Review of Library Resources and Information Literacy
To support PERFA 181 – Asian Dance
Summary: Currently offered under special topics Perfa 160 and required of the major. Course
requirements include one formal 12-15 page research paper and a Final 8-page paper and
presentation which may include audiovisual presentations. This research will include the
historical context and feminist perspective of classical dance in four regions: Bali and Java, India,
and China.
A. The Collection. The Library’s ability to support student research in the subject area of Asian
Dance has improved significantly in recent years, primarily with the attention given it by
Professor Jia Wu. She has worked with me to identify, locate, and acquire materials in
support of her scholarship and teaching activities. Because of this collaboration, we have
significantly strengthened library resources in direct support of the learning goals of this
class.
1.
Reference Books.
The Library owns some of the key reference handbooks and encyclopedias in the field.
These include:
The World Encyclopedia of Contemporary Theatre, V. 1-6, Routledge, 1994-2000.
International Dictionary of Modern Dance, St. James, 1998.
A Dictionary of Theatre Anthropology, Routledge, 1991.
Dictionary of Traditional South-East Asian Theatre, Oxford, 1994
Cambridge Guide to Asian Theatre, Cambridge, 1993
Encyclopedia of Asian Theatre, V. 1-2, Greenwood, 2007
The Garland handbook of Southeast Asian music, Routledge, 2008.[includes CD]
The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music. 1998. [includes Disc CD86]
2.
Online Reference:
International Encyclopedia of Dance, Oxford University Press, c2005.
The Oxford Encyclopedia of Theatre & Performance, Oxford, 2005.
Grove Music Online, Oxford.
Oxford Reference
3.
Books (Print and Ebooks):
A sampling of some of our more recent acquisitions relevant to this course:
Print:
 Indian classical dance : tradition in transition / Leela Venkataraman, [photographs] Avinash
Pasricha, 2002. [Oversize 793.31954 V559]
 Moving history / dancing cultures : a dance history reader / edited by Ann Dils & Ann Cooper
Albright, 2001. [792.809 D588]
 Balinese dance, drama and music : a guide to the performing arts of Bali, Singapore
: Periplus, 2004. [793.31959 D545]
 Classical dance and theatre in South-East Asia, Oxford, 1992. [792.095 M586]
 Contemporary Indian Dance, Palgrave, 2011. [793.31954 K156]
 Is it all about hips? Around the world with Bollywood dance, Sage, 2011. [793.31954
Sh84]
 Akram Khan’s Rush: Creative Insights, Dance, 2004. [792.842 R895]
 Culture and customs of Israel, Greenwood, 2004. [915.694 T638]
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Ebooks:
 Power plays : wayang golek puppet theater of West Java / Andrew N. Weintraub,2004.
[ebrary]
 Drama kings : players and publics in the re-creation of Peking opera, 1870-1937 / Joshua
Goldstein. [ebrary]
 Erotic triangles: Sundanese dance and masculinity in West Java, Univ. of Chicago,
2010. [ebrary]
 Global Bollywood: travels of Hindi song and dance, Univ. of Minnesota, 2008.
[ebrary]
 Maoist model theatre: the semiotics of gender and sexuality in the Chinese Cultural
Revolution (1966-1976), 2010. / by Rosemary A. Roberts [ebrary]
4. Periodicals:
In reviewing the course description, we are fortunate in having current access to all journals
listed. These include:
 Asian Theatre Journal
 TDR: The Drama Review
 Dance Research Journal
 Visual Anthropology
 Film Quarterly
 Modern China
 Dance Chronicle
 Journal of Folklore Research
 Communication Review
In addition to the journals listed above, there are currently an additional 44 dance and 7
ethnomusicology titles listed in our aggregated databases under the heading “Music, Dance,
Drama and Film.”
5. Periodical Databases:
The Library subscribes to at least two major online databases that will support the research needs
of this class, International Bibliography of Theatre and Dance and Anthropology Plus. However,
we also subscribe to several multidisciplinary and scholarly databases such as Dance in Video,
Project Muse, MLA, JSTOR and Academic OneFile which may also provide some support for the
research needs of students in this class.
6. Media:
The Library has current subscriptions to Alexander Street Press’ Dance in Video, Naxos Music
Library and Vast: Academic Video Online which includes streaming video and audio for some
titles that will support this class. A sampling includes:
 Dances of Bali, 2007
 The Spirit of Dance / Ethnic Dance Arts, [2004?]
 Classical Indian dance, Vol. 1 : two Bharatanatyam dances, 1998.
 DUN: Out of Peking Opera / Death and Fire / Orchestral Theatre I, Hong Kong : Naxos
Digital Services Ltd., [2008]
 Colonel Jin Xing / directed by Sylvie Levey and produced by Arnaud Hamelin, New
York, NY : Filmakers Library, 2003.
 The Sultanate of Jogjakarta / Tele Images Creation, New York, N.Y. : Films Media
Group, [2006], c2002.
In addition we have the following collections:
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Film:
 Pa-wang pieh Chi = Farewell, my concubine / directed by Chen Kaige ; screenplay by
Lilian Lee, Lu Wei, 1999, [DVD B1270].
 Balinese dance, drama and music : a guide to the performing arts of Bali, 2004. [DVD
793.31959 D545]
 On wayang = my life with shadows / a Shadowlight production ; produced & directed by
Larry Reed and Gina Leibrecht, 2001. [DVD S1238]
 Chinese yangge dance / China Intercontinental Communication Center, Distributed by
Huwa Golden International, [2006?.] [DVD S736]
 Chinese culture [videorecording] = Zhongguo wen hua jing cui, 5 CDset,
/ Beijing : China Intercontinental Communication Center, 2005? [DVD S733]
 The JVC video anthology of world music and dance, 10 discs, 2005. [DVD S776]
 Classical Indian dance. Volume 1, Two Bharatanatyam dances, 1998. [DVD S410]
 Kawit legong : Prince Karna's dream / a Shadowlight production ; directed by Ellen
Sebastian Chang, 2012, [DVD S1239]
 Denishawn (Includes Cosmic dance of Shiva. Choreographed and performed by Ted
Shawn), 1998. [VHS S1552]
 Bamboo dream [videorecording] / performed by Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan ;
choreography by Lin Hwai-Min, 2002. [DVD S638]
 Moon water / Arthaus Musik ; performed by Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan ;
choreographer, Lin Hwai-Min,2000. [DVD S637]
 Cursive II [videorecording] / a ballet by Lin Hwai-min for the Cloud Gate Dance
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CD:
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Theatre of Taiwan, 2006. [DVD S632]
Legong: dance of the virgins, 2004 [DVD S725]
Kutiyattam: Balivadaham, 2003. [DVD S711]
Chinese Culture. 7 discs. 2005? [DVD S733]
Rab ne bana di Jodi. 2 discs. 2009 [DVD BB1113]
Music of the Gamelan Gong Kebyar. Vol. 1, 1996. [CD158]
The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music. 1998. [CD 86]
B. Recommendations:
1.
Please include this statement in your dance syllabi:
Reference/Information assistance is available at the Reference Desk, by phone (925) 6314624, text message or IM. Check the Library’s “Ask Us” link for details:
http://library.stmarys-ca.edu/ask-us/ Extended assistance by appointment is also available.
Contact Sharon Walters, the subject librarian for the Performing Arts Department at
swalters@stmarys-ca.edu or (925) 631-4267.
2.
Since this course requires a lengthy research paper, please consider scheduling a
formal Library Research session with the subject librarian.
Respectfully submitted by Sharon Walters, Librarian Subject Selector, Performing Arts
March 2012; updated January 2014.
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