
panix!not-for-mail
 about ballet and modern (contemporary) dance.  Recommended
 reading for anyone wanting to post to alt.arts.ballet.


Archive-name: dance/ballet-modern-faq/part1

================================
Part 1 of four parts
================================

In a group as young as this one, we don't have enough data to identify
"frequently-asked" questions, with a few exceptions; hence many of the
entries that follow are answers to questions that we might reasonably
*expect* to be frequently asked, or at least wondered about.  I have 
chosen
to discuss things that I myself wondered about; things that, I surmise,
beginners and non-dancers must wonder about (since this group is 
specific-
ally intended to include them); a few technical points (well known to
dancers but not to spectators); and a fairly extensive history of ballet
from 1489 to the close of the Diaghilev era.  The FAQ ends with some
questions that don't fit well into the other categories and with a list
of references and periodicals.  Coverage will be expanded as the FAQ is
updated in response to requests and suggestions from the group.

This FAQ will be posted bimonthly (on even-numbered months) in
alt.arts.ballet, the Dancers' Archive, and also to rtfm.mit.edu, where 
most
FAQs are available through anonymous FTP.  It can also be found on the 
Web
at
 http://www.math.ucla.edu/~eijkhout/ballet_faq.html
and is also reachable from
 http://www.ens-lyon.fr/~esouche/danse/dance.html
although these are not always the latest versions.

There is also a FAQ listing suppliers of dancewear, updated bimonthy (on
odd-numbered months--alternating with updates to this FAQ).  That can 
also
be found in the Dancers' Archive and in rtfm.mit.edu.

================

*** New this release: ***

    Sources for dance books (Question 1.12) now subdivided into stores
 & libraries.  Information on New York Public Library & George 
 Washington University collections added.

================

Acknowledgements

I wish to thank Eliot Aronstern, Lise Brenner, Victor Eijkhout, and 
Lance
Westergard for reading the first draft and providing valuable comments
and suggestions.  Thanks also to Randy Barron, Eileen Bauer, Melinda
Buckwalter, Bonnie Brooks, Callum Downie, CarlosC14, William Fitzgerald,
Robinne Gray, Lisa M.  Hahn, Steve Keeley, Sandi Kurtz, Bob D. Peterson,
Amy Reusch, Tim Scholl, Estelle Souche, Jim Williams, Leigh Witchel, 
Mark
Zetler, and many other contributors to this group, many of whose 
postings
(and corrections) are gradually finding their way into this FAQ.

    This FAQ is provided as is without any express or implied 
warranties.
    While every effort has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the
    information contained in this article, the author assumes no
    responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages resulting 
from
    the use of the information contained herein.

    Copyright (c) 1995 by Thomas Parsons; all rights reserved.  This FAQ
    may be posted to any USENET newsgroup, on-line service, or BBS, 
provided
    it is posted in its entirety and includes this copyright statement.
    This FAQ may not be distributed for financial gain.
    No portion of this FAQ may be included in commercial collections or
    compilations without express permission from the author.

Tom Parsons
Digital Technology Laboratories
Brooklyn, New York
twp@panix.com

================

Contents:

PART 1
    0. General information
    0.1. What is this group?
    0.2. What is the difference between alt.arts.ballet and 
rec.arts.dance?
    0.3. How can I access this group?
    0.4. How can I post to this group?
    0.5. Are there any dance pages on the World Wide Web?
    0.6. I'm only a beginner; should I just shut up and listen?

    1. General questions about ballet
    1.1. What is ballet?
    1.2. What is modern dance?
    1.3. What is a ballet class like?
    1.4. What is a barre?
    1.5. Why do dancers take so many classes?
    1.6. Why do dancers wear such funny shoes?
    1.7. Why don't men dance on pointe?
    1.8. Why do dancers stand with their feet turned out?
    1.9. What is "placement?"
    1.10. Why all that French?
    1.11. What are the most popular ballets?
    1.12. Where can I find books about dance?
    1.13. Where can I find dance videos?

PART 2
    2. Ballet, Modern Dance, and You
    2.1. When should I start taking ballet?
    2.2. When should I start taking modern dance?
    2.3. I'm thinking of returning to ballet after -- years; how should 
I
     start?  Are there videos I can buy?
    2.4. I'm 45 (or 50 or 55 or...) years old.  Is it ridiculous for me
     to consider ballet classes?
    2.5. How do I find/choose a school or teacher?
    2.6. How can I tell if a teacher is good?
    2.7. If the teacher makes me feel good, won't I become 
overconfident?
    2.8. I live in ----; where can I take classes?
    2.9. Where can I find out about Summer dance programs?
    2.10. Where can I buy dancewear?
    2.11. I took a class and I couldn't understand what was going on!
    2.12. I keep getting mixed up!
    2.13. What on earth is a "soo-soo"?
    2.14. What is "B-plus"?
    2.15. How can I learn to raise my leg over my shoulder, the way I 
see
     other dancers doing?
    2.16. What is a career in dancing like?
    2.17. My daughter's gym classes are interfering with her ballet
     training.  What can I do to make the school listen?

PART 3
    3. Ballet history
    3.1. Who invented ballet?
    3.2. I thought ballet was a Russian art.
    3.3. When was the first ballet?
    3.4. When was the first ballet school started?
    3.5. How did ballet develop after the founding of that school?
    3.6. Who was Noverre?
    3.7. How did ballet develop in the nineteenth century?
    3.7.1. Who was Carlo Blasis?
    3.7.2. Who was August Bournonville?
    3.7.3. The primacy of the ballerina
    3.7.4. Ballet in Russia
    3.7.5. Who was Didelot?
    3.7.6. Who was Petipa?
    3.8. Dance in the 20th century
    3.8.1. Who was Diaghilev and what did he do?
    3.8.2. Who was Fokine?
    3.8.3. Who was Balanchine?
    3.8.4. The beginnings of modern dance

PART 4
    4. Miscellaneous questions
    4.1. Is there software for doing choreography?
    4.2. Is there software for my dance studio?
    4.3. What is Contact Improvisation?

    5. Reading List
    5.1. Books
    5.2. Periodicals


================


0. General information

0.1. What is this group?

 The purpose of alt.arts.ballet is to provide a forum for people
with an interest in ballet and/or the more modern outgrowths of 
classical
ballet.

 All questions, comments, information and discussion pertaining
to ballet and/or modern dance are welcome, and ALL members of the 
ballet/
modern dance community (e.g. dancers, choreographers, fans, students, 
etc.)
are encouraged to participate.


0.2. What is the difference between alt.arts.ballet and rec.arts.dance?

 Our group branched off from rec.arts.dance.  Eliot Aronstern
founded alt.arts.ballet, in May 1994, to provide an on-line "locale" for
discussion of any and all topics related to ballet and modern dance as a
performing art.   The primary focus in rec.arts.dance is on discussion 
of
social and competitive partner dancing, although there remains some 
degree
of overlap between these two groups.


0.3. How can I access this group?

 Direct access to the group is available via news readers at most
sites.

 If you are unable to access alt.arts.ballet, please make a request
(to your local net news administrator) to have this group picked up on 
your
local site, and/or contact Eliot (eliot@netcom.com) directly by e-mail 
for
assistance.

 For a mailing-list subscription, e-mail to majordomo@world.std.com
from your account; make the body of the message
 subscribe ballet-modern
If you ever want to terminate your subscription, e-mail to the same 
address
with the body
 unsubscribe ballet-modern

 Postings to this group are archived in Dancers' Archive (maintained
by Eileen Bauer, ecb@world.std.com).  To access Dancers' Archive, do an
anonymous FTP to ftp.std.com or use the gopher to access Dancers' 
Archive.

 Eileen now also offers a daily digest of alt.arts.ballet.  To
subscribe to it, email dancers-archive@world.std.com with with either 
the
subject or the body containing the line:
 subscribe ballet-modern-digest
Subscribers will receive one post per day, probably averaging ~50k.  
(The
digest is automatically purged of spams, by the way.)  If you are 
already a
subscriber to the ballet-modern mailing list, this is a separate service
and you will NOT be automatically unsubscribed from the regular list.

 The Dancers' Archive now offers a search facility.  To search for
any word or phrase, send an e-mail to:
    dancers-archive@world.std.com
    find ballet-modern <expression>
where <expression> is the word or phrase you wish to find.  Examples:
    To: dancers-archive@world.std.com
(capitalization is ignored; Nureyev, nureyev, and NUREYEV all work).
    To: dancers-archive@world.std.com
The search facility sends you an e-mail reply listing all instances of 
the
expression, with the path name, the file name, the line number, and the
text that included that expression.  Very handy.  You can search other
archives at world.std.com; there's a file there that gives full details.

 Two gopher routes to the Archive:  (1) gopher gopher.std.com and
wander down the nonprofit menus until you get to Dancers' Archive.  (2)
gopher gopher.panix.com, select New York Art Line, then Music, 
Performance
and Dance, and then the Archive.


0.4. How can I post to this group?

 You can post articles to this group with your newsreader.

 If your provider won't support access to the alt. hierarchy, you
can also post here by e-mail via one of the following addresses:
 alt-arts-ballet@cs.utexas.edu
 alt-arts-ballet@news.demon.co.uk
 alt.arts.ballet.usenet@decwrl.dec.com
 alt.arts.ballet@undergrad.math.uwaterloo.ca
 alt.arts.ballet@nic.funet.fi


0.5. Are there any dance pages on the World Wide Web?

 Yes.  Web pages are generally a mixed bag; some pages are just
lists of links to other pages; some are still under construction; and 
some
are full of information and pictures.  Amy Reusch has compiled an 
extensive
list, which is (or shortly will be) available from the Dancers' Archive.
The following entries are pointers to lists of pages.

Dance Index Resources:
----------------------

   Jim White's Dance Links webpage--with all the dance links Amy Reusch 
has
   collected for alt.arts.ballet
        http://bohr.physics.purdue.edu/~jswhite/dance_links.html

   NY Int'l Ballet's Listing of Dance Events
   (Online form to post your dance event too!)
        http://www.weblink.com/nyibc/Events/events.html

   Index of Dance Urls
        http://www.yahoo.com/Entertainment/Dance/

   Dance Section of the WWW Virtual Library
        http://bighorn.terra.net/menlo/dance/
                or
        http://www.menlo.com/menlo/dance/

   Dance Directory at www.cyberspace.com
        http://www.cyberspace.com/vandehey/dance.html

   Dancers Archive Gopher (where alt.arts.ballet is archived)
        gopher://ftp.std.com/11/nonprofits/dance/

   A Dancer's Page
        http://www.phantom.com/~netrunnr/dance.html



0.6. I'm only a beginner; should I just shut up and listen?

 Victor Eijkhout, in the FAQ for rec.arts.dance, asks this question
and answers it as follows: "No.  Tell stories about your experiences, or
post questions and listen to the--no doubt conflicting--answers you'll
get."  (But read this FAQ first.)

