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This guide is intended as a starting point for research in the field of Dance and is not a complete list of available resources. If you need assistance with these resources or with finding additional materials, please consult
Beverly Mitchell, Fine Arts and Dance Librarian.
All books listed can be found in the Reference area on the first
floor of the Hamon Arts Library.
Encyclopedias and Dictionaries
International Encyclopedia of Dance GV1585 .I586 1998
The most scholarly, comprehensive encyclopedia in the field of dance, including articles on all forms of dance throughout the world. Each article is followed by a bibliography for further research, which makes this an excellent starting point for research.
International Dictionary of Ballet GV1585 .I57 1993
Provides brief articles on all aspects of ballet, including bibliographies for further research in most cases. An excellent starting point for ballet topics.
International Dictionary of Modern Dance GV1585 .I58 1998
Comprised of “more than 400 entries on all aspects of modern dance, ranging from biographical entries on dancers to essays on major movements and styles to overviews of the development of modern dance in countries around the world.” Includes a chronology of modern dance as well as indexes to nationalities and subjects.
The Oxford Dictionary of Dance GV1585 .C78 2000
Provides brief definitions of dance terminology of an international scope, as well as biographies of major figures in the field of dance.
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Guides, Handbooks, and Directories
Research in Dance: A Guide to Resources Z7514.D2 B6 1994
Provides listings for and descriptions of major dance research collections, primarily throughout North America and Europe. Also provides an extensive annotated bibliography of reference sources, journals, indexes, and sources for reviews of books and performances.
Bibliographic Guide to Dance Z7514 .D2 N462a
Extensive international coverage to journal articles, books, films, videos, and other materials held by the Dance Collection at the New York Public Library.
Poor Dancer's Almanac: Managing Life and Work in the Performing Arts GV1597 .P66 1993
Includes information provided by more than 50 professionals on topics such as career development, personal livelihood, housing, unemployment, management, touring, and legal issues.
Dance Annual Directory GV1580 .D247
A directory that includes contact information for companies, choreographers and teachers, manufacturers, artists’ managers, writers, photographers, designers, schools, studios and more. Previously known as Stern's Directory.
Balanchine's Complete Stories of the Great Ballets MT 95.B3 1977
Contains summaries of more than 400 ballet stories. Also includes Balanchine's reflections on dancing, choreography, careers in ballet, and ballet for children. Includes an index and over 100 illustrations.
Ballet Plot Index: a Guide to Locating Plots and Descriptions of Ballets and Associated Material GV1790 .A1 S77 1987
Index to sources containing information on ballet plots and descriptions. Includes a ballet title index and composer index.
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Biographies
A Biographical Dictionary of Actors, Actresses, Musicians, Dancers, Managers, and Other Stage Personnel in London 1660-1800 PN2597. H5
An extensive biographical resource for Restoration and 18th-century theater from 1660 until 1800. Coverage includes over 8,500 members of theatrical companies or occasional performers in theaters or other places of public entertainment in London.
Biographical Dictionary of Dance GV1785.A1 C58 1982
Biographical information on over 2,900 dance professionals in ballet, modern, jazz, pop, burlesque, vaudeville, musical theater and film. Coverage includes the last four centuries of dance history in Europe and the Americas.
Dancers and Choreographers: A Selected BibliographyZ7514 .D2G48 1995
An “extensive bibliography focusing exclusively on ballet and modern dance,” including all book and periodical literature written in English about the topics. Provides birth and death dates of the dancers and choreographers when known.
Fifty Contemporary Choreographers GV1785 .A1 B74 1999
Coverage includes modern, ballet, contemporary and post-modern choreographers in Europe and North America. Each entry includes a biographical section, a chronological list of works, a detailed bibliography, and a critical essay.
Film Choreographers and Dance Directors: An Illustrated Biographical Encyclopedia with A History and Filmographies, 1893-1995 GV1779 .B55 1997
A comprehensive guide to 970 choreographers and dance directors. Each entry has a short biography, a choreographic style description, and a listing of dance credits and the films they choreographed.
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Indexes and Databases for Reviews and Criticism
Academic Search Premier SMU Only
A multidisciplinary database featuring selected full text articles along with abstracts and indexing from a variety of resources, including Dance Magazine.
America: History and Life SMU Only
Contains citations for articles in over 2,000 international journals covering the history—include dance history—of the United States and Canada from prehistory to the present.
Index to Dance Periodicals Z7514 .D2I53
Index with brief abstracts of dance related journal articles and research papers. Located on the Index table at the Hamon Library.
International Index to Performing Arts (IIPA) Full Text SMU Only
A performing arts database providing indexing, abstracts and selected full text from 230 international periodicals and full text for 62 journals covering film, theatre, dance, stagecraft, television, and more. Coverage ranges from 1864 to present, though not all articles are full-text.
Web of Science SMU Only
Contains citations to more than 1,300 arts and humanities journals, such as Dance Chronicle, Dance Magazine, and Dance Theater Journal. Also includes citations to relevant arts and humanities articles in over 5,800 related social science and science journals.
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Selected Internet Resources
American Ballet Theatre "Library"
www.abt.org/education/library.asp
Includes the
Ballet Dictionary
(www.abt.org/education/dictionary), an interactive resource including Quicktime demonstrations and definitions of 170 ballet terms from the Technical Manual and Dictionary of Classical Ballet and the Repertory Archive
(www.abt.org/education/archive), which offers information on individual ballets, choreographers, and composers.
American Memory
memory.loc.gov/ammem
The Performing Arts collections include An American Ballroom Companion
(memory.loc.gov/ammem/dihtml/dihome.html), which consists of full-text images of a rare collection over 200 social dance manuals, spanning from ca. 1490-1920.
Artslynx International Dance Resources
www.artslynx.org/dance
A large compilation of links to dance resources, organized by dance type or pertinent dance topic. All links are screened by the editor, Richard Finkelstein.
Dance Heritage Coalition (DHC)
www.danceheritage.org
The DHC is “an alliance of major dance collection, formed to document and preserve America’s dance.” Their website links to publications of the DHC as well as finding aids (found under “Access”) to major dance archives.
New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Jerome Robbins Dance Division
www.nypl.org/research/lpa/dan/dan.html
The NYPL Jerome Robbins Dance Division is “the largest and most comprehensive archive in the world devoted to the documentation of dance.” Includes information about the collection, links to selected dance web resources, the collection’s online catalog, and the NYPL Digital Gallery of historic dance footage.
Society of Dance History Scholars - Online Resources
www.sdhs.org/resources.html
A directory of reputable websites pertinent to dance scholarship, including links to dance publications, organizations, libraries and institutes, and sources on a wide variety of research topics.
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Last Updated: July 2008
Subject Specialist: Beverly Mitchell
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