Research Guides: Dance: Home

Getting Started

Dance research can involve looking into the history of different dances, the evolution of choreography, kinesiology, or the prevention of injuries for dancers. The databases and other resources in this guide can help you get started on your dance research, no matter what your specific topic is.

For best results as you search:

Try to be as specific as possible. General searches tend to bring back too many irrelevant results.
Use dance jargon (technical language) to find relevant results.
Do background research to identify useful search terms.
Use article bibliographies to find more sources.

If you get stuck at any point, please ask your subject librarian, Kimberly Reich. She's always happy to help with dance research!

Most Used Resources

These resources are great places to start your research.

Background Research

International Encyclopedia of Dance (Ebook) by Selma Jeanne Cohen (Editor)
Publication Date: 2005

This book is also available in print.
Since its 1998 publication, the International Encyclopedia of Dance has been the definitive source on this expressive art form, documenting all types of dance around the world and throughout history. The Encyclopedia offers authoritative coverage of the full spectrum of dance, including theatrical, ritual dance-drama, folk, traditional, ethnic, and social dance. Extensive historical and cultural overviews of many nations appear along with articles on specific dance forms, music and costumes, performances, biographies of dancers and choreographers, and much more.

Databases

JSTOR [ITHAKA]

Partially peer reviewed. Some full-text content.
This multidisciplinary database includes subjects like literature, history, art, sociology, psychology, mathematics, communication, and science. Contains ebooks, articles, and journals.
Dance in Video [Alexander Street]
Non-peer reviewed. Full-text content. Videos.
Dance in Video showcases ethnic and folk dance, ballet, modern dance, jazz, tap, and many other dance styles. Contains instructional videos, documentaries, interviews, and more.

Search for Articles

The articles tab on the library's homepage The best place to start most searches is the search box on the library's homepage. This search box defaults to Articles, giving you quick access to popular and scholarly articles from thousands of different publications.