Dance Resource Guide
Introduction
This guide provides an overview of tools and basic strategies for conducting library research in Dance, including the history and practice of dance, choreography, and choreographers. Included is information on finding circulating books and reference sources, journals (both in print and online), databases, and major Internet resources. All collections marked VCU are available on both campuses OR off-campus with EZProxy.
Check the catalog
Search the Library Catalog to determine what books, journals, and audiovisual materials the Libraries own and where they are located.
- General searching: When you are looking for books on a topic do a Words Anywhere search first.
example: choreography. - E-Books: VCU Libraries provides access to a collection of electronic books through NetLibrary VCU. (From the home page, click "Quick Links," and choose "E-Books.") NetLibrary is a collection of electronic books from leading university, trade and professional publishers available via the Internet 24 hours a day. For full access, VCU faculty, students and staff must first create free individual user accounts. More about NetLibrary
- Browsing the shelves: Books are filed using the Library of Congress system which group books into subject areas. Titles with
Dance as their primary subject are cataloged in the GV 1580-1799 range. Some other call number ranges that may be of interest to students of Dance are:
- BH1 - BH301 - Aesthetics
- M - ML - Music (Note: Many books and recordings that relate to both music and dance are classified in the M's.)
- PN2085 - PN2219 - The Stage and Accessories
- TT507 - TT520 - Costume Design
- Where do I find things? Check out where things are in the Cabell Library.
- Do other libraries have what you need?
- Interlibrary Loan: VCU Libraries will get the items that you need if they are not in the collections. You do not need to identify which library has the required item - we'll do that for you. See what you need to do. To search for materials in other libraries, use the Worldcat VCU database or check the catalogs of other Virginia Libraries.
Encyclopedias and Dictionaries
- The Dance Handbook. Cabell Library Reference GV 1601 .R63 1990
- Dance Words. Cabell Library Reference GV 1585 .P74 1995
- International Dictionary of Ballet. Cabell Library Reference GV 1585 .I57 1993
- International Dictionary of Modern Dance. Cabell Library Reference GV 1585 .I58 1998
- International Encyclopedia of Dance: a project of Dance Perspectives Foundation, Inc. (6 vol.). Cabell Library Reference GV 1585 .I586 1998
- Modern Dance Terminology. Cabell Library Reference GV 1585 .L65 1997
- The Oxford Dictionary of Dance. Cabell Library Reference GV 1585 .C75 2000 and Online VCU
Biographical Sources
- A Biographical Dictionary of Actors, Actresses, Musicians, Dancers, Managers, & Other Stage Personnel in London, 1660-1800 (16 vol.). Cabell Library Reference PN 2597 .H5
- Biographical Dictionary of Dance. Cabell Library Reference GV 1785 .A1 C58 1982
- Fifty Contemporary Choreographers. Cabell Library GV 1785 .A1 B74 1999
- Film Choreographers and Dance Directors: An Illustrated Biographical Encyclopedia with a History and Filmographies, 1893 Through 1995. Cabell Library Reference GV 1779 .B55 1997
Guides, Handbooks, and Directories
- Ballet Plot Index: A Guide to Locating Plots and Descriptions of Ballets and Associated Material. Cabell Library Reference GV 1790 .A1 S77 1987
- Dance Annual Directory. Cabell Library Reference GV 1580 .D247
- Dancers and Choreographers: A Selected Bibliography. Cabell Library Reference Z 7514 .D2 G48 1995
- Poor Dancers Almanac: Managing a Life and Work in the Performing Arts. Cabell Library GV 1597 .P66 1993
- Research in Dance: A Guide to Resources. Cabell Library Z 7514 .D2 B6 1994
Videos
- The Dance Film and Video Guide. Cabell Library Reference GV 1595 .D32 1991
- Dance on Camera: A Guide to Dance Films and Videos. Cabell Media and Reserves Reference GV 1595 .D342 1998
- Guide to Dance in Film: A Catalog of U.S. Productions Including Dance Sequences, with Names of Dancers, Choreographers, Directors, and Other Details. Cabell Library Reference GV 1779 .P37
Journal Finder
E-Journal Search
This will let you know whether an electronic version of a journal is available from VCU. Links to journals are provided. Note: the search box only searches for the names of journals, not the subject content - use one of the research databases for this.
Alternative : Go to the VCU Libraries Catalog, select journal title search, type in the title of the journal.
