival materials. Provides references to materials from 1972, with earlier titles with earlier titles being continuously added. There is no link - search the catalog for books, see the reference librarian to identify journal articles.

• New York Times Historical
  Coverage from the New York Times, 1851 - 2001. Use Lexis/Nexis above for articles from 2002 on.

• Sport Discus
  Provides coverage of sport, fitness and dance. Journal coverage is from 1975 and includes some fulltext. References to books, books chapters, and conference proceedings are included.

• Washington Post Historical
  Coverage from the Washington Post, 1877 - 1988. Use Lexis/Nexis above for articles from 1988 on.

return to top

Video Resources

Identifying Videos listed in the Catalog

return to top

Dance in Video Database

return to top

• Dance in Video
  Database is accessed via Research Port. It provides a streaming video collection of dance performances including ballet, tap, jazz, contemporary, experimental, improvisational as well as the forerunners of the forms and pioneers of modern concert dance. Browse by genre, performer, choreographer, company, role, ensemble and venue. Additional materials include interviews, documentary histories, and editorials. Features include creating playlists and video clips.

Films @ UM (Digital Collection)

return to top

• Films @ UM Digital videos on a variety of subjects including dance. Available from computers on the University of Maryland campus and remotely via vpn.

return to top

INTERNET SITES

• Artslynx International Dance Resources (http://www.artslynx.org/dance/)

• Critical Dance (http://www.ballet-dance.com/)

• Dance Notation Bureau (http://dancenotation.org/DNB/)

• Voice of Dance (http://www.voiceofdance.org/)

• Yahoo! Dance (http://dir.yahoo.com/Arts/Performing_Arts/Dance/)

return to top