ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries 776 / C&RL News ■ December 2002 INTERNET RESOURCES Dance A guide to Web resources by Carol Hansen T he Web provides access to a broad range o f information and media on dance, use­ ful to dance students, faculty, and dance afi­ cionados. The Web sites selected for this ar­ ticle were chosen for their usefulness to the general academic dance community with a pri­ mary focus on sites devoted to ballet and mod­ ern dance. Readers may use the meta sites and directories listed to access many more sites on specific styles of dance from Balinese to zydeko. The sites below w ere evaluated for their usability, design, and, primarily, their content. W hen a commercial site is listed, it is chiefly for the dance information provided, not for the products or services it sells. Print periodi­ cals, mailing lists, discussion groups, and chat sites are not highlighted in this article. Links to many publications and forums are included in the meta sites, as are directories o f organi­ zations, dance companies, and lists o f promi­ nent dancers. Several magazines with excel­ lent Web sites are listed within the meta sites because of their rich and varied content. Internet resources on dance are increasingly important to the dance community as more dance performances are preserved and shared through new technologies. Hopefully the sites presented will provide inspiration for dancers, librarians, and researchers to continue search­ ing the Web for dance information and media. Although there are many excellent Web sites on dance, even the best sites seem to have a few dead links, demonstrating that dance sites in cyberspace can be as fleeting as a pirouette across a stage. S tarting points and m eta sites • Artslynx/D ance. Start here for an easy and useful overview of dance information on the Web. Artlynx editor Richard Finkelstein has created a comprehensive gateway site for finding Web sites on dance. This meta site pro­ vides 28 categories o f dance links. Categories unique to this site include “D ancer H ealth” and “This Month in D ance History.” The list o f links to professional, scholarly, educational, and discipline-based organizations is useful for academic dance programs. Other categories o f note include “African D ance” and “University Listings.” A ccess: http://www.artslynx.org/ dance/. • @URL In tern et R esources: A Dance is W orth 1 0 ,0 0 0 W ords. Find extensive links on all aspects o f dance from this New Z e a la n d -b a s e d site. The catego­ ries on dance and new m ed ia in ­ clude links to sites on dance-related technologies, digital dance/ media software for dance, dance video, dance film, and CD-ROMs. Access: http://url.co.nz/ arts/dance, html. • B allet.co.uk. B allet.co.u k is an attrac­ tive site with many articles, links, and images. This free online magazine includes interviews, A b o u t the author Carol Hansen is instruction services lib ra ria n in the S te w a rt L ibrary a t W eber State University in Ogden, Utah, e-mail: chansen@weber.edu http://www.artslynx.org/ http://url.co.nz/ mailto:chansen@weber.edu C&RL News ■ D ecem ber 2002 / 777 current news, performances this week, and dis­ cussion postings. Links to dance reviews in the g lo b a l p re ss are u p d a te d daily. T he re ­ v ie w s d a t a ­ base, w ith its advanced search option, is par­ ticularly u sefu l for re a d in g p a st review s of dance performances from around the world. Access: h ttp ://w w w .b a lle t.c o .u k /. • T h e B a lle t.c o m . In tro d u c to ry p ag es w ith short articles on the dancer, techniques, and the history of ballet are provided. The site is useful for its daily new s updates from inter­ n atio n al so u rces. A ccess: h ttp ://w w w .th e - ballet.com /. • B a lle tC o m p a n ie s .c o m . V iew m ore than 2,000 links to ballet and dance companies all over the world at this site created by Dick Heuff, form er head of the audiovisual departm ent of the Netherlands Dance Theatre. Take note of the links in the “Dance and Technologies” section. A ccess: http:/www.balletcompanies.com/. • Criticaldance.com. Included here are fea­ ture articles, reviews, several interviews, a small photo gallery, and selections