Selected Journals
- American Journal of Dance Therapy VCU Cabell Library Current Periodicals (1st floor) and Bound Journals (2nd floor)
- Ballet Review Cabell Library Current Periodicals (1st floor) and Bound Journals (2nd floor)
- Dance Chronicle VCU Cabell Library Bound Journals (2nd floor)
- Dance Magazine VCU Cabell Library Current Periodicals (1st floor) and Bound Journals (2nd floor)
- Dance Research Journal Cabell Library Current Periodicals (1st floor) and Bound Journals (2nd floor)
- Dance Teacher Cabell Library Current Periodicals (1st floor) and Bound Journals (2nd floor)
- Journal of Physical Education, Recreation, & Dance VCU Cabell Library Current Periodicals (1st floor) and Bound Journals (2nd floor)
Most of these databases feature the "Get it @VCU" tab - 
. This service provides hyperlinks to a variety of options such as the electronic full-text (if available), the VCU library catalog, ILLiad, and Ask-a-Librarian.
Art Full Text VCU AND Art Index Retrospective VCU
Citations and some full text to articles from periodicals published throughout the world including yearbooks and museum bulletins. Also indexes reproductions of works of art that appear in indexed periodicals. Retrospective is an electronic version of Art Index, volumes 1-32, and contains all citations found in the print version.
Dance Collection Catalog
From the New York Public Library Research Libraries, the Dance Catalog lists works about all forms of dance, from all cultures, in print and other media. It includes materials in many languages and serves as an index to an international range of dance periodicals.
Grove Music Online VCU
Excellent scholarly articles on dance forms, with comprehensive bibliographies.
This work is the primary reference source on all aspects of music. The online version includes full text articles, illustrations, sound clips, musical examples, and Web links from The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, and The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz. The 29 volume print set is in Cabell Reference ML100.N48 2001.
International Index to the Performing Arts VCU
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.
Music Index VCU
Citations to the international literature on all aspects of music. Includes more than one million records from 725 music periodicals.
A good general starting point for research about dance, indexing many of the standard dance journals.
RILM Abstracts of Music Literature VCU
RILM indexes and abstracts articles, books, bibliographies, catalogs, dissertations, films and videos, conference proceedings, Festschriften, and more. Musicology and interdisciplinary studies are the strengths of this database.
This index is especially strong for dance articles in other languages and other cultures.
SPORTDiscus VCU
An index of sport and physical education periodicals. This is especially useful for articles on physiology and dance therapy. Indexing is available from 1949 to the present.
Complete list of all Arts databases - click "Brief View" to see full description of each database.
American Ballet Theatre Library (http://www.abt.org/education/library.asp)
Includes the Online Ballet Dictionary (http://www.abt.org/education/dictionary/index.html), an interactive resource with Quicktime demonstrations and definitions of 170 ballet terms from the Technical Manual and Dictionary of Classical Ballet and the Repertory Archive (http://www.abt.org/education/archive/index.html), which offers information on individual ballets, choreographers, and composers.
American Dance Guild (http://americandanceguild.org/)
A non-profit membership organization concerned with promoting dance. ADG serves the needs of performers, choreographers, teachers and students through all stages of their development and careers.
American Memory: Performing Arts Collections (http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/browse/ListSome.php?category=Performing%20Arts,%20Music)
Includes An American Ballroom Companion (http://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 (http://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.
Congress on Research in Dance (http://www.cordance.org/)
Founded in 1965 by a group of dance scholars. "Its purpose is to encourage dance
scholars to research, publish, and discuss material from all areas of dance."
CORD has an international membership of teachers, students, writers, performers,
choreographers, researchers, archivists and librarians.
Dance Notation Bureau (http://www.dancenotation.org/)
Records dances in a way that will allow them to continue to be performed. DNB's library consists of an archive and research collections. DNB assists in restaging some 40 works from scores each year.
Dance/USA (http://www.danceusa.org/)
The national service organization for not-for-profit professional dance. It seeks to address the needs, concerns and interests of professional dance community. Website features include quick facts and figures about the dance market, government affairs, and advice for young dancers.
National Dance Association (http://www.aahperd.org/nda/template.cfm?template=main.html)
This association is largely for dance educators. The website features professional development resources, links and information about related publications.
New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Jerome Robbins Dance Division (http://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 Scholars - Online Resources (http://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.