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Browsing the Shelves
The following are call number ranges for modern dance materials in the library's physical collections:
- GV1597 - Dancing as a profession
- GV1746 - GV1771 - Social dancing. Ballroom dancing
- GV1781 - GV1795 - Theatrical dancing (Biography: GV 1785)
- M1450 - Dance music
Subject Headings:
- Modern dance -- Aesthetics
- Modern dance -- Political aspects -- [Country Name]-- History
- Modern dance -- Social aspects -- [Country Name] -- History
- Modern dance -- [Country Name] -- History
- Movement, Aesthetics of
- Movement analysis
- Movement notation
General Resources on Modern Dance
Borzoi Book of Modern Dance by Margaret Lloyd
What is "modern dance" and how does it differ from ballet and other forms of theatrical dancing-who made it what it is? These questions and their answers are the subjects around which Margaret Lloyd has written a unique and endlessly entertaining book. Originally published in 1949, The Borzoi Book of Modern Dance captures the beginnings of modern dance history fresh from its inception. Margaret Lloyd creates a detailed, witty and insightful overview of the art form in its early stages. The book is organized by individuals and then branches into documentation of important subcategories of dance (subsidizing; humanizing dance; forms of documentation). The seminal choreographers, teachers and dance groups of the first half of the twentieth century are all included: Isadora Duncan, Mary Wigman, Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn, Martha Graham, Doris Humphrey and Charles Weidman, Helen Tamiris, Hanya Holm, The New Dance Group, José Limón, Anna Sokolow, Esther Junger, Sybil Shearer, Katherine Dunham, Valerie Bettis, Pearl Primus, Lester Horton and Eleanor King. Lloyd describes the importance of each of these individuals through personal anecdotes, performance recounts and creative analysis. When there is a story, Lloyd tells it. When a choreographic invention or effect is important, she describes it. The Borzoi Book of Modern Dance deals with a range of aspects of the art form to show that modern dance is a question of attitude, a way of expression, social perceptions and sociological thrusts. It is the personality of modern dance, captured in words. Includes 49 illustrations.
Call Number: AVAILABLE ONLINE
ISBN: 0871273640
Publication Date: 2004-12-01
The Dance Encyclopedia by Anatole Chujoy; P. W. Manchester; Lincoln Kerstein (Introduction by)
Covers classic and modern dance, including ballet, tap, ballroom, and folk. Includes plot summaries, choreographers, designers, composers, original casts, history, and terminology.
Call Number: MAIN GV1585 .C5 1967
ISBN: 9780671240271
Publication Date: 1978-04-15
Modern Dance: Techniques and Teaching by Gertrude Shurr; Rachael Dunaven Yocom
"Modern Dance Techniques and Teaching" is truly one of a kind: it is the only book to be published documenting Martha Graham's movement philosophy, as recorded by two of Graham's original followers. The purpose of the book, according to its authors, is "to analyze, illustrate and organize for teaching purposes some of the vocabulary (techniques) of modern dance to provide a reference and a guide for teachers and students of modern dance." The book is divided into three sections: Dance Warm-ups: Floor and Standing; Dance Exercises: Floor and Standing; Dance Techniques: Floor, Standing, Space. Dance Warm-ups presents the bounces, extensions and stretches; Dance Exercises offers arm patterns, knee bends, foot and leg exercises; Dance Techniques contains simple to complex examples of dance vocabulary as mediums for expression. The space techniques are divided into jumps, leaps and falls. The text discusses the principles of modern dance as logical precepts for correct body education and both general and specific interpretations of creative dance. "Modern Dance Techniques and Teaching" features thirty-nine pages of step-by-step instructional illustrations, each of which comprises three to fourteen photographs. The techniques described in the text and visual aids are applicable to all sizes and levels of classes. Includes 39 illustrations.
Call Number: AVAILABLE ONLINE
ISBN: 1306036453
Publication Date: 2004-01-01
Selected Books on Modern Dancers
Fosse by Sam WassonCall Number: MAIN GV1785.F67 W37 2014
ISBN: 9780544334618
Publication Date: 2014-11-04
Selected Modern Dance Videos
Martha Graham Dance Company by WNET
Presents Martha Graham as she reminisces on the history of her dance company and gives her interpretation of six dance creations as they are performed by her company.
Diversion of Angels / music by Norman dello Joio -- Lamentation / music by Zoltan Kodaly -- Frontier / music by Louis Horst -- Adorations / music by Matea Albeniz, Domenico Cimarosa, John Dowland, and Girolamo Fescobaldi -- Cave of the Heart / music by Samuel Barber -- Appalachian Spring / music by Aaron Copland.
Call Number: STREAMING
Publication Date: 2017
Trailblazers of modern dance by WNET (Television station : New York, N.Y.)