from the best of its forum discussions. The forums, on many dance styles, have more than 75,000 postings. Access: http://w ww .criticaldance.com /. • C u ltu re K io sq u e : D a n c e . C u ltu re K iosque covers international cultural events w ith new s, com m entary an d inform ation on th e a rts, c u ltu re , a n d e n te rta in m e n t in N orth A m erica a n d E u ro p e. This ap p ealin g site co n ­ tain s c a le n d a rs o f fe a tu re d an d s e a ­ sonal events. The se­ lected articles and b ook an d perform ance re­ view s are w o rth a visit to this site. T h e p ri­ m ary w rite r o n d a n c e for C ulture K iosk is Patricia B o ccadoro w h o also w rites for The G uardian and D ancing Times. Articles are avail­ able in English, French, an d G erman. Access: h ttp ://w w w .cu ltu rek io sq u e.co m /d an ce/. • C yberdance: B allet o n th e n et. A col­ lection o f m ore th an 3,500 links to classical b allet a n d m o d e rn d a n c e re s o u rc e s o n the In te rn e t can b e fo u n d here. Visit this site to view long lists o f links o n events, auditions, co m p etitio n s, re se a rc h , FAQs, tech n o lo g y , newsgroups, chat sites, articles, reviews, maga­ zines, summer programs, colleges, and schools. Access: http://w w w .cyberdance.org/. • T h e D a n c e C en tre L in k s. A w ell-de- signed and easy-to-use comprehensive site with lists of ballet and contem porary dance com pa­ nies, choreographic centers, dance presenters and perform ance listings, organizations, fund­ ing resources, schools, bulletin boards, mailing lists, new sgroups, magazines, and other infor­ m ation resources. T he site w as developed by The Dance Centre, a not-for-profit society serv­ ing individuals and dance companies since 1986 in V ancouver, C anada. A ccess: h ttp ://h ttp :// www.thedancecentre.ca/. • D a n c e I n s id e r O n lin e . T h e “Flash Reviews” on this site are one of its most p o p u ­ lar features. These dance performance reviews are often posted the day after a show. Many of the reviews in­ clude links to v id e o dips. Search b y k e y ­ word “video” to find clips. See also the “Insider Web Picks” and “Vignettes” by dance critic Tobi Tobias. The site offers a guide to summer schools, and readers may subscribe to its free e-mail newsletter. Access: http://www.danceinsider.com. • D ance Links at Dancer.com. Dance Links is perhaps the best known and most highly linked to dance site on the Internet. Online since before 1994, it has b e e n w o rk ed o n at various times b y d a n c e v id e o g ra p h e r Amy Reusch, Jam es W hite, a n d J o n W right. Major ca te g o rie s o f links include: “Ballet C om panies,” “M odern/ C o n te m p o ra ry D an ce C o m p a n ie s,” “M ore Dance Companies (Flamenco, Tap, Butoh, Mul­ tim edia, Jazz, World, etc.),” “D ance P resent­ ers & P erfo rm an ce Listings,” “N ew sgroups, D ance Publications, D ance FAQs etc.,” “Dance O rg a n iz a tio n s , C o a litio n s, e tc .” “D a n c e Schools,” “D a n cers,” a n d “D ance Web Indi­ ces.” Pointe shoe manufacturer Gaynor Minden d o n a te s th e h o s tin g o f th e site. A ccess: h ttp ://w w w .d an cer.co m /d an ce-lin k s/. http://www.ballet.co.uk/ http://www.the- http://www.balletcompanies.com/ http://www.criticaldance.com/ http://www.culturekiosque.com/dance/ http://www.cyberdance.org/ http://http:// http://www.thedancecentre.ca/ http://www.danceinsider.com http://www.dancer.com/dance-links/ 778 / C&RL News ■ December 2002 • S a p p h ir e S w a n D a n c e D ir e c to r y . This extremely useful directory provides many links to m ore th a n 30 styles o f d a n c e from Aztec to zydeko. Each site listed provides a good collection of links on a particular style or specialized information about an area of dance. This may be the best place to start looking for inform ation o n m any different d an ce styles. A ccess: h ttp :/ /w w w .s a p p h i r e s w a n .c o m / dance/. • V oice o f D a n c e . Voice o f D ance is a well-organized and well-designed site with cur­ rent new s, directories, som e video clips, and an extensive image gallery on ballet and m od­ ern dance. It includes references to new spaper reviews w ith links back to the articles. Its up- to -d ate