Selected Starting Points for Research in Dance

| |    BACKGROUND & REPERTORY    | |    BIOGRAPHY     | |    FINDING BOOKS & more

  | |  FINDING ARTICLES    | |    DESPERATELY SEEKING...MORE MATERIAL?    | |

BACKGROUND: DICTIONARIES, DIRECTORIES, ENCYCLOPEDIAS, GUIDES & REPERTORY

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Applause performing arts guide to Los Angeles         Music Reference PN2277.L59 S53 1994

Ballet Plot Index.         Ref GV 1790 A1 S77

Biographical, bibliographical, historical, critical dictionary of guitars (related instruments),
guitarists (teachers, composers, performers, lutenists, amateurs), guitar-makers (luthiers),
dances and songs, terminology.         Music Ref ML102G8 P7 1986

Index to Characters in Performing Arts.         Ref PN 1579 S5

Dance Encyclopedia         Ref GV 1585 C55 1967 c. 2
   A venerable work which includes entries on all aspects of ballet and modern dance
   Major articles & contributors are listed at the front; & in alphabetical order
   in the encyclopedia along with brief entries. Some illustrations.

International dictionary of modern dance          Ref GV 1585 R3
   Careers of dancers, directors, composers, choreographers, et al;
   ;choreographic styles & movements; country surveys;
   a modern dance chronology 1839-1997;and bibliography. Illustrated.

International dictionary of ballet           Ref GV1585 .I57 1993   2 volumes
   Ballet from the Renaissance to the present, particularly in Russia, Europe,
   the U.S. & Canada. Entries are eiether on the roles & works of artists (dancers,
   choreographers,designers, et al); ballets (details on premieres & other
   major productions); or company histories. Each entry includes an
   an essay and a brief bibliography. Illustrated.

International encyclopedia of dance         Ref GV1585 .I586 1998   6 volumes
   Published in 1998, IED is a major resource for current scholarship and thought
   on dance worldwide. The 6 volumes contain historical surveys of dance by country;
   styles & genres of dance; analytical essays on dance technique; music for dance; costume;
   scenic design; dance films; dance writing; theories of aesthetics & methodologies,
   including cultural & gender studies;and selected articles on major personalities,
   companies & dance works. Articles contain brief bibliographies. An alphabetical list of entries;
   a conceptual outline of the contents; and an extensive index are included at the end. Illustrated.

Music, dance & theater scholarships         Ref LB2338 .M87 1995

Online Dictionaries
   Download the free version of Apple Quicktime Player to view video and animation of steps
   and positions included in some web dictionaries. See also print encyclopedias, dictionaries listed here and in Pegasus.

Online Repertory
   Dance companies with online descriptive lists of works performed; and other online listings
   of dance plots & histories. See also print encyclopedias, dictionaries listed here and in Pegasus.
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Oxford illustrated history of theatre         Ref PN2111 .O94 1995

Performing arts : a guide to the reference literature         Ref PN1584 .S56 1994

Stern's Performing Arts Directory.         Ref GV 1580 D35 library has latest edition

Summer Theatre Directory.         Ref PN 2269 S8 library has latest edition

Twentieth-century American music for the dance        Music Ref ML113 .M887 no.53

World encyclopedia of contemporary theatre         Ref PN2189 .W67 1994
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BIOGRAPHICAL SOURCES       [Top of Page]

These collected print and electronic biographical sketches of people involved in the dance world, from dancers and choreographers, to designers and critics are useful starting points. Also consult entries in other sections of this guide for additional biographies found in encylopedias, books, articles, etc.
Entries with the icon indicate that off-campus use is available only to current UCSB students, academics and staff
through the UCSB Proxy Server.

Biographical Dictionary of Actors...Dancers...in London, 1660-1800.         Ref PN 2597 H5

Biographical Dictionary of Dance.         Ref GV 1785 A1 C58
   2900 profiles of major figures in dance from the 1500s to the 1980, in fields of dance, theatrical
   from & filmic genres, from social dance to classical forms.

Biography Index.   [Citations to biographical articles].         Ref Index Area Z5301 .B61 1947+

Contemporary Theatre, Film, & Television.         Ref PN 2285 C58 1984-2001

Current Biography         Ref CT100 .C97 1940+

Biography Resource Center        
   Sources may both brief and longer narrative bios; full-text online magazine & journal articles;
   & links to websites. Search by birth and death year, nationality, ethnicity, occupation or gender, etc.

Neal-Schuman Index to Performing and Creative Artists.         Arts Ref NX 456 .P67 1991

New York times obituaries index, 1858-1978        Reference CT213 .N47 2 volumes

Performing Arts Biography Master Index.         Ref PN 1583 M37 1982

Variety Obits: An Index to Obituaries in Variety, 1905-1978.        Ref PN 1583 P4

FINDING BOOKS, SERIAL TITLES, VIDEOS, & more

Pegasus lists all cataloged items at UCSB: books, serials titles, maps, software, videos, archival materials, microforms, etc. Pegasus does not include individual articles. See the following section of this guide to locate articles; use Pegasus to locate the title of the journal; the dates, volumes and issues available at UCSB; the call number & location in the UCSB Library.