================================


1. General questions about ballet

 The entries in this section and the next are largely for beginners
and non-dancers.  They may not all be "frequently asked" on the Net, but
they are certainly frequently asked, or wondered about, by beginners in
class or by people who go to ballet or modern dance performances.

 Note: Ballet terminology is largely French (see question 1.10), and
since the 7-bit ASCII code does not include accented characters, we are
resorting to printing the accent just before its vowel; thus assembl'e,
encha^inement, terre-`a-terre.  It looks strange, but omission of the
accents looks stranger and may sometimes lead to confusion.  (If you put
the accent after the vowel, then assemble's looks like a possessive.)


1.1. What is ballet?

 There are many definitions; here's one of the earliest:  Ballet is
"the geometrical groupings of people dancing together, accompanied by 
the
varied harmony of several instruments" (Balthasar de Beaujoyeulx, 
writing
in 1582).  This definition omits one feature commonly associated with
ballets: they tend to tell stories.  (Beaujoyeulx's own ballet told a
story.)  On the other hand, many modern ballets--for example, many of
Balanchine's--have no explicit plot.  So we might also say, ballet is
dancing done as a theatrical performance--as an art, in fact--frequently
telling a story, and drawing on a tradition of expressive movements 
dating
back to Beaujoyeulx and probably earlier.

 Ballet normally consists only of dancing and music.  But a few
ballets have been choreographed for performance without music, and some
ballets have included the sung or spoken word.  Beaujoyeulx's ballet 
called
for speeches from some of the characters, and the ballets of Jean-
Philippe
Rameau (1683-1764), called "ballets" on the title-pages of their scores,
are actually opera-ballets.  But normally it is expected that any story
incorporated in a ballet will be conveyed by dance and mime alone.

 An answer along different lines might be that ballet is the foun-
dation of all of Western theatrical dance.  People aspiring to be modern
dancers or to be dancers in show business are frequently advised to 
start
with ballet before specializing in these other forms.  Many people in 
the
rec.arts.dance group also report that a grounding in ballet makes you a
better ballroom dancer.


1.2. What is modern dance?

 Modern dance (sometimes just "modern" for short and also called
"contemporary" in Britain and on the Continent) is the name given to a
dance tradition that arose as a reaction to ballet.  It may have started
as a rebellion against the formalism and conventions of ballet, but it 
was
probably also a reaction to the sorry state of Western European ballet 
in
the late 19th century (see question 3.8.2).  It also arose out of a 
desire
to express things and feelings that were thought appropriate to the new
century, things that, it was felt, the traditional ballet vocabulary
couldn't express.  It rejected many of the conventions of ballet--
turnout,
pointed feet, the stated positions, the attempt to defy gravity with 
leaps
and other steps of elevation, dancing on pointe, the use of ballet 
shoes,
and so on.

 The two styles have borrowed from each other to the point that the
lines between them are becoming blurred.  For a discussion of whether 
there
is or still ought to be a distinction between ballet and modern dance at
this late date, see the file modern-vs-ballet.txt or scan the archived
material in the ballet-modern directory, both in the Dancers' Archive.  
Tom
Parke <itcp@praxis.co.uk>, posting in rec.arts.dance, offered the 
following
definitions:

 If the dancers are attempting to prove that gravity does not exist,
     then it's ballet.
 If the dancers are attempting to demonstrate that gravity does
     exist and it's a bitch, then it's modern.
 If the dancers are attempting to demonstrate that gravity does
     exist but they'd rather die fighting it than give in to it,
     then it's jazz.


1.3. What is a ballet class like?

 A ballet class is a carefully graded sequence of exercises lasting,
typically, an hour and a half.  The work falls into three parts.  The 
first
part consists of stretching and warming-up exercises done with the 
support
of the barre (see question 1.4).  You may spend anywhere from half an 
hour


                                                                                                           

to an hour at the barre.  Then you move to the center of the studio to
work without support.  The second part of class, called _adage_, 
consists
of slow work in which the emphasis is on sustaining positions and on
balance.  The final part of class, allegro, consists of fast work, 
mostly
combinations (sequences of steps) with the big jumps and turns that make
ballet such an impressive and dazzling sight.


1.4. What is a barre?

 The barre is a handrail, approximately waist-high, that dancers
use to steady themselves during the first part of a ballet class.  The
barre provides a reference point; it can be used to provide resistance,
as when you press down on it to lengthen the spine; and it is your first
partner.  "Barre" is also a shorthand term for exercises done at the 
barre;
dancers frequently refer to "doing a barre," for example to warm up just
before performing.


1.5. Why do dancers take so many classes?

 Because dancers must practise under supervision.  In ballet so much
depends on the movements and positions of the dancer.  A pianist, who 
may
also practise for several hours each day, can monitor his or her playing 
by
listening; but when dancing you cannot always watch yourself, mirror or 
no
mirror, and in any case you need constant guidance and correction from 
an
informed and impartial observer.  So where the pianist can practise 
alone
each day, the professional dancer must take daily classes.

 For the serious dancer, the first ten years are a time when intense
class is vital.  This is the time when repeated practice gets the steps
"into your muscles"--gets them into your unconscious, so you can do them
without thinking and can link them into combinations at a moment's 
notice.


1.6. Why do dancers wear such funny shoes?

 Do you mean ordinary ballet shoes or women's pointe shoes?
Ordinary ballet shoes are peculiar in two respects: they have no heels 
and
paper-thin soles, and the shoes are identical for right and left feet.
They have had no heels since the time of Camargo (about 1720), who had 
her
shoes made without heels so she could pass her legs from front to back 
more
easily and so her heels would be right on the floor and provide a more
solid impetus for jumps.  The custom of making separate shoes for left
and right feet in general is only a little more than a century old; this
innovation was somehow never picked up by the makers of ballet shoes.  
The
shoes acquire left- or right-footedness through use.

 Pointe shoes have reenforced toes to provide extra support for
dancers going on pointe.  Toe-dancing is literally that: the dancer's 
full
weight is supported on the tips of her unbent toes.  As you can imagine,
the force on the toes is considerable; the reenforcement distributes 
this
force over the entire tip of the foot.  Dancers usually add padding of 
some
sort inside the shoe to cushion their feet further.


1.7. Why don't men dance on pointe?

 Dancing on pointe lends an etherial, weightless appearance to the
performer.  This was part of the romantic image of Woman, and it has per-
sisted, in one form or another, to this day.  Call it sexist, if you 
will;
it probably is.  But men *do* dance on pointe, on rare occasions.  They
may be deliberately dancing women's roles, as in the Ballet Trockadero.
Some choreographers have had men wear pointe shoes for special effects;
posters in this group have instanced Sir Frederick Ashton's _The Dream_
(based on _A Midsummer Night's Dream_), in which a man wears pointe 
shoes
to represent Bottom's hooves (when he has been turned into a donkey), 
Mark
Morris's _Hard Nut_, (based on the _Nutcracker_), and some versions of
_Cinderella_ and of _La Fille Mal Gard'ee_.  In addition, some men also
find pointe work good for strengthening the arch of the foot.


1.8. Why do dancers stand with their feet turned out?

 Many of the steps in ballet are done with the leg extended; the
kicks we associate with a chorus line are like this.  For various 
reasons
having to do with the structure of the hip joint, a dancer can obtain 
the
greatest extension if the leg is rotated outward, away from its usual
position.  This rotation means that you can move to the side as readily 
as
to the front or back, so that you have much more *freedom of movement.*

 You also frequently need to change the position of the feet, from
right foot in front to left foot in front or vice versa.  One of the 
most
elementary jumps, called a _changement de pieds_ ("change of the feet";
_changement_ for short), consists of nothing else: jump up and land with
the other foot in front.  These changes must be made very quickly, and
again they can be done most easily if the feet are pointed in opposite
directions.

 This position of the legs is known as turnout, and it is probably
the most conspicuous aspect of balletic posture.  As this description
implies, it is mostly a practical measure, although it may be done for
appearance as well.  In the first ballets, the dancers performed in the
middle of the hall, surrounded on all sides by the audience.  When 
ballet
moved to the proscenium stage, in the middle of the seventeenth century,
men began to dance turned out.  This has led historians to suggest that
turnout originated because it looked better on stage.  But it may have 
been
because extension showed to better advantage on the stage and that 
dancers
turned out for the sake of greater extension.

 Turnout does not begin from the ankles.  You do not force your feet
into that position and let everything from there on up follow.  Turnout
begins at the hip joint, and it is better to be turned out imperfectly 
from
the hip than to strain the joints at the ankles and knees.  Indeed, few
people can turn out perfectly, with the feet pointing in exactly 
opposite
directions, unless they have started as children (and sometimes not even
then), and boys are not expected to be as turned out as girls are.

 For additional information, see the file, why-turnout-in-ballet.txt
in the Dancers' Archive.


1.9. What is "placement?"

 Placement is, roughly, alignment.  Becoming properly placed means
learning to stand up straight, with hips level and even, shoulders open 
but
relaxed and centered over the hips, pelvis straight (neither protruding
nor tucked under), back straight, head up, weight centered evenly 
between
the feet.  This posture is frequently described as "pulled up," but it 
is
also a relaxed posture; you aren't tensed up like a soldier standing at
attention.  (A teacher once said you should imagine that you are 
suspended
by a thread attached to the top of your head.  This suggests both the
"pulled-up" and relaxed aspects of good ballet posture.)  And as you 
dance,
you seek to maintain this posture except when the step requires 
something
different, like the slight forward arch of the spine that accompanies an
arabesque.


1.10. Why all that French?

 The first ballet school was in France, and the terminology was
crystallized there.  Nearly everything in ballet is described by a 
French
word or phrase.  (You even wish dancers good luck in French.  Actors 
wish
one another good luck before a performance by saying, "Break a leg!"
Dancers say, "_Merde!_")  The drawback of this is that you must learn 
the
French names for the steps and movements; but you would have to learn
*some* names in any case, and the advantage is that you can take a 
ballet
class anywhere in the world and, no matter how unintelligible the rest 
of
the talk is, the terminology will still be in French and you will
understand it.


1.11. What are the most popular ballets?

 Estelle Souche ran an informal poll of alt.arts.ballet in March,
1995, asking people to list their six favorite ballets.  The results of
this poll may or may not be representative of the population as a whole,
but here are the ballets that got two or more votes.  Note that some
ballets, like _Romeo and Juliet,_ exist in more than one version; the
different versions had to be consolidated in tabulating the result.

