Dance in Video is an exciting database resource available online through State Library of Queensland. Published by Alexander Street Press, Dance in Video features over 760 videos of dance productions and documentaries by some of the world’s most prominent performers and companies. The collection of works includes ballet, tap, jazz, experimental, contemporary and improvisational dance.
Pas de deux du Corsaire, Ballet national de Cuba (Grand Palais). Photo by Jean-Pierre Dalbéra. CC licence.
These videos are useful for anyone interested in dance history, analysis or instruction, and are also a delightful opportunity for dance lovers to sit back and watch some stunning performances, and perhaps pick up a few tips!
Whether you want to look at dance material generally, or are searching for a particular item, you can search or browse the database by genre, dance type, content type (performance, interview, documentary or instructional material), composer, choreographer, performer, ensemble or publisher.
Dance in Video also provides access to many additional resources, including online libraries for classical, jazz, opera and popular music from distinguished collections such as the Smithsonian Global Sound for Libraries. This particular collection is a virtual encyclopedia of musical and aural traditions from around the world, designed to “support the creation, continuity and preservation of diverse musical forms”. The Smithsonian collection currently features songs of the Freedom Riders of Selma, Alabama, as well as other diverse works such as The Jewish Immigrant Experience in America and children’s music.
Fred Astaire in Daddy Long Legs, 1955.
Dance in video is available in 91 languages, and some items include notes in PDF format to accompany the videos. Users are able to create playlists of whole videos, tracks, segments and links, allowing a section of a video to be saved and annotated for easy access at a later time.
This remarkable resource is available to all SLQ members. Simply search the keywords “Dance in video” in SLQ’s One Search catalogue, or go to “Select databases” and look in the alphabetical list.
Happy viewing and dancing!
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