Title Highlight: International Encyclopedia of Dance

International Encyclopedia of Dance

6 volumes
Illustrations, Alphabetical list of entries (v. 6), Synoptic Outline of Contents (v.6), Index (v.6)

This large set took 24 years to be published; the idea for an international encyclopedia of dance first being suggested in 1974, with the results printed in 1998. It attempts to include all forms of dance in all countries of the world, broken into 3 broad categories: Western theatrical dance, theatrical dance in the non-Western world and ritual and recreational forms of dance. Thus ballet, tap and jazz dance are described, but also Japanese Kabuki and No theater, Balinese mask theatre dance, square dancing and the polka. The work also includes biographies of selected dancers and choreographers along with descriptions of famous theatrical dances such as the Nutcracker, Swan Lake and others.

There are many illustrations of techniques, famous dancers and choreographers as well as a nice synoptic outline at the end of volume 6 that groups dance into various topics covered by the encyclopedia. The outline allows you to see the types of articles found in the encyclopedia and offers a more visual way to find a topic that you are interested in. Each article is signed and has see also references to other parts of the encyclopedia. There are suggestions for further reading and in some cases references to video recordings that highlight a particular dancer. In cases where archives exist with collections relevant to the topic, these are also listed at the end of an article. If you have any questions about dance, this would be the first place to look.