 _Swan Lake_ (Petipa): 22 votes

 _Romeo and Juliet_ (MacMillan, Cranko, Van Dantzig, Smuin or
others): 17 votes

 _Giselle_ (Perrot-Coralli): 14

 _Serenade_ (Balanchine): 12

 _Don Quixote_ (Petipa): 10

 _Sleeping beauty_ (Petipa): 9
 _The Four Temperaments_ (Balanchine): 9

 _La Sylphide_ (after Taglioni or Bournonville): 5
 _Coppelia_ (after Saint-Leon): 5
 _La Bayad`ere_ (Petipa): 5
 _The Nutcracker_ (Petipa): 5
 _Green Table_ (Jooss): 5
 _Jewels_ (Balanchine): 5
 _Symphony in C_ (Balanchine): 5
 _A Midsummer Night's Dream_ (Ashton): 5

 _Les Sylphides_ (Fokine): 4
 _Concerto Barocco_ (Balanchine): 4
 _Apollo_ (Balanchine): 4
 _Push Comes to Shove_ (Tharp): 4

 _Le Corsaire_ (after Mazilier): 3
 _Agon_ (Balanchine): 3
 _Rodeo_ (Agnes De Mille): 3
 _Diversion of Angels_ (Graham): 3
 _Monotones_ (Ashton): 3
 _Le Jeune Homme et la Mort_ (Roland Petit): 3
 _Revelations_ (Ailey): 3

 _La Fille mal gard'ee_ (after Dauberval): 2
 _L'apres-midi d'un faune_ (Nijinski): 2
 _Rubies_ (Balanchine): 2
 _Who Cares?_ (Balanchine): 2
 _Stars and Stripes_ (Balanchine): 2
 _Rubies_ (Balanchine): 2
 _Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux_  (Balanchine): 2
 _Lilac Garden_ (Antony Tudor): 2
 _Acts of light_ (Graham): 2
 _Clytemnestra_ (Graham): 2
 Dance interlude in _Oklahoma_ (De Mille): 2
 _The Concert_ (Jerome Robbins): 2
 _Taming of the Shrew_ (Cranko): 2
 _Aureole_ (Taylor): 2
 _Hard Nut_ (Morris): 2
 _Gloria_ (Morris): 2
 _Da Mummy, Nyet Mummy_ (Christopher d'Amboise): 2
 _Cinderella_ (various productions): 2


1.12. Where can I find books about dance?


1.12.1. Bookstores

 Some of the larger bookstores may have special sections devoted to
dance.  For example, Barnes & Noble's main store in Manhattan (5th Ave. 
and
18th Street) has such a section.  Bookstores located near performing-
arts
locales may offer dance books.  Otherwise, you will have to resort to
specialty stores.  Here are a few; others will be added in time.

The Ballet Shop (books, videos, CDs, memorabilia)
   1887 Broadway
   New York, New York 10023
   (212) 581-7990

Dance Books (London)
   e-mail: dl@dleonard.demon.co.uk

Golden Legend, Inc.
   (Member Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America)
   7615 Sunset Boulevard
   Los Angeles, Calif.  90046
   (213) 850-5520
   Fax (213) 850-1524
   e-mail legenda@ix.netcom.com

JB Muns
   Fine Arts Books
   1162 Shattuck Ave
   Berkeley, Calif.  94707
   Dance/Music Catalogue #156

Original Music (books and videos, mostly non-Western and "ethnic")
   418 Lasher Road
   Tivoli, N. Y. 12583
   Phone 914-756-2767
   Fax: 914-756-2027
   E-mail orimu@aol.com

The Dance Mart (books and memorabilia)
   Box 994
   Teaneck, N. J.  07666


1.12.2. Libraries

 Among libraries, the best known collection in the United States is
the Dance Collection of the New York Public Library, located at Lincoln
Center.  They have an on-line catalog; to access it,
     telnet nyplgate.nypl.org
and respond to the login prompt with
     nypl

 In Washington, D. C., the George Washington University has a Dance
Archive.  For an informational brochure, contact
 Cheryl A. Chouiniere   Phone: (202) 994-7549
 Manuscripts Librarian   Fax:  (202) 994-1340
 The Gelman Library
 The George Washington University Bitnet:  indmss@gwuvm
 2130 H Street, NW   Internet:
 Washington, D. C.  20052      indmss@gwuvm.gwu.edu



1.13. Where can I find dance videos?

 There are two lists put out by the Dance Films Association back in
1986:
 - Modern Dance & Ballet On Film & Video: A Catalog
     ISBN 0-317-41588-3
 - Dance Film and Video Guide
     ISBN 0-87127-171-0

 There are also the following sources.  (This list contributed by
Sandi Kurtz.  Annotations are hers except as noted.)

Corinth Video
   34 Gansevoort Street
   New York N. Y.  10014-1597
   (800) 221-4720
They send out a quarterly newsletter and four-page price list with
approximately 150 ballet tapes and several hundred other tapes of Opera,
Film Classics, and Theater.  (Bob D. Peterson)

Home Vision
    POB 800
    Concord, MA  01742
    (800) 262-8600
Some PBS.

Kultur
    121 Highway 36
    West Long Branch, NJ  07764
    (800) 4KULTURE
Relationship with the Bolshoi, large lists of Bolshoi rep, mostly 
ballet.

Princeton Books
    POB 57
    Pennington, New Jersey  08534
    (800) 326-7149
One of the best modern dance lists as well as ballet.

Video Artists International
    POB 153, Ansonia Station
    New York, N. Y.  10023
    (800) 338-2566

View Video
    34 E 23rd Street
    New York, N. Y.  10010
    (212) 674-5550


================================
Continued in Part 2....
================================

-- 
--
Tom Parsons | To do great work one must be very idle
D.T.L.  |   as well as very industrious.
  |   --Samuel Butler

                                                                                         

panix!not-for-mail
 about ballet and modern (contemporary) dance.  Recommended
 reading for anyone wanting to post to alt.arts.ballet.


Archive-name: dance/ballet-modern-faq/part2

================================
Part 2 of four parts
================================

================

Contents:

    2. Ballet, Modern Dance, and You
    2.1. When should I start taking ballet?
    2.2. When should I start taking modern dance?
    2.3. I'm thinking of returning to ballet after -- years; how should 
I
     start?  Are there videos I can buy?
    2.4. I'm 45 (or 50 or 55 or...) years old.  Is it ridiculous for me
     to consider ballet classes?
    2.5. How do I find/choose a school or teacher?
    2.6. How can I tell if a teacher is good?
    2.7. If the teacher makes me feel good, won't I become 
overconfident?
    2.8. I live in ----; where can I take classes?
    2.9. Where can I find out about Summer dance programs?
    2.10. Where can I buy dancewear?
    2.11. I took a class and I couldn't understand what was going on!
    2.12. I keep getting mixed up!
    2.13. What on earth is a "soo-soo"?
    2.14. What is "B-plus"?
    2.15. How can I learn to raise my leg over my shoulder, the way I 
see
     other dancers doing?
    2.16. What is a career in dancing like?
    2.17. My daughter's gym classes are interfering with her ballet
     training.  What can I do to make the school listen?

================

2. Ballet, Modern Dance, and You


2.1. When should I start taking ballet?

 The answer to that depends on how old you are.  Children must wait
until their bones are strong enough to stand the strain that dancing 
will
put on them.  Opinions differ as to exactly when that happens, and it
depends a great deal on the individual, but it seems to be somewhere
between ages six and nine.  Girls must not go up on pointe until the 
bones
of their feet are fully developed and their muscles in their legs and
arches are strong enough to bear the stress.  (Joan Lawson says ten;
Gretchen Warren says eleven.)

 Younger children will often profit from special dance classes,
in which the emphasis is on rhythm, spatial sense, musical sense, and
placement.

 If you are older than that, the answer is, right away.  The sooner
you start, the better.  If you start in your teens, you may be able to
dance professionally, or you may not.  Igor Youskevitch didn't start 
until
he was 22, and he became a star; but he was Igor Youskevitch.  By that 
age,
most people can look forward to ballet only as a recreation.  (But it is 
a
*wonderful* recreation!)


2.2. When should I start taking modern dance?

 The general consensus seems to be, after you've had a year or two
of ballet to lay a foundation.


2.3. I'm thinking of returning to ballet after -- years; how should I
start?  Are there videos I can buy?

 Your best bet is to look for a school (question 2.5), just as if
you were starting for the first time.  There's not much you can learn 
from
watching videotapes; the consensus of the group has been that your money 
is
much better spent on classes.  You may want to observe a class, if you 
can,
and see how it looks.  If you still remember enough (in your mind and 
your
muscles), you will quickly find your proper level, but take a beginners'
class when you first go back.


2.4. I'm 45 (or 50 or 55 or...) years old.  Is it ridiculous for me to
consider ballet classes?

 No.  It would be ridiculous only if you were contemplating a career
in ballet at that age; most ballet dancers retire in their forties.
(Auguste Bournonville choreographed roles for dancers in their sixties,
however, and in his _Memoirs_ Casanova describes a dazzling bravura
performance by Louis Dupr'e, who was then sixty.)  But if you are 45 or
older, you are presumably not looking for a professional career.  If 
your
body can still handle the exertion, you can start at any age.  The King 
of
Sweden was still playing tennis in his nineties.  Ballet is tougher than
tennis, but if you can handle it...why not?  (Someone on the Net wrote,
"Socrates learned to dance when he was 70 because he felt that an 
essential
part of himself had been neglected.")

 Much the same answer applies to taking modern dance, with increased
force.  Aging affects modern dancers much less than it does ballet 
dancers;
modern dancers will keep performing almost until they drop.

 The main problem for older dancers, particularly in ballet, is
getting the teacher to take you seriously, and the older you get, the 
more
acute this problem becomes.  Ballet is the most ageist of the arts, 
after
all.  But pursuing an art as a recreation doesn't preclude pursuing it
seriously, knocking yourself out to do the absolute best you can at it.
Many teachers don't seem to realize this.  You should be getting correc-
tions the same as other, younger dancers.  You are paying for 
instruction,
not just for space, an accompanist, and the balletic equivalent of a
square-dance caller.  If you feel you aren't being taken seriously as a
dancer, complain.  Don't let them treat you as if you had accidentally
doddered into a ballet class on your way to the nearest Senior Center.