Reviews the history of modern dance in America from its beginnings in the early 1900's to the appearance of Martha Graham in the early 1930's. Includes rare film footage of Doris Humphrey, Ruth St. Denis, Anna Pavlova, and what is believed to be Isadora Duncan, among others, along with reconstructed performances of Duncan's Scriabin études, St. Denis and Humphrey's Soaring, and Ted Shawn's Polonaise.
Call Number: STREAMING VIDEO
Publication Date: 1977
History of Modern Dance. by Holzknecht, James, director
In this program, dance historians, instructors, and choreographers trace the evolution of modern and postmodern dance. They explores the influences of such dance pioneers as Duncan, Fuller, St. Denis, Shawn, Balanchine, Graham, Laban, Wigman, Tamaris, Humphrey, Weidman, Limón, Sokolow, Ailey, Dunham, Cunningham, Taylor, Hawkins, Nikolais, and Bausch. The DVD also discusses modern dance education.
Call Number: STREAMING ONLINE
Publication Date: 2008
Modern Dance Companies
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
On March 30, 1958 Alvin Ailey and a group of young, black modern dancers perform for the first time as members of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater at New York’s 92nd Street YM-YWHA.
Isadora Duncan Dance Company
Lori Belilove & The Isadora Duncan Dance Company is the resident performing troupe of the Isadora Duncan Dance Foundation. Under the artistic direction of Lori Belilove, The Company performs over 80 authentic dances that highlight the unique qualities of Isadora Duncan’s repertoire, from the early lyrical pieces to the tragic solos, all with a purity of style and excellence of movement hailed by the international press. The all-female company is a spirited ensemble of highly trained and educated dancers; moreover, each member has received private coaching from noted Duncan authorities.
José Limón Dance Foundation
The José Limón Dance Foundation exists to perpetuate the Limón legacy and its humanistic approach to movement and theater, and to extend the vitality of that vision into the future, through performance, creation, preservation and education.
The José Limón Dance Foundation supports two entities: the Limón Dance Company, this country’s first modern dance repertory company, and the Limón Institute, an educational and archival resource center. In our home-base of New York City, the Limón Institute reaches close to 50,000 students and scholars annually through its education programs (including Limón4Kids), archival library, and New York City classes and workshops.
Founded in 1946 by José Limón and Doris Humphrey, the Limón Dance Company has been at the vanguard of American Modern dance since its inception and is considered one of the world’s greatest dance companies. Acclaimed for its dramatic expression, technical mastery and expansive, yet nuanced movement, the Limón Dance Company illustrates the timelessness of José Limón’s work and vision. The Company’s repertory, which includes classic works in addition to new commissions from contemporary choreographers, possesses an unparalleled breadth and creates unique experiences for audiences around the world.
Mark Morris Dance Group
Founded in New York City in 1980 by artistic director and choreographer Mark Morris, the Mark Morris Dance Group (MMDG) has been called “the preeminent modern dance organization of our time” (Yo-Yo Ma), its members receiving “highest praise for their technical aplomb, their musicality, and their sheer human authenticity.” (Bloomberg News). Live music and community engagement are vital components of the Dance Group, which has toured with its own musicians, the Music Ensemble, since 1996. The Dance Group provides educational opportunities in dance and music to people of all ages and abilities while on tour internationally and at home at the Mark Morris Dance Center in Brooklyn, NY.
Martha Graham Dance Company
The Martha Graham Dance Company has been a world leader in the evolving art form of modern dance since its founding in 1926.
Today, the Company embraces a new vision that showcases masterpieces by Graham alongside newly commissioned works by contemporary artists. With programs that offer a rich thematic narrative, the Company creates new platforms for contemporary dance and multiple points of access for audiences.
Paul Taylor Dance Company
Transforming the landscape of modern dance since 1954
Dancemaker Paul Taylor (1930-2018) first presented his choreography with five other dancers in Manhattan on May 30, 1954. That modest performance marked the beginning of a profound, uninterrupted creative output that shaped the future of American modern dance and continues to this day.
Since its earliest days, the Paul Taylor Dance Company has toured to venues throughout the United States and around the globe, from college campuses and rural towns to the world’s leading opera houses and performing arts centers. The Company has performed in more than 600 cities in sixty-six countries, including landmark tours and engagements in North and South America, China and the Far East, Great Britain, Eastern and Western Europe, Scandinavia, Africa, India, and the Middle East.
PHILADANCO! (Philadelphia Dance Company)
Founded in 1970, PHILADANCO! has a legacy of breaking barriers and building bridges across cultural divides, consistently performing for audiences of people from diverse communities. PHILADANCO! is recognized for its artistic integrity, superbly trained dancers and electrifying performances. Inherent in our mission is a commitment to empowering youth with essential developmental and leadership skills that facilitate achievement and success in the world of dance and everyday life. The Philadelphia Dance Company (PHILADANCO!) is a nonprofit organization that presents the highest quality of professional dance performance and cultivates the skills of emerging and professional dancers and choreographers in a nurturing environment, while increasing the appreciation of dance among its many communities. Across the nation and around the world, PHILADANCO! is celebrated for its innovation, creativity and preservation of predominantly African-American traditions in dance.
