LibGuides: Dance: Books and eBooks

Getting Started: Online Reference

"Reading" by Pablo Stanley from Open Doodles

Gale eBooks is a great place to get an overview on a topic and identify some keywords you can use to search for articles.

Some Keywords for Dance include:

african american dance
ballet
belly dance
break dancing
dance
folk dancing
hip-hop AND dance
(hip-hop on it's own will also bring up all the music-related materials)
jazz dance
modern dance
swing dance

Reference Books

Encyclopedias in our reference collection provide overviews on topics in dance. They are good starting points:

The Encyclopedia of Exercise, Sport and Health by Peter Brukner; Karim Khan; John Kron
Call Number: GV567.B78 2004
ISBN: 1741140587
Publication Date: 2004-09-01
The Oxford Dictionary of Dance by Debra Craine; Judith Mackrell
Call Number: REF/GV1585.C78 2000
ISBN: 0198601069
Publication Date: 2000-12-07
Entries provide information on the history and terminology of classical, modern, traditional, and social dance forms from throughout the world, including choreographers and composers, dance companies, and notable works.

Books and eBooks

Put Your Hands on Your Hips and Act Like a Woman by Gale P. Jackson
Call Number: eBook
ISBN: 9781496217684
Publication Date: 2020-04-01
In a gathering of griot traditions fusing storytelling, cultural history, and social and literary criticism, Put Your Hands on Your Hips and Act Like a Woman “re-members” and represents how women of the African diaspora have drawn on ancient traditions to record memory, history, and experience in performance.
Beginning Hip-Hop Dance by E. Moncell Durden
Call Number: GV1796.H57 D87 2019
ISBN: 9781492544463
Publication Date: 2018-05-04
Since its development in the 1970s, hip-hop has grown to become a global dance phenomenon. In Beginning Hip-Hop Dance, students gain a strong foundation and learn the fundamentals of hip-hop techniques. Written by a dance educator and historian, this guide gives students the chance to explore hip-hop history and significant works and artists in the field.
Introduction to Modern Dance Techniques by Joshua Legg
Call Number: GV1783.L44 2011
ISBN: 9780871273253
Publication Date: 2011-10-01
This comparative approach will enable you to try each technique--with sample lessons--and to contrast the different philosophies.
Dance and Fashion by Valerie Steele (Editor)
Call Number: GV1595.D318 2013
ISBN: 9780300208856
Publication Date: 2014-12-02
Lavishly illustrated with both contemporary and historical images, the book features essays by ten fashion experts, who explore various aspects of the reciprocal relationship between dance and fashion, from the liberating effects of the tango to the influence of ballet on Japanese girl culture.