Dance 105: Dance History

Indexes and Databases

International Bibliography of Theatre and Dance (1984-present)
IBTD is an index to journal articles, books, book articles and dissertation abstracts on all aspects of theatre and performance. Since 1984, the Theatre Research Data Center (TRDC) at Brooklyn College has published 14 volumes of the IBTD. TRDC will continue indexing various titles for the database as well as coordinating international contributors.

Art Full Text (1929 - present)
Art Full Text provides comprehensive abstracting and indexing for 400 leading international art publications, including periodicals, yearbooks, and museum bulletins. This database offers broad coverage of art topics, including advertising, archaeology, crafts, folk art, graphic arts, interior design, video, film, architecture, and art history. A limited number of articles are available full-text via a link, other links designate Ohiolink holdings.

Readers' Guide Abstracts (1983-present)
Readers' Guide Abstracts is a database containing comprehensive indexing and abstracting of the most popular general-interest periodicals published in the United States and Canada.

Readers' Guide Retrospective (1890-1982)
Readers' guide retrospective, produced by The H.W. Wilson Company, is a database indexing 256 of the most popular general-interest periodicals published in the United States. The database is limited in its coverage of the dance discipline.

Lexis-Nexis: Academic Universe
Academic Universe is a web-based subset of the traditional Lexis-Nexis service, providing access to full text performance reviews, news, legal, business and reference sources.

Academic Search Complete
Academic Search Complete is a comprehensive scholarly, multi-disciplinary full text database designed specifically for academic institutions. This resource contains more than 5,300 full-text periodicals, including 4,400 peer-reviewed journals. In addition, Academic Search Complete offers indexing and abstracts for more than 9,300 journals and a total of 10,900 publications including monographs, reports, conference proceedings, etc. The database features PDF content going back as far as 1865, with the majority of full text titles in native (searchable) PDF format.

Historical Abstracts (1972-present)
Indexes and abstracts scholarly literature on the history of the world, except the United States and Canada, from 1450 to the present.

America: History and Life (1964-present)
Indexes and abstracts scholarly literature on the history and culture of the United States and Canada, from prehistoric times to the present.

Handbooks and Dictionaries

  • Complete Guide to Modern Dance REF/GV/1783/M26
  • Dance Words REF/GV/1585/P74/1995
  • Dictionary of the Middle Ages REF/D/114/D5/1982 (includes several entries on medieval dance)
  • International Dictionary of Ballet REF/GV/1585/I57/1993
  • World Ballet and Dance: An International Yearbook REF/GV/1787/W67

Online Dictionaries

Dance Bibliographies

  • A Bibliography of the Dance Collection of Doris Niles and Serge Leslie REF/GV/1594/L4
  • Dance: An Annotated Bibliography, 1965-1982 REF/GV/1594/F58/1986
  • Dancers and Choreographers: A Selected Bibliography REF/GV/1785/G48/1995

Biographical Information

We have a wide variety of biographical dictionaries including:

  • Biographical Dictionary of Dance REF/GV/1785/A1/C58/1982 includes brief entries of dancers, choreographers
  • Current Biography REF/CT/100/C8/1941 to present (this resource is also available online, though for only a limited number of years) this resource is useful for contemporary reports on dancers and choreographers
  • Fifty Contemporary Choreographers REF/GV/1785/A1/B74/1999
  • International Dictionary of Modern Dance REF/GV/1585/I85/1998 longer biographies of selected dancers and choreographers, includes lists of works, roles performed, publications and filmed performances.

Online Biographical Resources

Australian Dance Biographies

Using the Online Catalog and Web-based Indexes

  1. Gather a list of useful words or terms from lecture notes and/or assigned readings for searches in the CONSORT/Ohiolink web catalog and online periodical databases. Books owned by other Consort libraries be requested and sent here in 3-4 working days. If you cannot locate materials on your subject or all of the CONSORT copies are charged out, you may check the Ohiolink database for additional materials. Interlibrary loan requests must still be filed if you locate articles in journals we do not own or find a citation for a book not in a Consort or Ohiolink library. You will find an Interlibrary Loan form online, if you need help filling out the form or have a question just stop by the information desk for assistance.

     

    Suggestion: Begin your research using simple WORD searches and take notes on the various subject headings listed for books which you find. If you prefer to use proper SUBJECT HEADING searches, consult the appropriate volume of the Library of Congress Subject Headings (a copy is available at the Information Desk).

    example WORD search for books:
    greece and dance
    england and dance and history

     

    example SAMPLE SUBJECT HEADING search for book:
    france dance

    It is possible to refine your searches further if you are looking for video recordings or sound recordings, to mention just two limiting features. From a general search select the 'limit/sort' or 'modify search' button at the top of the search screen and then click on the 'projected medium' search options. Select the appropriate material type (either VHS or DVD or both) and push the 'limit/sort items retrieved using above data' button.

    example
    limit search: ballet and history this search results in 258 items
    limit to videos: ballet and history this limited search produces 23 items
  2. Next, using your list of terms and subject headings, search the Readers' Guide Abstracts (1983-present). You must select the box to the left of the database you wish to search (in this case Readers' Guide Abstracts). Reminder: materials not in the Kenyon library may be requested submitting a form to interlibrary loan. This specific index includes only materials dating back to 1983.

     

    If your choreographer worked in an earlier time period you should use the electronic database called Readers Guide Retrospective. This version of the Reader's Guide includes citations to journal articles, performance reviews, biographical essays from 1890-1982 in a wide variety of periodicals. Please note: it is limited in its coverage of the dance discipline.

     

  3. Similar searches should be performed on WorldCat, Art Full Text, America: History and Life and Historical Abstracts databases which reside on the Library's main database web pages and also the web page for this course .

     

    If you are unfamiliar with a software program ask a librarian for assistance.

    NAVIGATING WEB RESOURCES

    One of the most important concepts for you to understand about the world wide web and internet is that the content of information is not moderated. Scholarly bibliographies exist as well as work created by eighth grade classes. You will need to learn to evaluate resources in a similar fashion that you now unconsciously evaluate and use or do not use print resources based on past experiences.

 

Evaluating Internet Resources

Authority

  • Who created this web site?
  • Do they provide information on their background, experience, and credentials?
  • Is the site maintained by a well-known or reputable organization (e.g. the American Psychological Association, American Cancer Society, etc)?

Objectivity and Reliability

  • Are the facts that are known to you reliable?
  • Is the coverage objective? If not, is the bias clearly stated?
  • Is the site sponsored by a commercial organization? Is it trying to sell you something?

Scope

  • Who is the intended audience? Is this site for scholarly purposes or just for fun?
  • Are both sides of an issue or topic provided?
  • What geographical area is covered?
  • What time period is covered?
  • Is this the original document or has it been edited or abridged in some way?

Currency

  • Does the web site give a date when it was last updated?
  • If so, has it been updated recently?
  • Is some of the information clearly out of date?
  • Are there many links that are broken and no longer connect to the resources listed? Broken links can be an indicator that a web site is not being updated regularly.
sample search on metacrawler: katherine dunham
sample search on google: "katherine dunham" (using quotation marks around her name made the system search for the two words as a single string)

A series of web page address will then appear and you may select HOT BUTTONS to connect to resources. Some pages connect you to additional sites which the owner of the page located.

Interesting dance sites: