Dance: History and Performance
Dancers spend endless hours a day perfecting their craft, but you don’t need toil quite as hard for good dance information online. Delve into dance history with pictures, biographies and timelines. Get expert opinions and breaking dance news from arts newspapers and dance magazines. Or buy dance performance tickets and make your own judgments. Then, chat about what you’ve learned with others on dance news and forums.
Expand All Guide SectionsHistory of Dance
Below, you’ll find sources that offer a dance history overview or go into greater depth. Explore dance timelines, dancer biographies, and primary sources that provide information on ballet history, the history of modern dance and the history of African-American dance.
Dulcinea's Insight
- For more information about a specific dancer, enter his or her name into a search engine and see if the dancer has a personal homepage.
- Dance company Web sites often provide their own history as well as a bit of history pertaining to the type of dance they perform. Look for a list of dance companies at CyberDance.
Dulcinea's Picks
For an overview of dance history …
The New York Public Library
has an online archive of the history of dance. Visit the Jerome Robbins Dance Division’s list of major collections to get an idea of what’s available before you search the dance catalog. Don’t miss the digital gallery of performance photographs.
The National Museum of Dance
lets you explore its exhibits online. The museum’s collections cover a variety of dance forms; take a peek at them on the site, or plan a visit. Do note, however, that the museum (located in Saratoga Springs, New York) closes for the winter.
For ballet history …
American Ballet Theatre
has a library whose mission is to capture both the 65-year history of the theater and important elements of ballet in general. Explore terms in the Ballet Dictionary or investigate entire ballets with the Repertory Archive, which provides information about past performances. Browse the Archive using the convenient links at the top of the page to see the list by ballet, choreographer, or composer.
The Ballerina Gallery
commemorates dozens of the world’s best ballerinas with individual photo galleries and autobiographies. The Gallery was last updated in 2002, but it’s a good source for investigating the women who have made ballet history.
For the history of modern dance …
The University of Pittsburgh
hosts a faculty project called “The Early Moderns” that serves as an online tutorial on the history of modern dance. Read biographies of the dancers who originated and established the modern form and discover the events, politics and philosophies that influenced them.
Off Jazz Dance World
is the official site of the Off Jazz Dance Company, which is based in France. Find histories of jazz and modern dance, as well as video clips and terminology. Some of the history sections are in French, but many terms are accompanied by picture tutorials and videos.
For a history of African-American dance …
PBS
’s timeline, “Free To Dance” (created to accompany the documentary of the same name) tracks the history of African-American dance from 1619–2001. More information about “Free to Dance,” is available on the site, including biographies of prominent dance figures and essays about dance.
Who knew?
PBS
makes it possible to scope out some of dance’s greatest moments and performances right from your computer.
Dance News and Reviews
Dance is an international art, and using the Internet as your source for news and reviews puts the world at your fingertips. You’ll find articles on dance news, as well as reviews of performances and companies in both North America and Europe. Take advantage of dance news aggregators that collect dance news, reviews and features from international papers, or visit arts and dance sites that offer original coverage.
Dulcinea's Insight
- Many of the picks below focus on dance performances in New York, San Francisco, and Washington, DC. There are certainly many other cities and towns with thriving dance communities; your local paper online is a good place to search for reviews and news about performances in your area.
- If you’re interested in simply keeping up with the dance community at large, visit a paper from one of the big dance cities. For example, The New York Times collects all of its dance news and reviews on one page, listed newest to oldest. Although the information may be somewhat New York-centric, the Times generally provides good national and international coverage.
- Since dance magazines are published on a monthly basis, the reviews and news you read in one of them may be older than the stories you’ll find in a newspaper or aggregator.
Dulcinea's Picks
For a quick overview …
PlaybillArts
has a dance news section that neatly and attractively lists dance headlines. Click a particular headline to read the whole article. Also visit the “Features” section for more in-depth articles.
