LibGuides: Starting Dance Research: Home

Research resources

Performing Arts Periodicals Database This link opens in a new window
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Provides access to scholarly and popular material from all aspects of the performing arts, from scholarly studies to snapshots of popular culture, 1864-present.
1864-present; draws its content from scholarly and popular performing arts periodicals, and also indexes a variety of documents such as biographical profiles, conference papers, obituaries, interviews, discographies, reviews and events. Performing Arts covers nearly all aspects of the performing arts, from scholarly studies to snapshots of popular culture.
Entertainment Industry Magazine Archive This link opens in a new window
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Provides access to primary sources for studying the history of the film and entertainment industries, 1880-2000.
1880-2000; Entertainment Industry Magazine Archive is an archival research resource containing the essential primary sources for studying the history of the film and entertainment industries, from the era of vaudeville and silent movies through to 2000. The core US and UK trade magazines covering film, music, broadcasting and theater are included, together with film fan magazines and music press titles. Magazines have been scanned cover-to-cover in high-resolution color, with granular indexing of all articles, covers, ads and reviews.
ProQuest Historical Newspapers This link opens in a new window
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A digital newspaper archive offering more than 60 historical publications dating back to the 19th century.
These historical newspapers offer full text and full image articles for newspapers dating back to the 19th century. Use the list below to search each newspaper individually.
Brown University Library subscribes to:
Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new window
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Provides full-text access to more than 8,500 full text periodicals, including more than 7,300 peer-reviewed journals.
Current; scholarly, multidisciplinary full text database, designed for the academic community with more than 8,500 full text periodicals, including more than 7,300 peer-reviewed journals.
WorldCat FirstSearch This link opens in a new window
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Comprehensive database of books and other materials in library catalogs around the world. Best used for advanced search of book records.
Routledge Encyclopedia of Modernism This link opens in a new window
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Discover articles and images about the Modernist period
Biannual; the Routledge Encyclopedia of Modernism contains over 1000 articles covering all aspects of the field, ranging from broad intellectual topics within modernism to specific works and practitioners. Geographical coverage is worldwide. The content is divided into eight subfields: literature, architecture, visual arts, music, dance, theatre, film, and intellectual currents.

International Encyclopedia of Dance
"With nearly 2,000 articles written by scholars from fifty countries, the Encyclopedia covers the full spectrum of dance—theatrical, ritual, dance-drama, folk, traditional, ethnic, and social dance. Cultural and national overviews are accompanied by entries on dance forms, music and costumes, performances, and biographies of dancers and choreographers."
Bryson Dance Collection
The Bryson Dance Collection, housed in the John Hay Library and other campus libraries, focuses on the development of dance, primarily ballet. It includes many works tracing ballet's history, illustrations, photographs, and biographies. A smaller portion of the collection covers other types of dance, including modern dance, folk dance, and jazz dance. The geographic scope is worldwide and the time covered ranges from the fifteenth through the twentieth centuries.
Billy Rose Theater Collection at the New York Public Library
"The Billy Rose Theatre Division of The New York Public Library is one of the largest and most comprehensive archives devoted to the theatrical arts. Encompassing dramatic performance in all its diversity, the division is an indispensable resource for artists, writers, researchers, scholars, students, and the general public. Through conservation and documentation efforts, it preserves and promotes the theatre, playing a dynamic role in the national and international theatrical communities."
Print Resources at Brown on subject "dance -- history"

Video Resources

Routledge Performance Archive This link opens in a new window
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Provides streaming audio, video, and critical commentary from performance practitioners past and-present, current.
Current; the Routledge Performance Archive provides access to audio-visual material from past and-present practitioners of performance across a range of fifty years. Materials included encompass interviews with important figures from theater and performance history, practitioner footage, masterclasses, contemporary productions, and documentaries. New material is added every three months.
Dance in Video Volumes I and II (now part of AVON) This link opens in a new window
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Contains dance productions and documentaries by influential performers and companies of the 20th century
Dance in Video contains dance productions and documentaries by the most influential performers and companies of the 20th century. Selections cover ballet, tap, jazz, contemporary, experimental, and improvisational dance, as well as forerunners of the forms and the pioneers of modern concert dance.

Jerome Robbins Dance Division Moving Image Archive
Note for users: some but not all of these videos are restricted to being viewed within the physical location of the NYPL. Please check the "Exclude location-restricted videos" box to see materials available to be viewed from outside of the New York Public Library.
Jacob's Pillow Dance Interactive
A free video collection curated by the Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival. Dance clips from 1936 to the present day are available, including works by Anthony Tudor, George Balanchine, Ruth St. Denis, Bill T. Jones, and many others.