Information Services

Searching the Library Catalog for Books and Media

The following subject headings are especially useful for finding books and/or media on dance in Caravan, the libraries’ online catalog:

Media

Film is an invaluable visual resource for the history of film.

Use the libraries’ Quick Video Searching to locate materials in the Connecticut College collections.

If this search is not successful, use the Libraries’ Advanced Video Searching Guide.  

Note:  Both Shain Library and Greer Music Library have several extensive collections of world music and dance on video with extensive printed notes.   These collections are available as:

For a complete listing of contents see the Multicultural Media website at http://www.multiculturalmedia.com/

Searching Databases & Indexes for Journal Articles and Other Resources

Historical Abstracts
An index to journal articles, book and video reviews, and dissertations covering world history from 1450 to the present. Historical Abstracts does not cover the United States and Canada, which is covered in America: History & Life

Shain Library Print Resources

Subject encyclopedias and dictionaries are good resources to consult when you are beginning your research. They will provide information about famous ballets, the history of dance in a particular country or time period, types of dance, important artists, as well as definitions of terms. Some of the works will also provide bibliographies of additional research resources.

International Encyclopedia of Dance / Cohen, Selma Jeanne (ed.)(1998)
GV1585 .I586 1998 v. 1-6 [Reference]

Film choreographers and dance directors: an illustrated bibliographical encyclopedia, with history and filmographies, 1893-1995 / Billman, Larry (1997)
GV1779 .B55 1997 [Reference]

International dictionary of ballet / Bremser, Martha (ed.) (1993)
GV1585 .I585 I57 1993 v.1-2 [Reference]

International dictionary of modern dance / Benbow-Pfalzgraf,Taryn (ed.)(1998)
GV1585 B46 1998 [Reference]

Internet Sources

Finding Background Information

Note that the following list of Internet sources is selective and does not include

Dance Heritage Coalition
A national alliance of institutions holding significant collections of materials documenting the history of dance. Provides subject index to existing dance archives.

And They Kept on Dancing  
Site outlines various dance styles including ballet, tap, modern, jazz and folk.   Each section goes into the history and concepts of the style, as well as the most influential people in dance.  

DMOZ Open Directory Project
An extensive web directory that includes dance links by genre with sub-categories by country and individual dance forms.

Google Dance Directory
Online directory of dance resources by genre and period.

Saphire Swan Dance Directory
Overview of dance and dance resources including non-traditional dance forms.

Society of Dance History Scholars
Organization dedicated to promoting study, research, discussion, performance, and publication in dance history and related fields.

This Month in Dance History
Compiled and edited by Richard Finkelstein

World Dance

Andros on Ballet
Andros on Ballet is a collection of articles about ballet history and classical ballet technique.

Artslynx International Dance Resources
Scholarly resource to an extensive list of resources available on line; Includes resources by period and genre.

EURID (European Dance Research Directory)
An English-language directory of European institutions and individuals engaged in dance research, history, theory and documentation.

Renaissance Dance Sources
Extensive information onEuropean dance from the 15th to early 17th centuries

Institute for Historical Dance Practice
Its main objective is to research, preserve and perform social and theatrical dances of Western Europe between 1450 and 1920

American Dance

American Dance Festival
The founding institution for modern dance in America.

American Dance Legacy Institute

Organization focused on keeping the legacy of American dance alive through education and partnership opportunities.

An American Ballroom Companion: Dance Instruction Manuals ca. 1490-1920.
Western Social Dance: An Overview
Part of the Library of Congress’s American Memory Project providing full-text access to over 200 social dance manuals with background contextual information & resources. Includes online video clips

National Museum of Dance [ Saratoga Springs, NY]
Museum dedicated to American professional dance.   Includes online galleries, exhibitions and a “Hall of Fame” honoring the founders and innovators of 20 th century American professional dance and includes photographs, videos, biographies, and artifacts.

Modern

American Dance Festival
The founding institution for modern dance in America.

The Katherine Dunham Collection at the Library of Congress
Consists of moving image materials that document the extraordinary journey of Katherine Dunham and her role in the development of American modern dance. The Collection highlights Dunham’s early explorations as an anthropologist in the 1930s as she observed a multitude of movement types and dance forms. Includes films documenting Miss Dunham's remarkable career as a performer and choreographer for her company, which introduced African and Caribbean dance movement to the American public.

Modern Dance History [And They Kept on Dancing]
Modern dance site focused on the history and concepts of the genre.