Twyla Tharp Dance Foundation
Since graduating from Barnard College in 1963, Ms. Tharp has choreographed more than one hundred sixty works: one hundred twenty-nine dances, twelve television specials, six Hollywood movies, four full-length ballets, four Broadway shows and two figure skating routines. She received one Tony Award, two Emmy Awards, nineteen honorary doctorates, the Vietnam Veterans of America President's Award, the 2004 National Medal of the Arts, the 2008 Jerome Robbins Prize, and a 2008 Kennedy Center Honor. Her many grants include the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Fellowship. She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, and an Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
In 1965, Ms. Tharp founded her dance company, Twyla Tharp Dance. Her dances are known for creativity, wit and technical precision coupled with a streetwise nonchalance. By combining different forms of movement – such as jazz, ballet, boxing and inventions of her own making – Ms. Tharp’s work expands the boundaries of ballet and modern dance.
Pina Bausch / Tanztheater Wuppertal
Pina Bausch was a German dancer and choreographer who was a significant contributor to a neo-expressionist dance tradition now known as Tanztheater. Bausch's approach was noted for a stylized blend of dance movement, prominent sound design, and involved stage sets, as well as for engaging the dancers under her to help in the development of a piece, and her work had an influence on modern dance from the 1970s forward. Her work, regarded as a continuation of the European and American expressionist movements, incorporated many expressly dramatic elements and often explored themes connected to trauma, particularly trauma arising out of relationships. She created the company Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch, which performs internationally.
Windward Community College Library • 45-720 Keaʻahala Rd. • Kāneʻohe, HI 96744
Content: 
Windward Community College Library
Borzoi Book of Modern Dance by
What is "modern dance" and how does it differ from ballet and other forms of theatrical dancing-who made it what it is? These questions and their answers are the subjects around which Margaret Lloyd has written a unique and endlessly entertaining book. Originally published in 1949, The Borzoi Book of Modern Dance captures the beginnings of modern dance history fresh from its inception. Margaret Lloyd creates a detailed, witty and insightful overview of the art form in its early stages. The book is organized by individuals and then branches into documentation of important subcategories of dance (subsidizing; humanizing dance; forms of documentation). The seminal choreographers, teachers and dance groups of the first half of the twentieth century are all included: Isadora Duncan, Mary Wigman, Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn, Martha Graham, Doris Humphrey and Charles Weidman, Helen Tamiris, Hanya Holm, The New Dance Group, José Limón, Anna Sokolow, Esther Junger, Sybil Shearer, Katherine Dunham, Valerie Bettis, Pearl Primus, Lester Horton and Eleanor King. Lloyd describes the importance of each of these individuals through personal anecdotes, performance recounts and creative analysis. When there is a story, Lloyd tells it. When a choreographic invention or effect is important, she describes it. The Borzoi Book of Modern Dance deals with a range of aspects of the art form to show that modern dance is a question of attitude, a way of expression, social perceptions and sociological thrusts. It is the personality of modern dance, captured in words. Includes 49 illustrations.
The Dance Encyclopedia by
Covers classic and modern dance, including ballet, tap, ballroom, and folk. Includes plot summaries, choreographers, designers, composers, original casts, history, and terminology.
The Dancer Prepares: : modern dance for beginners by
This accessible, easy-to-read text designed for beginning and intermediate modern dance courses provides students with concrete, practical information on both the technical and creative aspects of modern dance.
Modern Dance: Techniques and Teaching by
"Modern Dance Techniques and Teaching" is truly one of a kind: it is the only book to be published documenting Martha Graham's movement philosophy, as recorded by two of Graham's original followers. The purpose of the book, according to its authors, is "to analyze, illustrate and organize for teaching purposes some of the vocabulary (techniques) of modern dance to provide a reference and a guide for teachers and students of modern dance." The book is divided into three sections: Dance Warm-ups: Floor and Standing; Dance Exercises: Floor and Standing; Dance Techniques: Floor, Standing, Space. Dance Warm-ups presents the bounces, extensions and stretches; Dance Exercises offers arm patterns, knee bends, foot and leg exercises; Dance Techniques contains simple to complex examples of dance vocabulary as mediums for expression. The space techniques are divided into jumps, leaps and falls. The text discusses the principles of modern dance as logical precepts for correct body education and both general and specific interpretations of creative dance. "Modern Dance Techniques and Teaching" features thirty-nine pages of step-by-step instructional illustrations, each of which comprises three to fourteen photographs. The techniques described in the text and visual aids are applicable to all sizes and levels of classes. Includes 39 illustrations.
Done into Dance: Isadora Duncan in America by 