2.5. How do I find/choose a school or teacher?

 If you know any dancers, ask them.  You can also call the city's
leading dance company (if you have one) and ask whether they have a 
school.
If you don't, look in the Yellow Pages under dance instruction.  You can
also post in this group.  If there are more than one studio, as there 
will
be in large cities, go and try them all out.  You will soon know when 
you
are being well taught (see the next question).

 Here are some of the things you should look for:

    Does the class conform to the traditional format--barre, _adage_, 
and
    allegro?  A place that offers something like ballet, jazz, and tap 
in
    a single class is not the place for you.  Anything but pure, 
undiluted
    ballet is not for you.  Even if you plan eventually to dance in 
another
    tradition, ballet is the place to start.

    If you're an adult, do they offer a special introductory course for
    absolute beginners?  Such courses are rare, but priceless; go for 
one
    if it's offered.

    Are you made to feel that you are really *dancing*, right from the
    first exercises at the barre?  Is dance taught as movement or only 
as
    static poses?

    How much individual attention and correction do you get?  An experi-
    enced dancer can do with less, but a beginner needs a great deal.

    Does the teacher instruct you in the use of the head and arms, even
    at the barre, or does (s)he just let your arms hang down like limp
    spaghetti?  A great deal of what makes theatrical dance theatrical
    is the way the dancer uses his or her head and arms.  The audience
    probably notices these more than the feet.

    Does the teacher show a good working knowledge of anatomy, and does
    (s)he pass that knowledge on to you?

    How does the teacher look when (s)he moves?  Do you enjoy watching 
him/
    her move?  We learn in part by conscious or unconscious imitation; 
is
    your teacher someone you want to imitate?

    Do they take time to show you how to do an unfamiliar step?  Many
    teachers seem to expect you to pick a step up by watching the 
others;
    but watching the others is a bad habit.  It makes you rely on the
    others instead of developing concentration.

    What is the atmosphere?  Is it a warm, pleasant place to be?  A good
    teacher explains, challenges, and encourages students--and answers
    their questions--without being condescending or putting them down.  
A
    good teacher gains the respect of his/her class by showing respect 
for
    them.

    How long is the class?  The standard is an hour and a half; some
    studios give you only an hour and a quarter, which is too rushed.
    Other things being equal, hold out for the full hour and a half.

    Do they have a live accompanist, or taped music?  Some excellent
    schools use tape, but a live accompanist is nearly always better.
    Do they have you dance to fine (classical) music?

 One final word:  Don't be put off by a ratty-looking studio.
Ballet schools are frequently hand-to-mouth operations, with little or 
no
money to spare for decor or even maintenance, and the best instruction I
ever had anywhere was in an atrociously ugly, shabby, and depressing 
plant.


2.6. How can I tell if a teacher is good?

 I don't know whether you can, at the very start, although if (s)he
makes class an unpleasant experience, (s)he's bad.  One way to find out 
is
to shop around if you can.  The guidelines in question 2.4 should help.
After you've tried three or four, you will know who's good, or good for
you, at any rate.  Part of the problem is that a good teacher for one
dancer may not be so for another.  The good teacher is the one who gives
you what you need just now.  Again, don't hesitate to *shop around*,
even if you feel satisfied with your current teacher.  Many people have
discovered wonderful teachers just because their regular teacher was, 
for
some reason, unavailable.


2.7. If the teacher makes me feel good, won't I become overconfident?

 Ballet is difficult, and for most of us progress is slow.  Because
of this, the danger isn't overconfidence but discouragement.  Besides,
people who feel good about themselves tend to perform better at most 
things
than people who don't.  If you are seriously worried about this, try 
alter-
nating classes with a "feel-good" teacher and a fusser.  The feel-good
teacher will keep you dancing and the fusser will keep you honest.  (The
ideal is a teacher who does both.)  In any case, feeling good really 
comes
from knowing you have given the class your best effort (and the *best*
feeling comes the day you discover you can do a step or combination you
never imagined you could do).


2.8. I live in ----; where can I take classes?

 Again, look in the yellow pages or ask around.  There is also a
listing in the back of Dance Magazine every month.  A project is in the
works to compile a directory of schools for the Dancers' Archive.  
There's
no telling, at this point, when it will be ready or how comprehensive it
will be.  But you can also post that question to this group; that's one 
of
the things this group is for.

Another alternative, if you are looking for a school outside your own 
area,
is to use the nationwide Yellow Pages, available on CD-ROM at many 
public
libraries.  Look for Dance Instruction and copy the names.  You may be
able to get further information on schools from Dance/USA.  Bonnie 
Brooks
writes:
      Dance/USA has listings and Member Profiles on all of its member
      companies available (there is a cost for the Member Profiles), as
      well as local and regional dance service organizations.  Address
      and phone:
  Dance/USA
  1156 15th Street N.W. Suite 820
  Washington, DC 20005
  phone: (202)833-1717
  fax:  (202)833-2686
  email: danceusa@tmn.com
      If there are particular cities you're interested in, we can also 
look
      at our entire database of dance companies (including non-members) 
to
      give you information about dance activity in particular cities.  
We
      don't have extensive information about non-members, but either way 
it
      would be a start.

 You can also consult colleges and universities in your area.  Dance
Magazine publishes an annual College Guide, usually announced in their
February or March issue.  The current (1995) price is $15.95 (US) plus
$2.50 postage and handling ($23.00 total Canadian); write to 33 West 
60th
Street, 10th Floor, New York, New York 10023.


2.9. Where can I find out about Summer dance programs?

 You can ask in this group; but in addition Dance Magazine regularly
publishes a special section on Summer programs in their January issue.


2.10. Where can I buy dancewear?

 There are stores that specialize in dancewear.  Try the Yellow
Pages; look at the ads in a magazine like Dance Magazine; look in the 
files
`mailorder.txt' and `shoes.txt' in the Dancers' Archive; or consult the
It's harder to find clothes for men than for women, because the market 
is
smaller and many places do not stock clothing for men, or stock only a
very limited selection.  For men's tights, try sporting-goods stores, 
and
remember also that tights and leotards are unisex.  As long as you don't
get sheer pink tights with red spangles, who's going to know whether 
you're
wearing men's or women's?

 Buying shoes is harder, because it takes time to know when a shoe
fits properly.  (It must fit like a glove.)  Salespeople in dancewear
stores may or may not know.  It may be a good idea to show the shoes on
your feet to your teacher and get him/her to pass on them.


2.11. I took a class and I couldn't understand what was going on!

 This, I'm afraid, is all too typical.  Different teachers handle
absolute beginners differently, but in my experience sink-or-swim is the
norm.  This is because students, even in a beginners' class, are all at
different stages of development (you may stay a beginner for a year or
more), and there simply isn't time to stop and explain each new step for
newcomers and to give them all the correction they need.  This is regret-
table, but inevitable, except in university courses, where everyone is
normally presumed to be a rank beginner.  At the David Howard Dance 
Center
in New York they occasionally offered a short course called Introduction 
to
Ballet, for those who know nothing at all.  This is the ideal way to 
start,
because everybody in the class is an absolute beginner, but such courses
are rare.

 In a sink-or-swim situation, the only thing you can do is persist.
If you are in a position to shop around, you can try to find a teacher 
who
will take the time to explain things, but remember that in a large class 
it
isn't practical to make everyone wait while you master the step.  You 
are
not supposed to watch the others while you dance, but at this early 
stage
nearly everyone does.  Certainly you should watch everyone when you are 
not
dancing yourself (for example, when you are waiting your turn to do a 
com-
bination).  And go to performances and watch the dancers.  You learn
dancing through a combination of seeing, hearing, and doing.  Learning 
your
way around a studio takes time, and with time it will come to you.

 In any case, bear in mind that the other people in the class will
NOT, repeat NOT, be laughing at you behind your back.  They've all been
there themselves.  You will be lost a good deal of the time for perhaps
the first six months, but gradually it all comes together.  Some outside
reading may help; look around in the library or in bookstores for intro-
ductory texts that describe the various steps.  (Some of these are 
listed
in the bibliography, part 5.1.)  You will never learn to dance just by
reading about it, but when a step has flummoxed you in class, it can 
help
to read a description of it in the relative tranquility of your own 
home.


2.12. I keep getting mixed up!

 We all do; don't feel bad about it.  Getting mixed up and making
mistakes are to the dancer what wrong notes are to the musician or typos
to the writer.  And in a class, it's usually less important to do the 
right
thing than to do whatever you do the right way and on the music.  Even
professionals, dancers who have been doing this for years, get mixed up;
I've seen it happen.  If it can happen to the pros, there's no reason 
for
the rest of us to worry.


2.13. What on earth is a "soo-soo"?

 (It isn't practical to define all the steps in ballet here, but
there are a couple that a beginner may hear right off and wonder about.
For others, consult a dictionary; there are a couple listed in the
bibliography, below.)

 "Soo-soo" is another French term, actually _sus-sous_, or sometimes
_sous-sus_.  _Sus-sous_ means "over-under."  (Native speakers of English
have trouble with the u in that _sus_, so both syllables come out 
sounding
the same.)  It's a very tight fifth position in relev'e, one foot almost 
on
top of the other, which probably explains the term.

 In exercises at the barre, you frequently hear "soo-soo sootenoo."
This means ending the exercise and turning to the other side by rising
into a _sus-sous_ and then turning smoothly to the other side so you can
continue the exercise with the other hand on the barre.  A smooth turn 
is
a _soutenu_, "sustained," turn.


2.14. What is "B-plus"?

 B-plus is _crois'ee derri`ere_, usually used to describe the
position you take before doing a combination.  You stand in _crois'ee_ 
with
the working leg to back, relaxed and slightly bent but ready to move 
when
the combination begins.  The term originated in the New York City 
Ballet,
and the "B" apparently stands for Balanchine.


2.15. How can I learn to raise my leg over my shoulder, the way I see 
other
dancers doing?

 The ability to do this is known as _extension_.  It is partly a
matter of training (and turnout) and partly a matter of physique.  
Dancing
masters distinguish between two basic body types in dancers, known--in
French, inevitably--as _arqu'e_ and _jarret'e_.  This distinction was
first drawn by Noverre (question 3.6), around 1760.  The terminology is
misleading, because in French, _arqu'e_ means bowlegged and _jarret'e_
knock-kneed.  But although even dancers' legs are rarely perfectly
straight, the difference is actually functional:  An _arqu'e_ dancer is
tightly knit, doesn't have much extension, but is good at jumps, while a
_jarret'e_ dancer is loose-limbed, not as good at jumps, but has great
extension.  Noverre said it was a mistake to teach these two types of
dancer in exactly the same way.

