The purpose of this guide is to familiarize you with the best resources for research on dance as performance. For further assistance, contact Judith Downie, Humanities Librarian.

Getting Started

Keywords

Think about words that describe your topic and the variations of that word as well as artists and groups that are involved in this form. Boundaries are not clear-cut between styles and some artists cross perceived boundaries. This can give you great angles for your research, but can also make it hard to stay focused on a topic precise enough for a good paper.

Encyclopedias

Encyclopedias and indexes are a good place to start your research. They can help you identify a topic for your paper, and often include useful bibliographies.

	International Encyclopedia of Dance REFERENCE GV 1585 .I586 1998 This addresses dance in all forms, with an emphasis on classical.
	International Dictionary of Ballet REFERENCE GV 1585 .I57 1993
	Music Index BOOK STACKS and REFERENCE ML 118 .M84   Dance is a topic included in this yearly index from 1961-on.

Books & Videos

Samples of what a research paper can be are: an analysis of a body of work, others' research or development of a style. A research paper on dance is not a review of a performance you attended or what you think about an artist. For a proper research paper, you need to investigation in the literature on the topic and find 5-10 books ,as well as articles, to write a decent paper. To search for books, you need to use a library catalog. Depending on how much time you have, you have a couple of options.

Books at Cal State San Marcos

Library Catalog
Search our local collection of about 250,000 books.

Other Options

Circuit (1-3 day delivery)
Search the collections of other San Diego area libraries -- about 3,000,000 books. Find and request books directly online; pick them up at our Library in 1-3 days.

WorldCat (5-10 day delivery)
Search the collections of libraries world-wide -- about 52,000,000 books. Find a book in this database, and fill-out an Interlibrary Loan delivery request. Book will be delivered to Library for pickup.

Library of Congress: Search Music, Theatre, and Dance
This agency works to collect all materials published in the US as well as all English language materials, so the coverage on any research topic is extensive. The catch is that the LoC does not lend materials, so try ordering through our Interlibrary Loan office if you find something you must have. The search information offered on this page is very useful in understanding how an academic library collection works.

Useful Keywords

Keywords can be subject to interpretation by a computer search function in ways you never imagined! Try to be specific in your search. Use 'modern dance' rather than 'dance' if you are looking for that specific form. 'African dance' will bring back dance in Africa as well as dance performances by African-Americans.

Useful Subject Terms

A more focused search of a library catalog is to use specific subject headings. These are labels used to group related books together. 'Dance' is such a large topic, you will want to think of ways to narrow it down, by time period, geography, style, specific performer or choreographer, etc. Ask a librarian to help, or here are some examples to think about:

• Dance -- Africa (broad geographic subdivision)
• Dance -- Study and teaching (instructional methods subdivision)
• Modern dance (genre subject heading)
• Merengue (Dance)  (particular dance style)
• Choreography
• Cunningham, Merce (note the last name, first name order when looking for a person as subject or performances by them)
• Dance criticism (analytical works)

Browse the Book Stacks
Sometimes, just looking through the shelves can turn up works you would not have considered otherwise. Using the Library of Congress subject system, Dance as performance is shelved in the GV call number area.

Journal Articles

To look for articles in journals, newspapers, or magazines, you will need to start with a research database. The following databases provide abstracts of articles from thousands of journals and other sources, often providing full-text.

Some databases do not offer full text of the articles. Use the button to check our other resources for full text.

Internet Sources

Your instructor may allow use of some web pages you find on the Wild Wild Web. AS A RESEARCHER, YOU WILL FIND NOT ALL SITES ARE OF EQUAL VALUE. Exercise caution with statements you find and look for references lists and citations for supporting documentation. Without careful checking and research, you don't know what is truth and what is fiction, but the instructor grading your paper is going to know! Click on a link below to open a page of reliable sites you can check out:

@URL Dance Resources
Although from New Zealand, this site takes a world view of dance resource sites.

American College Dance Festival Association
Supports college and university dance departments with regional conferences and national festivals.

Artslynx/Dance
One of the most comprehensive sites on dance with 28 different categories including health, world dance, dance history and research sources.

Dance: A Guide to Resources
Gathered by Carol Hansen, Librarian at Weber State University, this list was published in the December 2002 College & Research Libraries News.

DANCE: A Library Timesaver
Although directed to users of the library resources at Swarthmore College, the links to definitions and instructions on how to locate materials on specific people, periods or geographic distinctions in dance are very useful.

Dance Films Association
Celebrating the capture of dance on film with the festival, Dance on Camera.

Dance Insider
 Dance performance reviews ('flash reviews') and short video clips of dance (search the site for 'video') make this site different from many others.

Dance Links at Dancer.com
While hosted by a dance retailer, this site is valuable for the variety of resources (newslinks, dance companies and list of links for further research.) The main page also has valuable information for dancers' health issues with an emphasis on ballet.

FSU Dance-Related Sites
Site assembled by Florida State University to a variety of dance-related web sites and organizations.

Glossarist.com--Dance: Glossaries and Dance Dictionaries
This site provides links to an extensive group of glossaries of dance and a variety of types of dance.

InfoUSA: Dance Overviews
A short collection of government web pages on dance.

Katherine Dunham Collection
An example of images (still and moving) as well as text about an American performing artist. This particular site is part of the Library of Congress "I Hear America Singing" collection.

Laban/Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies
Much of this site is devoted to Certified Movement Analysts and their work.

Laban Library + Archives: Web Resources
Downloadable PDF file with active links to a variety of international sites and sources on dance and movement.

National Resource Centre for Dance
Focused on United Kingdom resources.

Performing Arts Encyclopedia (Library of Congress)
Providing links to digitized collections and exhibits as well as bibliographies to lead to more. Both searchable and browseable to find the rich variety of resources.

Video On Demand
A collection of performances, lectures, interviews, and installations recorded at UCSD. These are free to watch using RealPlayer. Use the video finder subject divisions to look at the offering (advise using the Arts & Music collection and then using the "by subject" tab". A title/keyword search option is available also. Subjects of interest are Dance and Performance Art.

Associations and Professional Groups

Dance Critics Association (scholars and professionals)

Dance Heritage Coalition (American dance research and preservation efforts)

Dance USA  Based in Washington DC, this describes itself as "the national service organization for professional dance".

Scholarly Societies Project: Dance (listing of scholarly societies around the world)

Society of Dance History Scholars (includes a page on online resources)

Need More?

As you research, you may find yourself stuck or need to find more. There are several ways to get help!

The librarian listed at the top of this page is here to help. Email or call 760-750-4374 to make an appointment. Also, my office is KEL 3424 and when my door is open, I am available for drop-in appointments.

The Research Help Desk provides numerous options for getting help in person, via the phone, or online 24/7.

The CSUSM Writing Center (located within the Kellogg Library on 1st floor) can help with developing good writing. Fill in an electronic appointment form or call 760-750-4168

Finding Material

The library catalog tells you what we own in either physical or virtual form, but what if you need something that we don't own?

• Books can be ordered through Circuit (look for the Circuit button in the library catalog.)
• Articles can be located by clicking on the button in the database you are using OR through Interlibrary Loan (ILL). ILL should be an option in if there isn't a copy available in our research database collection.
• Dissertations are very rarely needed, but if available for loan, can be requested through ILL.
• Videos are normally not lent out through ILL, you need to go to the library that holds the item to view there or borrow yourself. You may find a video available for rent online, but they are normally very expensive.