perfo rm an ce calendars for selected events in m ore than 20 North American and E u ro p e a n cities is u n iq u e . A ccess: h tt p :/ / w ww .voiceofdance.com /. Dance d ictio n a rie s • A m erica n B allet T h eatre B allet D ic ­ tionary. The American Ballet Theatre’s Online Ballet D ictionary is a self-described “un iq u e interactive resource designed to bring dance to the Web.” One hundred and seventy terms from the T echnical M a n u a l a n d D ictio n a ry o f C lassical B a l­ let{Dover) are defined, and most are demonstrated with photo­ graphs or video clips of American Ballet Theatre dancers. Access: http://w w w .abt.org/library/ dictionary/. • G lo ssa r ist.c o m — D an ce: G lo ssa ries a n d D a n c e D ic tio n a r ie s . Links to m ore than 30 glossaries o f dance, including glossa­ ries on ballet, flamenco, swing, Irish, and other ty p es o f d a n c e are available from this site. Access: http://www.glossarist.com /glossaries/ arts-culture/dance. asp. Sp ecial co lle ctio n s • A m erica n B allet T h eatre R ep erto ry A rch ive. A com prehensive list of the Ameri­ can Ballet Theatre (ABT) Company’s repertoire o f p e rfo rm an ces go in g back to 1939 is fe a ­ tured here. The information is arranged by bal­ let and by choreographer. There are entries for more than 350 ballets, many of w hich include a synopsis o f th e ballet; inform ation o n the choreographer, scene, costume, and lighting de­ signers; th e music; an d o th e r notes. Access: h ttp ://w w w .a b t.o rg /lib ra iy /a rc h iv e /. • An A m erican B allro o m C om p an ion . From the A m erican M emory Project an d the Music Division at the Library o f Congress, this site p re s e n ts a co llectio n o f m ore th a n 200 social d an ce m an u als from 1490 to 1920. It includes 75 video clips that illustrate portions of the dance instruction manuals in this unique searchable collection. Access: http://m em ory. loc. gov/am m em /dihtm l/dihom e. htm l. • D a n c e H eritage C o a litio n . Using tra­ ditional methods and developing technologies, the Dance Heritage Coalition catalogs primary resources that docum ent the history o f dance. A searchable database helps visitors find dance materials located in more than 50 archival col­ lections. A ccess: h ttp ://d a n c e h e r ita g e .o rg / index.htm. • D a n c e Libraries, A rch iv es, a n d C ol­ l e c t i o n s i n t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s a n d Canada. From Preserve, Inc., this is a helpful o n lin e list o f special library co llectio n s on dance. Preserve Inc. is a national cen te r for dance archives information that w orks to cre­ ate links betw een dancers, choreographers, li­ brarians, archivists, national repositories, and local networks. Access: http://w w w .preserve- inc.org/library.html. • D a n c e N o ta tio n B u reau . T he D ance Notation Bureau w orks to advance the use of dance notation to preserve dances. Dance steps or scores are recorded and preserved using the symbol system called Labanotation, w hich is described on this site. The site also includes a W eb library an d list o f links to o th e r d a n c e n o t a t i o n s i t e s . A c c e s s : h t t p : / / w w w . dancenotation.org/. • J e r o m e R o b b in s D a n c e D iv is io n o f t h e N ew York P u b lic Library fo r th e P er­ fo rm in g Arts. This collection, established as a separate division in 1944, is the largest archive in the w orld devoted to the docum entation of dance. Major collections of papers, letters, and artifacts from dance greats, including Isadora Duncan, Jose Limone, Doris Humphreys, and others, are h o u sed in this rem arkable collec­ tion. D on’t miss its large gatew ay of Web links on all types of dance and dance-related issues. O f special note are links to th e “Oral History Project” and “AIDS Initiative. “Use the Dance Collection Catalog to search the collections by keyword, author, title, and subject. Access: http:// www.nypl.org /research /lp a/d an /d an .h tm l. http://www.sapphireswan.com/ http://www.voiceofdance.com/ http://www.abt.org/library/ http://www.glossarist.com/glossaries/ http://www.abt.org/libraiy/archive/ http://memory http://danceheritage.org/ http://www.preserve- http://www