LibGuides: Dance: Get Started

Background Information

The following resources provide background information on a wide range of topics. Start here to get a sense of the scholarly context surrounding the work, choreographer, artist, or issue you're researching.

International Encyclopedia of Dance
Encyclopedia articles covering theatrical, ritual, dance-drama, folk, traditional, ethnic, and social dance.
Fifty Contemporary Choreographers
Guide to today's most important dance-makers. Each entry includes a biographical section, a chronological list of works, a detailed bibliography and a critical essay, while the range of dance styles covered ranges from ballet to post-modern dance.

America's Historical Imprints (1639 - 1819) This link opens in a new window
Full digital access to the Early American Imprints Series I, II, and supplements. 36,000 titles on 17th and 18th century American life. Includes most books printed anywhere during that time period about America.
America: History and Life (1964 - Present) This link opens in a new window
Indexes over 2,000 scholarly journals to find citations for appropriate articles on your topic in American or Canadian history, from prehistory to the present. Allows you to search by historical period. For other parts of the world, use Historical Abstracts.
Archival Films & Newsreels Collection This link opens in a new window
Archival and historical films from multiple sources.

Archive.org
Internet Archive is a non-profit library of millions of free books, movies, software, music, websites, and more.