The two titles listed below are the standard points of first reference when doing research on dance and music. They are comprehensive multi-volume sets and will provide you with a broad base on which to begin your research.

Cohen, Selma Jeanne. International Encyclopedia of Dance: A Project of Dance Perspectives Foundation, Inc (Vols. 1-6). New York: Oxford University Press, 2004. (LC) Ref GV1585.I586 2004

Sadie, Stanley. The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians (Vols. 1-29). New York: Grove's Dictionaries, 2001. (LC RH) Ref ML100.N48 2001

New Grove Dictionary of Opera, Music and Musicians Online includes the full text of the printed editions of the New Grove Dictionary of Music and the New Grove Dictionary of Opera.  It is updated quarterly and annually. (LIBRARY DATABASE MENU)

This bibliography includes basic dictionaries, encyclopedias, biographical sources, bibliographies and historical overviews of the field of dance in the Fordham collection. When doing research always remember to begin with the broadest, most general reference tools, and then using the information found therein, move toward more specific sources.

Balanchine, George. Balanchine's New Complete Stories of the Great Ballets. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1968. (LC RH) Ref MT95.B34

Benbow-Pfalzgraf, Taryn. International Dictionary of Modern Dance. Detroit, MI: St. James Press, 1998.  (LC RH) Ref +GV1585.I58 1998

Bremser, Martha. Fifty Contemporary Choreographers. London: Routledge, 1999. (LC) Ref GV1785.A1 B74 1999

Bremser, Martha. International Dictionary of Ballet (Vols. 1-2). Detroit: St. James Press, 1993. (LC RH) Ref +GV1585.I57 1993

Billman, Larry. Film Choreographers and Dance Directors: An Illustrated Biographical Encyclopedia. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co., 1997. (LC RH) Ref GV1779.B55 1997

Chujoy, Anatole. The Dance Encyclopedia (rev. & enlarged ed.). New York: Simon & Schuster, 1967. (LC RH) Ref GV1585.C5 1967

Clarke, M., & Vaughan, D. The Encyclopedia of Dance & Ballet. New York: Putnam, 1977. (LC) Ref GV1585.E53 1977B

Craine, Debra, & Mackrell, Judith. The Oxford Dictionary of Dance.  Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004. (LC) Ref GV1585.C73 2004

Edsall, Mary E. A Core Collection in Dance.  Chicago: The Association, 2001. (LC RH) Ref GV1594.A13 2001

Glasstone, Richard. Classical Ballet Terms: An Illustrated History. Alton: Dance Books, 2001. (RH) Ref GV1585.G53 2001

Grant, Gail. Technical Manual and Dictionary of Classical Ballet (3^rd rev. ed.). New York: Dover, 1982. (LC) Ref GV1585.G68 1982

Mara, Thalia. The Language of Ballet: A Dictionary. Hightstown, NJ: Princeton Book, 1987. (LC) Ref GV1585.M37 1987

McDonagh, Don. The Complete Guide to Modern Dance. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1976. (LC RH) Ref GV1783.M26

Ryman, Rhonda. Ryman's Dictionary of Classical Ballet Terms: Cecchetti.  Toronto: Dance Collection Danse Press/es, 1998. (LC) GV1585 .R96 1998

Spain, Louise. Dance on Camera: A Guide to Dance Films and Videos (rev. ed.). Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press, 1998. (LC RH) Ref +GV1595.D342 1998

Periodical indexes provide you with access to articles in magazines, newspapers, newsletters, company reports, and sometimes transcripts of radio and TV broadcasts. The following indexes are a good place to begin when doing research in dance and the performing arts.

International Index to Music Periodicals (IIMP) provides access to tens of thousands of articles published in more than 400 international music journals every year. Many journals covered are indexed exclusively in IIMP. Coverage is from 1993 to the present. (LIBRARY DATABASE MENU)

International Index to the Performing Arts (IIPA). The IIPA draws its current content from more than 130 international performing arts periodicals from 9 countries and also indexes performing arts articles and obituaries appearing in The New York Times and The Washington Post. IIPA covers nearly all aspects of the world of the performing arts, from the most scholarly studies to the latest crazes. Coverage is from 1864 to the present. Records from 1998 forward contain an abstract. (LIBRARY DATABASE MENU)

International Bibliography of Theatre & Dance with Full Text contains full text for more than 100 journals and more than fifty books and monographs. (LIBRARY DATABASE MENU)

The library also has many general periodical indexes which cover thousands of journals and newspapers in every field, from around the country and the world. Check General Periodical Indexes on the Library Database screen.

Internet resources in dance, just like web sites in other subject areas, run the gamut from indispensable to inadequate. When using information found on the Internet keep in mind that it is not always written by a team of experts or scholars (like the authors of the International Encyclopedia of Dance) or organized in a standardized, authoritative way (like the International Index to the Performing Arts). But that caveat aside, the Internet offers a wealth of timely and valuable information on all aspects of dance. The sites listed below are a few of the more comprehensive and interesting ones. More can be found through various links in the general sites.

General Sites

Online Magazines

Ballet Alert

Dance Magazine

Ballet.Co

Dance Companies
Most of the major dance companies have Internet sites. Here are two local samples.