 If you are _arqu'e_, you will probably never get your leg over your
head.  But we can all improve our extension by proper exercise.  Once 
you
have been taught stretching exercises in class, you can do them daily at
home, and you should.  You will be surprised at how much more extension 
you
have after a year or two.  Yoga exercises are also valuable; they 
stretch
muscles that even ballet class sometimes misses.

 For an excellent summary of stretching exercises, including a
reading list, see the stretching FAQ by Brad Appleton, posted at 
intervals
on the alt.arts.ballet newsgroup or available by anonymous FTP from
cs.huji.ac.il in the directory /pub/doc/faq/rec/martial.arts.  Note that
Brad's sources all recommend holding a stretch for fifteen seconds or 
more,
to overcome the "stretch reflex."  If they are right, then stretches at 
the
barre, as they are done in most ballet classes, are too short; you 
should
hold them longer when doing them at home.




                                                                                                 

2.16. What is a career in dancing like?

 Rough.  It's demanding and highly competitive, especially for
women.  It is also psychologically stressful, because of the constant
pressure for perfection.  Salaries are better than they used to be, but
still not good.  Stagehands are paid better than dancers; so are 
typists.
Your time will not be your own, since you may be called for rehearsals 
at
any time, and your social life will suffer.  In ballet, your career will 
be
short, with poor prospects after retirement, and there is the ever-
present
danger of injuries.  (A dance injuries FAQ for this group is in the 
works.)
Merle Kessler said, "Football players, like prostitutes, are in the
business of ruining their bodies for the pleasure of strangers."  The 
same
could be said, in lesser degree, of dancers.  To make a career in 
ballet,
you have to be head over heels in love with it: that, and talented and
tough-minded--and lucky enough to be in the right place at the right 
time.


2.17. My daughter's gym classes are interfering with her ballet 
training.
What can I do to make the school listen?

 One poster in this group replied as follows:

     Primarily we have found it difficult to deal directly with PE
    teachers; rather, we have educated our doctor!  By finding numerous
    articles related to ballet biomechanics and running, we were able to
    show our physician that good running form contradicts good ballet
    form.  The doctor signed the school district exemption for us with 
the
    diagnosis "serious ballet student".  (Similar exemptions are given 
to
    sports athletes.)

     If the PE teacher still fails to heed the physician's note,
    (which we have been told to expect in junior high here), it has been
    suggested to us to say to the principal "Under advice of counsel, we
    need the names of all who are involved in undermining our medical
    doctor's advice."  Get from him the names of the individuals that 
will
    appear on a legal suit, whether or not you intend to proceed, 
including
    the PE teachers and the principal, or anyone else who desires to 
take
    responsibility.

     At this point, the principal will probably wake up.  While you
    have his attention, explain:
 1)  the number of years your child has devoted to training; explain
     the commitment; iterate the time and expense you have
     contributed to support the pursuit of her dream;
 2)  show the state's minimum PE requirement in minutes per week,
     compared to the number of minutes per week your daughter trains
     --usually the ballet training exceeds the PE requirements by
     four- or five-to-one.
 3)  show the body of evidence that you presented to your physician,
     along with the physician's exemption.
 4)  explain the damage that PE commonly inflicts on a serious ballet
     student.
 5)  Impart the information that if your daughter does suffer
     injury, you will request damages based on a full ballet career,
     which has been denied her because of the school's inflexibility
     and shortsighted stupidity.

    In these times, authorities prioritize matters by legal threats, 
thus
    attracting what they hope to avoid.

    Best of luck.  Write back if you are successful.

    --William Fitzgerald   wdfitzgrld@pplant.ucdavis.edu

================================
Continued in Part 3....
================================

-- 
--
Tom Parsons | To do great work one must be very idle
D.T.L.  |   as well as very industrious.
  |   --Samuel Butler

                                                                               

 about ballet and modern (contemporary) dance.  Recommended
 reading for anyone wanting to post to alt.arts.ballet.


Archive-name: dance/ballet-modern-faq/part4

================================
Part 4 of four parts
================================

================

Contents:

    4. Miscellaneous questions
    4.1. Is there software for doing choreography?
    4.2. Is there software for my dance studio?
    4.3. What is Contact Improvisation?

    5. Reading List
    5.1. Books
    5.2. Periodicals

================

4. Miscellaneous questions

4.1. Is there software for doing choreography?

 Do you mean software for doing choreography (that is, for modelling
it on the computer) or for writing it down (i.e., notation)?

4.1.1.

 The only software for doing choreography known to this group is a
program called LifeForms.  There are versions for the Macintosh and for
Silicon Graphics (SGI) systems.

 The following information and opinions are extracted from postings
to alt.arts.ballet.  These postings date from October, 1994; more up-to-
date information may be available from Macromedia.

     LifeForms was developed at Simon Fraser University by a team
    including dancers and computer programmers.  Its original name was
    COMPOSE and it's over 10 years in development.  There are currently 
2
    versions available.  The high end version runs on a Silicon Graphic
    workstation and creates amazing lifelike animation.  The less 
powerful
    version runs on a Macintosh and is not quite so thrilling, 
especially
    in its emulation of walking and running.  --Sandi Kurtz
    <sandik@u.washington.edu>

     Life Forms is *commercial* software (and fairly expensive com-
    mercial software at that!)  Although it was developed originally at
    Simon Fraser University (under the name "Compose") it was marketed 
by
    Kinetic Effects and then taken over by Macromedia (the people who 
make
    Macromedia Director and Macromodel.)  They don't advertise it any 
more,
    but I believe they still sell it. --Jim Williams <jlw@gonix.com>

    The program is still being developed, however, so there are
    a few strange "problems".  For instance, there is no gravity in the
    computer so using props and climbing up stairs hasn't been 
accomplished
    yet.  Partnering also looks a bit funky because two dancers can 
occupy
    the same space at once.  --Lisa M. Hahn <lh35+@andrew.cmu.edu>

     The truly time-consuming aspect of LifeForms is the initial
    creation of your movement vocabulary (called a palette).  You build
    everything from scratch, which gives you the chance to make exactly
    what you want, but does take time.  I've had just a bit of 
experience
    with the program, but like all truly good video games it hooks you
    quickly. --Sandi Kurtz

     Based on my experiences with the demo version, I'd say that it
    does what it claims it will do--produce realistic human-figure 
motion
    --but I'm skeptical of it as a working tool for *most* 
choreographers.
    (I suspect that Merce used it mostly as a gimmick.)  Although the
    commercial version ships with a library of dance poses, you still 
have
    to painstaking-ly shape the "body" of each figure into the position 
you
    want for *each* "keyframe" of your animation.  Since the program 
moves
    the limbs from one keyframe to the next in the most direct manner, 
this
    means you have to set a lot of keyframes: just getting a 
conventional,
    rounded ballet port de bras, for example, needs several intermediate
    points to get the arms to make the necessary rounded movement rather
    than just going in a straight line.  And since you have to position
    each figure one limb at a time, it's very slow to put together even
    a simple dance sequence.  (Part of the problem, of course, is that a
    keyboard or mouse interface is a lot less efficient than simply 
getting
    into the studio with a live dancer and saying, "Here, do this...")

     LifeForms might be useful for experimenting with short phrases
    of movement, especially for modernist choreographers who don't work 
so
    much from "set" movements and poses anyway.  But it's hard to 
imagine
    using it to create an entire work.  I still think there's a need for
    the equivalent of a "word processor" for choreographers -- something
    that would make it easier for them to assemble, arrange and edit 
their
    ideas.  (I've even tried to write such a program, but the conceptual
    problems are ***hard***!)  But I don't think that's what Life Forms 
can
    do. --Jim Williams

There is also a program called Poser, from Fractal Design, which might 
be
thought of as a choreography program.  Jim Williams writes,
    If you don't need to do animation, just show body positions (useful 
for
    teaching, illustrations etc.) another piece of software to consider 
is
    a new application called Poser, from Fractal Design.  I've got it 
and
    have been working with it.  This is in effect a software "mannequin"
    that you can pose in various positions, then render into detailed
    images.  It isn't designed to produce animated sequences the way 
Life
    Forms is; instead, it's useful for producing "still photos" of body
    positions.  The rendering quality isn't photo-realistic, but is much
    more detailed than the wireframe images produced by Life Forms.

    Poser's price is quite reasonable ($99 US until Aug. 31) and it's
    relatively easy to learn and use.  Currently it's available ONLY for
    Macintosh and requires either a Power Macintosh or a 680x0 Mac with 
an
    FPU [note: FPU stands for floating-point unit]; that means some 
popular
    Macs that use the FPU-less 68LC040 chip will NOT work.  (I haven't 
been
    able to find out whether the shareware control panel SoftwareFPU can 
be
    used as a workaround or not.)  I've been using it on a fairly modest
    Mac, a Color Classic with add-on FPU, and it runs fine, although
    somewhat slowly.

    Poser allows you to create your own "libraries" of frequently-used
    positions, body types, camera positions, and lighting setups (you're
    limited to three lights, but they're fully adjustable in direction,
    intensity and color.) These libraries can be re-used as needed, so
    you can work fairly quickly once you've invested the time to create
    libraries of poses you use most. --Jim Williams

4.1.2.

For choreographic *notation*, there is a program for the Macintosh 
called
Labanwriter.  According to callum.downie@brunel.ac.uk, it is available 
from
FTP sites after a search by the likes of "archie."  He says there is 
also a
Macintosh version for Benesh notation called MacBenesh, developed at 
Univ
of Waterloo by Rhonda Ryman and others.  Contact:
    The Benesh Institute,
    12 Lisson Grove,
    London NW1 6TS,
    Tel No  44 (0) 171 258 3041
    Fax     44 (0) 171 724 6434

For further information, see `topics/labanotation-dialog-FAQ.txt' in the
Dancers' Archive.  For information on dance notation in general, see 
also

    Dance Notation Bureau
    33 West 21st Street
    New York, New York  10010
    (212) 807-7899


4.2. Is there software for my dance studio?

Mark J. Zetler writes:
      My wife (& I) have a dance studio in San Diego.  I've been using
      COMPUDANCE by a company in Texas called Theatrical Administration
      Consultants (210) 497-4327 for about 7 years.  It seems to do the
      job, and the author seems to be responsive to the people who use 
the
      program.  There are some quirky things that that are annoying but 
all
      in all the program works.  I think the price is around $300 
(????).

      I have only run into 3 other programs.  The first one was about 
$100
      and didn't do anything.  I don't think the company exists any 
more.

      The High Priced Spread is called DANCE MANAGER. Last I heard (I 
could
      be wrong) the price was about $1,200.  The demo of the program
      implied this program could do everything.  I just could not 
justify
      the cost.