For dance news and reviews …
ArtsJournal
is an online aggregator of arts news and reviews. The dance page collects articles from papers around the world, providing easy access to dance news from San Francisco, New York, and London, among other locations.
Danceviewtimes
(DVT) is an online supplement to DanceView, a quarterly dance magazine. It’s formatted as a blog and updated frequently with articles and reviews of dance in New York, Washington, DC, and the San Francisco Bay Area. Look for links to DVT’s writers’ blogs, as well as other dance blogs, on the right sidebar.
Culturekiosque
publishes arts and culture reviews and news in a variety of disciplines, including dance. Unlike ArtsJournal, Culturekiosque produces original content. This page lists international dance articles and organizes them by date. Read up on dance news, reviews, and commentary from readers.
For dance magazines …
Dance Magazine
encompasses jazz, modern, hip hop, ballet, and much more. The Web site features selections from the print issues as well as a college guide, dance blog, calendar of events and performance reviews.
Ballet-Dance Magazine
is a biweekly online magazine. Read reviews covering ballet and dance from all over the country, or explore the gallery and features. You can also view archives from up until 2003.
For ballet news and reviews …
Pointe Magazine
is a bi-monthly magazine for ballet dancers and fans. Not all of the content is available online, but you can read blogs, watch special videos, and access an archive of reviews.
Buying Dance Tickets
Dance is part of an ancient tradition, but you can purchase tickets to a public dance performance using entirely modern technology. Make your life easier by researching dance companies and season schedules online, and then buy your tickets via the company or an online vendor.
Dulcinea's Insight
- Local papers generally list upcoming dance shows from touring companies performing in your area as well as shows from local groups. The Web sites of major companies usually provide information about dance performance tours; for example, the New York-based Alvin Ailey Company is currently doing a North American Tour.
- Ticketmaster and Telecharge.com sell tickets to all major dance events. If you’re looking for discounted or hard-to-find tickets, you might have better luck at one of the smaller sites listed below.
Dulcinea's Picks
To find a specific dance company …
CyberDance
provides a comprehensive, alphabetized list with links to North American ballet and modern dance companies. Use the links near the top of the page to find international listings, as well as listings for companies performing other forms of dance, including tap, ballroom, belly dancing, and Flamenco. One benefit of the site is that Cyber recommends its favorite companies with a star.
For ticket brokers …
Coast To Coast Tickets
is a small, easy-to-navigate online ticket sales company that offers alphabetized lists of dance shows and companies. Find your show, select your seats and performance, and then follow directions to purchase the tickets via the site’s secure connection.
StubHub
is an eBay company devoted entirely to the resale of tickets to concerts, plays, and sporting events. Look for a list of all available performances on the “Dance / Ballet Tickets” page. Or use the search tool on the upper left of the page to find a specific performance.
Dance Forums and Blogs
Dance is usually a silent art but the sites below provide all the missing dialogue. The following dance blogs and forums are aimed both at dancers and dance enthusiasts. You’ll find stories of interest, plus tips and resources for dance fans.
Dulcinea's Insight
- Some of the sites listed in the “Dance News and Reviews” sections also include blogs and forums.
- Many dancers and dance companies have MySpace pages. It’s a way to network with other dancers, share a blog, post information about shows, and display photos and video clips.
Dulcinea's Picks
Voice of Dance
is an extensive communications hub for dancers, dance fans, choreographers and critics. Find links to colleges, information on upcoming auditions, breaking news and reviews, or visit the forums.
Dancer Universe
has news and articles for dancers, parents, and dance enthusiasts. Visit “My Dance Place,” the official site blog, or read numerous other dancers’ blogs sponsored by the site, located on the homepage under “Featured Blogs & Diaries.” Also take advantage of the site’s dance directories to find information on competitions, events, performances, costume companies, and more.
Dance Magazine
, noted earlier as a valuable news and information source, also has a section devoted to blogs. Find a range of information useful to both dancers and fans.
© 2012 Dulcinea Media, Inc.