http://www.nypl.oig/research/lpa/dan/dan.html C&RL News ■ December 2002 / 779 • S o c ie ty o f D a n c e H isto r y Sch olars: O n lin e R esou rces. This group dedicated to dance history provides a Web guide with doz­ ens of links in nine categories on specific peri­ ods o f d an ce history. A ccess: h ttp ://w w w . sdhs.org. Dance m edia See the gateway sites above for additional links in this category or for links on dance and tech­ nology. • D ance: A n A n n o ta ted V id eo g ra p h y o f H o ld in g s in th e Media R esou rces C en­ ter, U n iv e r sity o f C a lifo rn ia , B e r k e le y . This videography contains a superb annotated list o f d an ce v id eo s cate g o rized by locale ( “D ance in Asia,” “Native American D ance,” etc.). It also includes a list o f m ovies w ith d an ce an d a short list o f boo k s o n d an ce in film. Access: h ttp ://w w w .lib .b e rk e le y .e d u / MRC/DanceVid.html. • D an ce F ilm s A ssociation . Association members ($35) have access to an online search­ able database of the “most comprehensive list o f dance films and videos in current distribu­ tion in the U.S.” The Dance Films association sponsors the internationally recognized Dance o n C am era film festival. A ccess: h t t p : / / www.dancefilmsassn.org/. • D ig ita l P e r fo r m a n c e A rch iv e. The Digital Performance Archive (DPA) documents the use o f com puter technologies for perfor­ mance, including live theater and dance p ro ­ ductions. Access its searchable database of vir­ tual perform ances from 1990 to 2001. A bibli­ ography with more than 250 entries on digital perform ance is also available. Access: h ttp :// dpa.ntu.ac.uk/dpa_site/. Lesson p la n s fo r dance in K -1 2 curricula • F ree To D a n c e . L e sso n P la n s. Les­ s o n 2: M od ern D a n c e a n d t h e H a rlem R e n a iss a n c e . Four activities are p ro v id ed within this site for high school students hav­ ing seen the PBS “Free to D ance” videos. The Free to Dance Web site also includes a dance tim eline (from l 6 l 9 to 2001), list o f links, biographies, and other teaching resources. Access: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/freetodance/ lessonplans_2.html. • T h e K e n n e d y C en ter Arts Edge— C u rricu la L e sso n s a n d A ctiv itie s: P er­ fo r m in g A rts. More th an 30 K -12 lesson plans involving dance activities are on this site. Access: h ttp ://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/ teaching_materials/curricula/. • PE Central. This database of lesson plans provides search access by keyword, subcatego­ ries, and title o f lesson or activity. Results a p ­ pear with clearly defined age/grade information a t th e to p le v e l. A ccess: h t t p : / / w w w . pecentral.org/lessonideas/dance/danceindex.asp. Dancer health resources • Dancer.com. Gaynor Minden Inc., manu­ facturer o f pointe shoes, publishes this site. O f n o te is a useful section o n “H ealth an d Safety,” including the “Ask a Dance Medicine Expert” column and the article on Turnout, Ten­ d o n itis a n d B u n io n s. A ccess: h ttp ://w w w . dancer.com. • I n t e r n a t i o n a l A s s o c i a t i o n f o r D a n c e M e d ic in e a n d S c ie n c e . Visit this site for the full-text position paper on The Chal­ lenge o ft he Adolescent D ancer and information o n other dance medicine publications and is­ sues. Its bulletin board, for the dance science, medicine and education communities, contrib­ u t e s to t h e u s e f u l n e s s o f t h i s s i te . Access: http://w w w .iadm s.org. • L a b a n /B a rten ieff In stitu te o f M ove­ m e n t Studies (LIMS) O n lin e. LIMS O nline offers program s an d conferences o n the sci­ e n c e of m ovem ent, an d a link to th e co rre­ sp o n d in g Laban Web ring. A ccess: h tt p :/ / w w w .lim sonline.org/. ■ M ore a b o u t dance See th e full article o n the Web at h tt p :/ / w ww .ala.org/acrl/resdec02.htm l. http://www http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/ http://www.dancefilmsassn.org/ http://www.pbs.org/wnet/freetodance/ http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/ http://www http://www http://www.iadms.org http://www.limsonline.org/ http://www.ala.org/acrl/resdec02.html