      The last program I've run into is called IN MOTION: THE STUDIO
      MANAGER from Full Spectrum in Anaheim Hills, CA. (714) 921-8743.
      ($200ish)  The program looked promising but seemed to run 
everything
      from the accounting end not the student.  I'll try to explain, at 
our
      studio most question/problems are easier to resolve by first 
looking
      up the student, seeing what classes they are registered in, look 
at
      the billing, then look at the payments.  With the IN MOTION:you 
have
      to go to different places to find all that info.  In COMPUDANCE 
you
      can do all that from one starting place (presentation ain't as 
pretty
      as the other programs but I still got the info and that is what
      counts).

      Compudance will have a Windows version in summer '96.


4.3. What is Contact Improvisation?

 Contact Improvisation is a modern dance form invented by Steve
Paxton in 1972.  The emphasis is on touching (not surprisingly) and on 
the
use of body weight; it has been compared to a kind of cooperative, non-
combative wrestling.  To judge by the descriptions and pictures in 
Novack
(1990), it is most often done by pairs of dancers.  There is a great 
deal
of lifting, falling, and supporting of one dancer by the other.  It 
started
out as at least a semi-social dance form but has become more 
professional
as the years have gone by.  It is claimed that contact improvisation
requires no prior dance training, but it's clear (and not surprising) 
that
as you learn from experience the range of things you can do increases.  
In
the descriptions that follow, taken from postings to alt.arts.ballet, 
there
is not complete agreement on what it requires of the dancer or what it 
does
to/for him/her:

     "It was extremely cool stuff, but you really had to be a good
    dancer, i.e., modern or ballet, in order to pull it off."  --
CarlosC14
    <carlosc14@aol.com >

     "Contact improv seems like something that would be experienced
    in dramatically different ways by those with formal dance training
    (ballet jazz modern) versus those without (despite what everyone 
says).
    My impression is that the students from the CU dance department got
    much more out of the workshops than I did.  Mostly I got *bruises*,
    because I don't have a lot of natural padding and there I was 
rolling
    around on the floor with someone on top of me.  My backbone, knees, 
and
    hips were repeatedly ground into the floor.  Oh, gee, what fun. >-( 
"
    --Robinne Gray <rlg2@cornell.edu>

     "It's usually associated with modern/contemporary dance in that
    many of the same people do it.  Take some music, anything really, 
and
    work with it as pairs, triples, n-tuples.  Usually some vocabulary 
has
    been worked to use.  Most `improvisation' has been worked on more 
than
    routines.  With a common vocabulary and the music, the dancers can
    interact with each other and it doesn't just become a mess as 
everyone
    `does their own thing.'  The `contact' is because everyone is 
working
    together and physically close, whether imitating a `maul' (rugby 
union)
    or breaking into smaller groups for a time."  --Callum Downie
    <Callum.Downie@brunel.ac.uk>

     "The risk-taking, weight-sharing and be-here-now aspects of
    this form are truly intoxicating once you get past the bruised body
    stages.  Just like judo, it really is possible to do without hurting
    yourself once you master the first technical level."  --Randy Barron
    <rbdancer@aol.com>


================================


5. Reading List


5.1. Books

 You will never learn ballet or any other kind of dance just by
reading about it; you will never learn a step that way.  But you should
know the cultural and historical background of your art, even if you are
an amateur, and once you have been shown a step, it helps to have an
additional description to which you can refer at home.

 A list like this is necessarily incomplete.  Moreover, dance books
seem to go out of print more quickly than do other books, so some of 
these
may be difficult to find except in a well-stocked library.  The books
listed here are chiefly ones that can probably provide answers to 
questions
like the ones in this FAQ.  New books will be added as time goes on.


5.1.1. Introductory Books
-------------------------

Dufort, Anthony.  _Ballet Steps: Practice to Performance_.  Potter, 
1990;
    ISBN 0-517-57770-4.  Describes, with words and excellent drawings, 
the
    essential steps and movements of ballet.  Starts with warm-ups, then
    barre and center work, partnering, and shows how these moves are
    assembled using examples of classical ballets.  NOT a textbook for
    students; intended for an audience member to help appreciate the
    language of ballet.  (Summary courtesy of svkeeley@aol.com.)

Jacob, Ellen.  _Dancing: the All-in-One Guide for Dancers, Teachers, and
    Parents_.  Revised edition.  New York: Variety Arts, 1993, ISBN 0-
    937180-10-6.  This and Robbins (below) are probably the best
    introductory books.  Jacobs does not restrict herself to ballet but
    describes the dance world generally: what it's like to dance; dance
    for amateurs, children, and professionals; what the options are; 
what
    classes are like; what a career may be like.

Kerner, Mary, _Barefoot to Balanchine: How to Watch Dance_.  Anchor 
Books,
    1990, ISBN: 0-385-26436-4.  Contains a brief history of dance, 
chapters
    on choreographers, steps, combinations, training, and how 
performances
    are mounted.  (Summary courtesy of svkeeley@aol.com.)

Robbins, Jane.  _Classical Dance_.  New York: Holt, Rinehart, & Winston,
    1981, ISBN 0-03-048941-5, probably out of print.  The other of the 
two
    good introductory books.  This one is more for spectators; Jacobs is
    more for aspiring dancers.  Strictly ballet; describes some steps in
    remarkably great detail for an introductory, non-professional book.
    Summarizes some ballets and provides a concise but exceptionally 
good
    history of technique.

Terry, Walter.  _Ballet Companion_.  New York: Dodd, Mead, 1968.


5.1.2. General History
----------------------

Anderson, Jack.  _Ballet and Modern Dance: a Concise History_.  Second
    edition.  Princeton: Princeton Book Company, 1986, ISBN 0-87127-172-
9.
    Shorter and less comprehensive than either Kirstein or Sachs, but 
more
    recent and (IMHO) more readable.  This is the history of dance I 
would
    have written, if I could.

Au, Susan.  _Ballet and Modern Dance_. Thames & Hudson, 1988, ISBN 0-500-
    20219-2.  Also a college text, slightly less focussed on the US than
    Anderson, but no primary source materials.

Kirstein, Lincoln.  _Dance: A Short History of Classic Theatrical 
Dancing_.
    Princeton: Princeton Book Company, 1987, ISBN 87127-019-6.  Covers
    everything from ancient times to approximately the 1940s.

--------.  _Four Centuries of Ballet_.  New York: Dover Books, ISBN 0-
486-
    24631-0.  Some general historical background followed by discussions 
of
    fifty ballets.  Generously illustrated.

Lawson, Joan.  _A History of Ballet and Its Makers_.  London: Pitman 
Pub.
    Corp., 1964.  More narrowly focussed than Sorell, Kirstein, or Sachs
    but, within its limits, more detailed.

Sachs, Kurt.  _World History of the Dance_.  New York: Norton, 1953,
    apparently out of print.  The definitive history in its time, now 
dated
    but not yet superseded.

Sorell, Walter.  _Dance in its Time_.  New York: Columbia University 
Press,
    1981, ISBN 0-231-06391-1.  A social history of dance.

Tatchell, Judy.  _The World of Ballet_.  Usborne Publishing, 1994, ISBN
    0-7460-1692-1.  Lots and lots of pretty pictures; at first glance it
    seems to be ALL pictures, but there's a lot of info crammed in 
there,
    too.  Gives hints on watching ballets, describes the changing styles
    from century to century, costumes, scenery, also describes (with 
photos
    and captions) the basic moves, gives short bios of some famous 
dancers
    and choreographers and companies, short synopses of about 30 
ballets.
    (Summary courtesy of svkeeley@aol.com.)


5.1.3. Biography, Memoirs, and Specific History
-----------------------------------------------

Acocella, Joan.  _Mark Morris_.  Farrar, Straus, & Giroux, 1993, ISBN 0-
    374-20295-8.

Anderson, Jack.  _The One and Only, the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo_.
    Princeton: Princeton Books, 1981, 0-87127-127-3, out of print.  
Before
    the Ford Foundation money, the Ballet Russes style was American 
ballet.

--------.  _The American Dance Festival_.  Duke University Press, 1987,
    ISBN 0-8223-0683-2.  History of the festival with a great index to
    productions and teachers.

Ashley, Merrill.  _Dancing for Balanchine_.  New York: Dutton, 1984, 
ISBN
    0-525-24280-5.  A memoir, but full of technical detail as well as 
the
    usual reminiscences; explains why Balanchine thought _battement 
tendu_
    so important.  Required reading for any serious student.

Banes, Sally.  _Democracy's Body: Judson Dance Theater 1962-1964_.  Duke
    University Press, 1993, ISBN 0-8223-1399-5.  Painstaking 
documentation
    of a volatile period.

--------.  _Terpsichore in Sneakers_.  2nd ed.  University Press of New
    England, 1987, ISBN 0-8195-6160-6.  (Make sure to get the second
    edition; it has an extended introduction with a wonderful pocket
    analysis/description of postmodern dance.)

Blair, Fredrika.  _Isadora  Portrait of the Artist as a Woman_.  McGraw-
    Hill, 1985, ISBN 0-07-005598-X, out of print.  Probably the best of 
the
    biographies.

Cohen, Selma Jeanne.  _The Modern Dance: Seven Statements of Belief_.
    Wesleyan University Press, 1966, ISBN 0-8195-6003-0.  Interviews 
seven
    modern choreographers (including Nikolais, Limon, Sokolow), includes
    their responses to a hypothetical commission (choreograph a work 
about
    the Prodigal Son!)

De Mille, Agnes.  _Dance to the Piper_.  Da Capo Press, 1980, ISBN 0-306-
    79613--9.  From California youth through _Oklahoma_.

--------.  _Martha: the Life and Work of Martha Graham_.  New York: 
Random
    House/Vintage, 1991, ISBN 0-679-74176-3 (paper).

Dunham, Katherine.  _A Touch of Innocence_.  University of Chicago 
Press,
    1994, ISBN 0-226-17112-4.  Early life, how she got to Haiti,

Fokine, Michel.  _Fokine: Memoirs of a Ballet Master_.  Boston: Little,
    Brown, 1961.

Fonteyn, Margot.  _Autobiography_.  Warner, 1977, ISBN 0-446-81380-X.
    Descriptions of early Royal Ballet especially nice.



                              

Garafola, Lynn.  _Diaghilev's Ballet Russe_.  Oxford University Press,
    1992, ISBN 0-19-507604-4.  Thorough discussion of a complex and
    influential part of dance history.

Graham, Martha.  _Blood Memory_.  Pocket Books, 1992, ISBN 0-671-78217-
7.

