Articles & Databases for Dance
Dance & Performing Arts Databases
Unlike other academic disciplines, dance does not have its own subject-specific database to cover scholarly literature in the field. Therefore, researchers in dance must be aware of many relevant databases and choose among them based on their specific topic and research interests. The list below includes both general academic and subject-specific databases in the fields of performing arts, anthropology, religion, sociology, music, psychology, classical studies, languages and literature, medicine, and history. Don't forget to log in if you are off campus.
- Anthropology Plus This link opens in a new windowAn excellent resource for locating scholarly research on worldwide classical and traditional dance, including thousands of ethnographic studies.
- ARTstor This link opens in a new windowWith over a million digital images from all of the visual arts as well as cultural objects of all types, ARTstor is an excellent starting point for iconographic research in dance and related fields. A search on "dancers" within the Library of Congress Collection in ARTstor retrieves over a thousand images by photographer Arnold Genthe, including many portraits of Isadora Duncan, Anna Pavlova, and Ruth St. Denis.
- Project Muse This link opens in a new windowMost recent 5-7 years only -- for back issues, see JSTOR
History Databases
- L'Année Philologique This link opens in a new windowProvides comprehensive, international coverage of scholarly research on all aspects of classical antiquity, including ancient dance and spectacle. From the second millennium B.C.E up to the early Middle Ages.
Music Literature Databases
- RILM Abstracts of Music Literature This link opens in a new windowRILM, a database that provides citations and abstracts for scholarly literature in all areas of music research, includes thousands of citations for literature relating to dance, both in the Western art tradition and classical and traditional world dance. Indexes all types of scholarly literature, including dissertations, books chapters, conference proceedings, books, reviews, etc. International coverage. Coverage is primarily from 1967 on, but earlier records are slowly being added.
Other Useful Databases
- Atla Religion Database This link opens in a new windowProvides citations and abstracts for international scholarly literature in religion and theology, including articles, books, and book chapters. Use this database when searching for research relating to any aspect of dance and its intersection with religion. Try searching terms separately: danc* and worship, danc* and hindu*
- MLA International Bibliography This link opens in a new windowCitations and abstracts for international scholarly literature of all types (articles, books, book chapters, dissertations, proceedings) on literature, languages, folklore, and linguistics. Coverage goes back to 1881. Contains thousands of citations relevant to dance and related areas.
- Periodicals Index Online This link opens in a new windowA general, retrospective index of scholarly and some popular periodicals. Coverage goes up to 1995. Indexes approximately 250 titles in the fine arts, including about a dozen dance periodicals.
- PsycInfo This link opens in a new windowThe leading database for citations and abstracts in the international psychological and behavioral sciences and related disciplines. Coverage goes back to 1890. Provides comprehensive coverage of the scholarly literature, including journals, book chapters, books, and dissertations. Thousands of citations relevant to dance and related areas, including Dance Therapy, Somatics, Body-Mind Connection.
- PubMed This link opens in a new windowCitations and some freely accessible full text for millions of articles in biomedical research, including dance therapy and performance arts medicine.
- Sociological Abstracts This link opens in a new windowAn excellent database to use for dance research from the perspective of the social and behavioral sciences. Provides citations and abstracts for scholarly journal articles, dissertations, conference papers, and books. Coverage is international and goes back to 1952.
Dance Journals
To search for journals on a particular subject, or if you know the name of a journal you'd like to access, use the Journal Search.
Use the menu on the left to search by subject (e.g. Music, Dance, Drama & Film).
Enter the name of the journal in the search bar to view our holdings (remember to enter the name of the journal and not the title of the article within the journal).
Direct links to some of the dance journals are included below:
- American Journal of Dance TherapyLatest 12 months not available online
- Ballet ReviewPrint Only [No online access]
- Dance: Current Selected Research[Limited online access]
- Dance Major Journal (UCI)Open Access
- Dance theatre journalPrint Only [No online access]
- Dancing TimesPrint Only [No online access]
Google Scholar
Connecting Google Scholar to UCSB Library Full-Text Resources
Learn how you can connect UCSB Library to Google Scholar to easily access the full text of an article through UC Library Search.
Connecting Google Scholar to UCSB Library Full-Text Resources from UCSB Library on Vimeo.
Transcript:
Title: Connecting Google Scholar to UCSB Library Full-Text Resources: Teaching & Learning Series
Body: Starting on the Google Scholar homepage, login to Google using your UCSB NetID and password. Once you are logged in, find the menu in the top left corner of the screen and select the “settings” option, then the “library links” option. In the search box, enter “University of California, Santa Barbara” and search. Find the “Get it At UC” option and make sure the box is checked, then save your changes. Now, you can search for full-text articles in UCSB Library from Google Scholar! On the Google Scholar homepage, enter your search terms and search. Look for the “Get it at UC” links to access the full-text resource through the Library website. You’ve done it! Having trouble? Ask for help. Need help with your research? Visit us online: library.ucsb.edu/ask