Click here for tips on using Pegasus and information about its special features. Pegasus is available to all library users on- or off-campus;

To locate material in other UC libraries all library users on- or off-campus may access the MELVYL catalog;

To find serial titles from UC & other libraries in California, all library users on- or off-campus may access the California Periodicals Titles database;

To find materials of all types, including citations to articles from many research libraries across the United States, UCSB academics, currently enrolled students, & staff may use the RLIN Bibliographic File off-campus via the UCSB Proxy Server or with a CDL password;

The WorldCat database lists materials from many large and small libraries in the United States. This database, like RLIN, lists many types of materials, including citations to articles held at some specialized libraries. Worldcat is available off-campus to UCSB academics, currently enrolled students & staff via the UCSB Proxy Server.

FINDING JOURNAL, MAGAZINE & NEWS ARTICLES [Top of Page]

Listed below are print and electronic ABSTRACTS, BIBLIOGRAPHIES, DATABASES & INDEXES which identify dance related article citations, abstracts (i.e., summaries), texts (without graphics), and/or texts (with graphics). Use Pegasus to see if UCSB owns the issue, volume, & date of the serial you need; check for call numbers and locations of books and other materials.

On-campus access to all resources listed here is available to all library users on- or off-campus, and to anyone on campus connecting to the Library with a UCSB computer connection.

= Off-campus access to the electronic databases on this list is available only to UCSB students, academics, faculty & staff through the UCSB Proxy Server.

= check Pegasus for additional and/or same years in print, CD, microform, etc.
N.B.: *Photo ID may be requested to use CDs or other multimedia at the UCSB Libraries.

For the complete list of UCSB electronic abstracts & indexes, use Indexes & Databases.

Academic Universe    [European-language news articles] 1980+
African-American traditions in song, [...] and dance, 1600s-1920        Music Ref & Black Studies Z5956.A47 S68 1990
American Film Institute (AFI) Catalog    [titles, credits & plot summaries of American films] 1863-1950; 1961-1970
American Periodicals Series    @1740-1870
Annual Bibliography of English Language and Literature 1920+    1920-1999
Anthropological Index Online 1957+    1968-1994
Anthropological Literature    late 19th century +    1979-1999
Arts & Humanities Citation Index 1975+    1976-1998
Annotated bibliography of Oceanic music and dance        Arts Lib ML120.I745 M2 1995 Music
Art Abstracts    Sept 1984+
ARTbibliographies Modern    1974+
Art Index Retrospective    1929-1984
Arts du Spectacle: Bibliographie.        Arts Ref Z 6935 H35 1989
Bibliography of Asian Studies    1971+
Black Studies on Disc CD in the Electronic Arcade        1989+
British Humanities Index 1964+        Ref Index Area AI3 .B72
Chicano Literature    1967+    1967-1993
Dance, An Annotated Bibliography, 1965-1982.        Ref Z 7514 D2 F48
Dance on Disc 1974+ CD in the Electronic Arcade   
ERIC    1966+       1967-1993
Ethnic NewsWatch 1960+
Expanded Academic ASAP 1980+
Humanities Index        Ref Index Area Z1035 .H85 1974-1995
International Bibliography of Theater.        Ref PN 1561 I68
International Index to Music Periodicals dates vary
ITER        1945+
Magazine & Journal Articles (MAGS)        1988+
MLA Bibliography (MLA)    [literary criticism, folklore, performing arts,etc. ]    1963+    1922+
Modern Dance and Ballet on Film and Video.        Ref GV 1595 B68 1986
Music and dance in Puerto Rico        Arts Lib ML125.P8 T55 1991 Music Ref
Music and dance of the world's religions        Arts Lib ML128.S17 R87 1996 Music Ref
Periodicals Content Index 1770+   
Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature. 1900-present.      Ref Index AI3 .R4
Review of the Arts: Performing Arts.      Ref Index Area  PN1560 .P475
Review of the Arts Film & Television. 1975-present.      Ref Index Area   PN1995 .F453
Research in dance : a guide to resources        Ref GV1594 .B6 1994
RILM    [ethnomusicology] 1969+       1967-1991
Times Index (i.e., London Times)    CD in the Electronic Arcade 1990-1997

For the complete list of UCSB Libraries electronic abstracts & indexes, see the UCSB Library webpage Indexes & Databases.

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THERE ARE MORE RESOURCES!

The materials above may help you get started on your research. Additional resources may be available through Pegasus; your favorite web search engine; at mega-dance sites ; or through additional web resources.   If you get stuck:

• Make an appointment with your professor and teaching assistant: your professor has an intimate knowledge of the material (and may have participated in producing it!); TAs are developing a wide knowledge base and are often working on new lines of research. Both may already have some great sources you can use, as well as take time to help you think through your topic;
  
  
• Contact me!! Let's talk through your project; look at other material if you aren't finding what you need; brainstorm topic ideas; look at additional databases; and think through research strategies.
  
  
• Don't forget your classmates! Share your ideas & questions with your colleagues: they may come across great material for you -- and vice versa!