Green, Martin.  _Mountain of Truth: The Counterculture Begins--Ascona
    1900-1920_.  University of New England Press, 1986, ISBN 0-87451-365-
0.
    Genesis of Rudolph Laban's work (also beginnings of Germany's Green
    Party).

Gruen, John.  _People Who Dance_.  Princeton: Princeton Books 
(juvenile),
    1988, ISBN 0-916622-74-6, out of print.

Hilton, Wendy.  _Dance of Court and Theatre: The French Noble Style 1690-
    1725_.  Princeton: Princeton Books, ISBN 0-916622-09-6.  Some actual
    instruction in baroque dance as well as historical analysis, the 
period
    when ballet detached itself from social dance.  Detailed description
    of 18th-century dance notation.

Hodgson, John, and Preston-Dunlop, Valerie Rudolph.  _Laban: An Introduc-
    tion to His Work and Influence_.  Princeton: Princeton Books, 0-7463-
    0584-2, out of print.  Just what it says.

Humphrey, Doris.  _Doris Humphrey: An Artist First_.  University Press 
of
    New England, 1972, ISBN 0-8195-6054-5, out of print.  Humphrey's
    autobiography, finished by Selma Jeanne Cohen.

Karsavina, Tamara.  _Theater Street_.  2nd ed.  Princeton: Princeton 
Books,
    1981, ISBN 0-903102-47-1.  Autobiography, description of life at the
    Maryinsky as well as early Ballet Russe.

Kendall, Elizabeth.  _Where She Danced: The Birth of American Art 
Dance_.
    University of California Press, 1984, ISBN 0-520-05173-4.  With 
this,
    the Blair and Shelton, excellent overview of the birth of American
    Modern Dance.

Klosty, James, ed.  _Merce Cunningham_.  Dutton, 1985, ISBN 0-8415-0372-
9,
    out of print.  Hard to find, but great essays by many former
    collaborators and company members.

Lawson, Joan.  _Teaching Young Dancers_.  Brooklyn: Theatre Arts Books,
    1984, out of print.  Good on placement (contains some instructive
    anatomical drawings); explains many steps (although by no means 
all),
    with descriptions and photographs showing right and wrong ways to
    execute them.

Lieven, Prince Peter.  _The Birth of the Ballets Russes_.  Trans. by L.
    Zarine.  George Allen & Unwin, 1936.  Reprint with new introduction 
by
    Catherine Lieven Ritter.  New York: Dover Books, 1973.

Mason, Francis, editor.  _I Remember Balanchine_.  New York: Doubleday
    Anchor Books, 1991, ISBN 0-385-26611-1.  Reminiscences of dancers 
and
    others who worked with Balanchine.  A good view of ballet in general
    and 20th-century ballet history as well as of Balanchine.

Mazo, Joseph.  _Prime Movers_.  Princeton: Princeton Books, 1983, ISBN 0-
    916622-27-4, out of print.  History of American Modern Dance.

McDonagh, Don.  _Rise and Fall and Rise of Modern Dance_.  A Cappella
    Books, 1990, 1-55652-089-1.  Some factual errors, but nice 
description
    of transition in modern dance in the 60's.

Migel, Parmenia.  _The Ballerinas: From the Court of Louis XIV to 
Pavlova_.
    Da Capo Press, 1980, ISBN 0-306-80115-9.  Ballet history in 
biographic
    vignettes, a charming read.

Mueller, John.  _Astaire Dancing_.  Random House, 1991, ISBN 0-517-06075-
2.
    Excellent analysis and great photos.

Scholl, Tim.  _From Petipa to Balanchine: Classical Revival and the
    Modernization of Ballet_.  Routledge, 1994, ISBN 0-415-09222-1.

Shead, Richard.  _Ballets Russe_.  London: Quarto Publishing, 1989.
    Reprint [apparently].  Secaucus (New Jersey): Wellfleet Press, n.d..
    ISBN 1-55521-438-X.  Lavishly illustrated cocktail-table book with
    intelligent and well-written accompanying text.

Shelton, Suzanne.  _Ruth St. Denis: A Biography of the Divine Dancer_.
    University of Texas at Austin Press, 1990, ISBN 0-292-77046-4.  
She's
    not taken as seriously as Duncan today, but St. Denis was immensely
    influential.

Siegel, Marcia.  _Days on Earth: The Dance of Doris Humphrey_.  Duke
    University Press, 1993, ISBN 0-8223-1346-4.  Excellent description 
of
    work and explanations of Humphrey's theoretical underpinnings, great
    sympathies for Humphrey as a humanist.

Sorrel, Walter.  _Dance Has Many Faces_.  A capella Books, 1992, ISBN 1-
    55652-124-3.

Stuart, Otis.  _Perpetual Motion: the Public and Private Lives of 
Rudolph
    Nureyev_.  New York: Simon & Schuster, 1995, ISBN0-671-87539-6.  
Life
    and loves; how he became a dancer; how he made all that money.

Taper, Bernard.  _Balanchine: A Biography_.  Berkeley: University of
    California Press, 1984, ISBN 0-520-06059-8.  Vivid and revealing;
    provides some insight into Balanchine's working methods.

Taylor, Paul.  _Private Domain_.  Farrar, Straus, & Giroux, 1988, ISBN 0-
    86547-322-6.  Autobiography, very anecdotal (lots of good stories!).

Tharp, Twyla.  _Push Comes to Shove_.  Bantam, 1993, ISBN 0-553-37264-5.
    Autobiography, sounds the way her dances look.

Vaughan, David.  _Frederick Ashton and His Ballets_.  Knopf, 1977, ISBN 
0-
    394-41085-8, out of print.  Great biography and analyis of style, 
hard
    to find.

Villella, Edward.  _Prodigal Son_.  New York: Simon & Schuster, 1992, 
ISBN
    0-671-79717-4.  The story of a tough, ambitious, willful man who 
worked
    with, loved, and frequently fought with George Balanchine.  Gives a
    feeling of what it's like to take classes and to find one's way in a
    world-class company.


5.1.4. Criticism and Analysis
-----------------------------

Anderson, Richard L.  _Calliope's Sisters: A Comparative Study of
    Philosophies of Art_.  Prentice-Hall, 1989, ISBN 0-13-1554125-5.  
Looks
    at several non-Western art philosphies.

Banes, Sally.  _Writing Dancing in the Age of Postmodernism_.  
University
    Press of New England, 1994, ISBN 0-8195-6268-8.  Collection of 
recent
    materials, excellent on postmodern dance.

Chazin-Bennahum, Judith.  _The Ballets of Antony Tudor_.  New York: 
Oxford
    University Press, 1994, ISBN 0-19-507186-7.  The great 
choreographer's
    career and works.

Cohen, Selma Jeanne.  _Next Week, Swan Lake_.  University Press of New
    England, ISBN 0-8195-6110-X.  Excellent introduction to 
philosophical
    issues in dance without needing a philosophy background.

Copeland, Roger, and Cohen, Marshall, eds.  _What is Dance?_.  Oxford
    University Press, 1983, ISBN 0-19-503197-0.  Anthology of primary
    source readings in several areas, good overview.

Croce, Arlene.  _Afterimages_.  Random House, 1977, ISBN 0-394-41093-9, 
out
    of print.  Her first anthology, great discussion of Balanchine and 
NYCB.

Denby, Edwin.  _Dance Writings_.  Knopf, 1986, ISBN 0-394-54416-1.
    Anthology of everything, beautiful writing even if you don't agree 
with
    him, considered spiritual father of many contemporary critics.

--------.  _Looking at the Dance_.  New York: Pellegrini & Cudahy, 1949.
    Some of the best dance criticism written in the 20th century.  The
    first part of the book ("Meaning in Ballet") is a particularly good
    introduction to ballet for the newcomer.

Emery, Lynne Fauley.  _Black Dance From 1619 to Today_.  Ayer Co.
    Publishing, 1988, ISBN 0-88143-074-9.

Foster, Susan.  _Reading Dancing: Bodies and Subjects in Contemporary
    Choreography_.  University of California Press, 1986, ISBN 0-520-
06333-
    3.  Deconstruction applied to contemporary dance, very influential 
text.

Jowitt, Deborah.  _Dance Beat_.  Books on Demand, ISBN 0-317-28434-7.  
Her
    first anthology, great look at "dance boom" NYC.

--------.  _Time and the Dancing Image_.  University of California 
Press,
    1989, ISBN 0-520-06627-8.  Connecting eras in dance to their 
historical
    contexts.  (Why does Romantic ballet look the way it does?)

--------.  _The Dance in Mind_.  David R. Godine, 1985, ISBN 0-87923-534-
9.
    Anthology of more recent reviews.

Kraus, Richard, Chapman, Sarah, & Dixon-Stowell, Brenda.  _History of 
the
    Dance in Art and Education_.  Prentice-Hall, 1990, ISBN 0-13-389362-
6.
    College text, very helpful for dance education history (not always 
easy
    to find).

Langer, Susanne.  _Problems of Art_.  Macmillan, 1977, ISBN 0-02-367510-
1.
    One of the first contemporary philosophers to take dance seriously.

McFee, Graham.  _Understanding Dance_.  Routledge, 1992, ISBN 0-415-
07810-
    5.  British philosopher.

Siegel, Marcia.  _Watching the Dance Go By_.  Boston: Houghton Mifflin,
    1977, ISBN 0-395-25173-7, out of print.  Her first anthology.

--------.  _The Shapes of Change_.  University of California Press, 
1985,
    ISBN 0-520-04212-3.  The history of American dance seen through
    specific works--excellent description.

--------.  _The Tail of the Dragon_.  Duke University Press, 1991, ISBN
    0-8223-1156-9.  Recent anthology.

Sparshot, Francis, _Off the Ground: First Steps in a Philosophical
    Consideration of Dance_.  Princeton University Press, 1988, ISBN 0-
692-
    07327-9.

Stearns, Marshall, and Jean.  _Jazz Dance: The Story of American 
Vernacular
    Dance_.  Da Capo Press, 1994, ISBN 0-306-80553-7.


5.1.5. Reference
----------------

Balanchine, George, and Francis Mason.  _101 Stories of the Great 
Ballets_,
    edited by Francis Mason.  Garden City, N. Y.: Anchor/Doubleday, 
1989.
    Exactly what its title says.

Chujoy, Anatole, and P. W. Manchester.  _Dance Encyclopedia_.  New York:
    Simon & Schuster, 1978.  Huge and encyclopedic, a first-rate 
reference;
    unfortunately now out of print.

Getz, Leslie.  _Dancers and Choreographers: A Selected Bibliography_,
    Moyer Bell, 1995, ISBN 1-55921-109-1 .  Getz edits "Attitudes and
    Arabesques," an excellent bibliography/index--this should be as 
good.

