Dance Subject Guide

Use these resources to find biographical information as well as instroductions and overviews to dance topics:

Bremser, Martha.  Fifty Contemporary Choreographers.  London, New York: Routledge, 1999.  (Rølvaag Reference GV1785.A1B74 1999)
Each article contains an essay by a commissioned contributor, a biographical sketch, a list of choreographed works, and a bibliography for further reading.

Cohen-Stratyner, Barbara. Biographical Dictionary of Dance . New York: Schirmer, 1982. (Rølvaag Reference GV 1785.A1 C58 )
Offers brief biographical sketches of some 2,900 figures from the last four centuries of dance in Europe and the Americas. Includes impresarios, composers, and artists as well as performers and choreographers.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Ballet . London: Oxford University Press, 1977.  ( Rølvaag Reference GV 1585.C73 1977 ) |
A good source for brief definitions of terms about ballet.

Encyclopedia of Dance and Ballet . New York: Putnam, 1977. ( Rølvaag Reference GV 1585.E5 )
Filled with illustrations and photographs. Bibliographies are not regularly included. Includes entries for dancers, companies, choreographers, individual ballets, and types of dances; also a glossary of technical terms.

Garland Encyclopedia of World Music. NY: Garland, 1998. 10 vols. (Music Library Reference ML100.G16 1998)
A terrific source for gaining an overview of informaiton about music from all over the world. Volumes are arranged by geographic area, with the last (10th) volume providing a valuable discussion of general perspectives about world cultures. Each volume has a corresponding CD recording. (See online database below)

International Dictionary of Ballet . ed. by Martha Bremser. Detroit: St. James Press, 1993. (Rølvaag Reference GV 1585.I57 1993 )
An excellent starting point, with brief articles on all aspects of ballet. Most articles include bibliographies for further reading.

International Dictionary of Modern Dance.  Detroit: St. James Press, 1998. ( Rølvaag Reference GV 1585.B46 1998 )
Offers "over 400 entries on all aspects of modern dance ranging from biographical entries on ddancers to essays on major movements and styles to overviews of the development of moder dance in countries around the world."  Includes nationalities and subject indexes as well as a chronology of modern dance.

International Encyclopedia of Dance. 6 vols. NY: Oxford, 1998 ( Rølvaag Reference GV 1585.I586 1998 )
The most comprehensive, scholarly encyclopedia in the field of dance. Includes international coverage of dance in all forms from all countries. Biographical entries are slightly more selective. Bibliographies follow articles. An excellent starting point for almost any dance topic.

New Encyclopaedia Britannica . 1997. ( Rølvaag Reference AE 5.E56 1997 and online )
The most scholarly English-language encyclopedia. Be sure to check the micropaedia before going to macropaedia volumes. An excellent source for overview articles, with bibliographies. You can also consult Britannica Online .

New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 2nd ed. . ed. by Stanley Sadie. 29 vols.  London: Macmillan, 2001. ( Music Library Reference ML 100.N48 2001 and online )
The most comprehensive and scholarly encyclopedia of music. Be sure to consult the overview article on dance, which traces dance throughout history and includes excellent bibliographies. An essential source for anything dealing with the music of ballet.  Also available online via the libraries' homepage.