Grant, Gail.  _Technical Manual and Dictionary of Classical Ballet_.  
New
    York: Dover Books, 1982, ISBN 0-486-21843-0.  Describes just about
    every step in minute detail; the descriptions are in balletic
    terminology and require more than a beginner's knowledge of ballet.
    Highly recommended for advanced students.

Jonas, Gerald.  _Dancing_. Harry N. Abrams, 1992, ISBN 0-8109-3212-1.
    "Companion text" to PBS series, but much better than that implies!

Kersley, Leo, and Janet Sinclair.  _A Dictionary of Ballet Terms_.  2nd
    ed.  London: Adam & Charles Black, 1964.  Reprint.  Da Capo Press,
    1979, ISBN 0-306-80094-2.  Illustrated with attractive line 
drawings;
    more helpful to a beginner than Grant.  Discusses _arqu'e_ and
    _jarret'e_.

Koegler, Horst.  _Oxford Concise Dictionary of Ballet_.  Oxford 
University
    Press, 1977, second edition, ISBN 0-19-311330-9, out of print.  Very
    nice source for performance dates, original casts, brief 
descriptions
    (not a technique dictionary), not exclusively ballet.

Robertson, Allen, and Donald Hutera.  _The Dance Handbook_.  Boston, G. 
K.
    Hall & Co., 1988.  ISBN 0-8161-9095-X.  A handy dictionary of dance 
and
    dancers, arranged by categories.

Terry, Walter.  _Ballet Companion_.  New York: Dodd, Mead, 1968.


5.1.6. Source Materials
-----------------------

Arbeau, Thoinot.  _Orchesiography_.  1589.  Trans. by Mary Stuart Evans:
    Kamin Dance Pub., 1948.  Reprint, with introduction and notes by 
Julia
    Sutton and Labanotation section by Mireille Backer and Julia Sutton, 
New
    York: Dover Press, 1967, ISBN 0-486-21745-0.

Blasis, Carlo.  _Theory and Practice of the Art of Dancing_.  1820.  
Trans.
    by [?] Cyril Beaumont.  Reprint.  New York: Dover Press, 1968, ISBN 
not
    known.

--------.  _The Code of Terpsichore_.  Reprint.  Brooklyn: Dance 
Horizons,
    ISBN not known.  May be out of print.

Cohen, Selma Jeanne, _Dance as a Theater Art_.  Princeton, N. J.: 
Princeton
    Book Company, 1992, ISBN 0-87127-173-7.  Very good collection of 
source
    materials on all aspects of dance from 1581 to 1991.

Noverre, Jean Georges.  _Letters on Dancing and Ballets_.  1803.  Trans. 
by
    Cyril Beaumont, 1930.  Reprint.  Brooklyn, New York: Dance Horizons,
    1975, ISBN not known.

Steinberg, Cobbett, ed.  _The Dance Anthology_.  New American Library.
    Anthology of primary source readings with brief historical essays--
very
    out of print.


5.1.7. Technique
----------------

Barringer, Janice, and Sarah Schlesinger.  _The Pointe Book_.  
Pennington
    (New Jersey).  Pennington (N. J.): Princeton Book Company, 1991, 
ISBN
    0-87127-150-8.

Dolin, Anton.  _Pas de Deux: the Art of Partnering_.  New York: Dover.
    ISBN 0-486-22038-9

Royal Academy of Dancing.  _Step-by-Step Ballet Class_.  Chicago:
    Contemporary Books, 1993, ISBN 0-8092-3499-8.  Describes and
    illustrates elementary steps; organized by grade from pre-primary to
    grade five.

Warren, Gretchen.  _Classical Ballet Technique_.  Tampa: University of
    South Florida Press, 1989, ISBN 0-8130-0945-6.  A picture book for
    serious dancers: a dictionary of steps defined by photographs of 
them
    as done by professionals.  A companion book to Grant or to Kersley 
and
    Sinclair.


5.1.8. Stretching, fitness, & sports/dance medicine
---------------------------------------------------

Alter, Judy.  _Stretch and Strengthen_.  Boston: Houghton-Mifflin, 1986,
    ISBN 0-395-52808-9.  One of the references recommended in Brad
    Appleton's stretching FAQ.

Alter, Michael.  _Sport Stretch_.  Leisure Press, 1990, ISBN 0-88011-381-
2.
    One of the references recommended in Brad Appleton's stretching FAQ.

Berardi, Gigi.  _Finding Balance: Fitness and Training for a Lifetime in
    Dance_.  Princeton:.  Princeton Book Company/Dance Horizons, ISBN 0-
    87127-160-5.

Blakey, W. Paul.  _Stretching Without Pain_.  Twin Eagles Educational &
    Healing Institute, Box 2031, Sechelt, British Columbia V0N 3A0, 
Canada.
    ISBN 1-896238-00-9.

--------.  _The Muscle Book_.  Twin Eagles Educational & Healing 
Institute,
    Box 2031, Sechelt, British Columbia V0N 3A0, Canada.  ISBN 1-896238-
01-7

Cooper, Robert K.  _Health & Fitness Excellence: The Scientific Action_.
    Boston: Houghton-Mifflin, 1989, ISBN 0-395-54453-X.  One of the
    references recommended in Brad Appleton's stretching FAQ.

Howse and Hancock.  _Dance Technique and Injury Prevention_.  London: A 
& C
    Black, 1992, ISBN 0-7136-3601-7; Theatre Arts Books/Routledge, 1992,
    ISBN 0-87830-022-8.

Nagrin, Daniel.  _How to Dance Forever: Surviving Against the Odds_.  
New
    York: William Morrow, 1988, ISBN 0-688-07479-0.

Kurz, Tom.  _Stretching Scientifically: a Guide to Flexibility 
Training_.
    Stadion, 1994, ISBN 0-940149-30-3.  One of the references 
recommended
    in Brad Appleton's stretching FAQ.


5.1.9. Miscellaneous
--------------------

Blom, Lynne Anne, and L. Tarin Chaplin.  _The Moment of Movement: Dance
    Improvisation_.  Pittsburgh: Univ. of Pittsburgh Press, 1988, ISBN 0-
    8229-3586-4.  Just what its title says.  Sketchy coverage of contact
    improvisation.

Laws, Kenneth, and Cynthia Harvey.  _Physics, Dance, and the Pas de 
Deux_.
    New York: Schirmer Books, 1994, ISBN 0-02-871326-5.  Companion
    videotape ISBN 0-02-871327-3.  Newtonian mechanics applied to ballet
    technique. Not for every dancer, but very illuminating for anyone 
who
    comes to ballet with a technical or scientific background.

Novack, Cynthia.  _Sharing the Dance_.  Madison: Univ. of Wisconsin 
Press,
    1990, ISBN 0-299-12440-1.  About contact improvisation.

Sawyer, Elizabeth.  _Dance with the Music_.  Cambridge: Cambridge
    University Press, 1985, ISBN 0-521-31925-0.  Mostly for pianists who
    accompany classes and rehearsals, but interesting reading for anyone
    who cares about music for ballet.

Wolfram, Eric.  _Your Dance Resume_.  San Francisco, Calif.: Dancepress
    [(800) 815-6422] 1995, ISBN 1-880404-06-0.  Provides concise and
    easily readable step-by-step advice for dancers negotiating today's
    competitive job market: preparation of resumes and cover letters;
    photographs and videos; and advice securing and triumphantly 
navigating
    auditions.

Stern's Performing Arts Directory.


5.2. Periodicals

(Thanks to Estelle Souche for names of French magazines.)

Attitude: The Dancers' Magazine
    Dance Giant Steps
    1040 Park Place, Suite C-5
    Brooklyn, New York 11213

Attitudes and Arabesques (guide to current dance publications)
    Leslie Getz
    Getz Dance Library
    1075 Marcusen Drive
    Menlo Park, Calif.  94025
    (415) 326-9775

Ballet Review
    Marcel Dekker, Inc.
    46 Morton Street
    New York, N. Y. 10014
    (212) 633-8264

Ballet 2000
    [French: address not known]

Ballett International / Tanz Aktuell
    Published by: Friedrich Verlag
    Postfach 100 150
    D-30917 Seelze
    Germany

Contact Quarterly
    P.O. Box 603
    Northampton, Mass. 01060

Dance Connection
    #603, 815 - 1st Street S. W.
    Calgary, Alberta T2P-1N3 Canada
    E-mail (advertising & editorial): eltonh@cuug.ab.ca

Dance Ink  
    145 Central Park West
    New York, N. Y.  10023


                                                                  


Dance International
    Roedde House
    1415 Barclay Street
    Vancouver, BC V6G 1J6
    Canada
    (604) 681-1525
    Fax (604) 681-7732

Dance Magazine
    33 West 60th Street
    New York, N. Y.  10023
    (212) 245-9050
    Subscriptions: 800-331-1750
    e-mail: dancemag@panix.com

Dance Now
    Dance Books Ltd.
    15 Cecil Court
    St. Martin's Lane
    London WC2N 4EZ, England.

Dance and the Arts (was Dance Pages)
    P.O. Box 916
    Ansonia Station
    New York, N. Y.  10023

Dance Teacher Now
    e-mail: dancenow@aol.com

The Dancing Times
    45-47 Clerkenwell Green
    London EC1R 0EB, England
    Tel: +44 171 250 3006
    Fax: +44 171 253 6679

DanceView
    P.O. Box 34435
    Martin Luther King Station
    Washington, D. C.  20043

Danse Conservatoire
    33 rue de Douai
    75009 Paris
    FRANCE
    fax: 93/41/61/55

Danser
    Service des abonnements
    BP 68 7
    77932 Perthes Cedex
    FRANCE
    fax: 40/02/63/90

Les Saisons de la Danse
    Service des abonnements
    7 avenue Rachel
    75018 Paris
    FRANCE
    tel: 43/87/08/69
    Fax: 42/93/97/74

The New Dance Review Quarterly
    32 West 82nd Street #2F
    New York, N. Y.  10024

Studies in Dance History
    Princeton Periodicals
    P.O. Box 380
    Pennington, N. J.  08534

TBC News (Newsletter of Trisha Brown's company)
    225 Lafayette Street
    Suite 807
    New York, N. Y. 10012

I've seen a Hungarian publication, Tancm"uv'esz'et, but I didn't have an
opportunity to translate the publication information.  Later, perhaps.

-- 
--
Tom Parsons | To do great work one must be very idle
D.T.L.  |   as well as very industrious.
  |   --Samuel Butler

       
