dance
INTERNATIONAL
STYLE GUIDE
Dance International magazine follows the style guide Editing Canadian English, prepared for the Editors’ Association
of Canada (Douglas & McIntyre, 1987).
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
Numbers
We spell-out numbers between one to nine, and write
the numerals from 10 onwards.
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
Names & Titles
Titles of dances, operas, plays, books and magazines
are italicized. Contributors are asked not to put these
titles in uppercase or between quotation marks. Music
composition titles and foreign words are not italicized.
○
○
○
○
We use bold to highlight company names in Reviews
and book titles in Book Reviews.
Grammar
Periods: We use only one-space after every sentence.
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
We capitalize a position title only if it precedes the name
and is restrictive:
> Artistic Director Helgi Tomasson
> artistic director, Helgi Tomasson
> Helgi Tomasson, artistic director
○
○
○
○
We do not use superscript, e.g., 20th century
Quotation Marks: Quotation marks are placed after
periods at the end of a sentence but before semi-colons
or colons.
○
○
○
○
○
We capitalize “The” in some proper names like:
> The Royal Ballet.
Commas: The serial comma is not used. For instance,
we prefer:
“The ballerinas, the male dancers and orchestra
members ... ”
Not:
“The ballerinas, the male dancers, and orchestra
members ... “
Use of THAT or WHICH: Where possible, use that for
restrictive clasuses and which for non-restrictive clauses
(after a comma).
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
Spelling
We spell according to the Concise Oxford Dictionary
(1982). Refer to the enclosed list of common terms and
phrases for more examples:
> colour
> theatre
> realize, organization
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
Where appropriate, well-known compound words are
spelled as one word rather than hyphenated:
> multicultural
> worldwide
Hyphens (or en dashes) vs. em dashes:
Use hyphens to denote numerical ranges (ex. June 48) and to create compound words.
To add drama to your writing, to abruptly introduce
information in a sentence or to use something less
casual than a comma, use an em dash instead.
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
Some words are always hyphenated, however, usually
for readability’s sake:
> e-mail
> re-examine
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
Contributors are asked to ensure the accurate spelling
of names of dancers and dances and other titles,
including all their applicable foreign accents. We do not
have a fact checker on staff.
Compound Words:
Adjectival compounds are generally hyphenated.
Compounds comprised of adverbs that end in –ly or
adverbs that qualify an adjective are generally not
hyphenated.
Examples of hyphenated compounds:
> full-length work
> 20th-century dance
> up-to-date approach
Examples of compounds not hyphenated:
> dance in the 20th century
> poorly prepared dancer’
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
Level 6 — 677 Davie Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6B 2G6
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
tel: 604 681-1525
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
fax: 604 681-7732
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
email: danceint@direct.ca
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
web: www.danceinternational.org
Published by the Vancouver Ballet Society
A – Z List of Common Ter
ms
ases & Stylistic Con
ventions
erms
ms,, Phr
Phrases
Conv
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
judgements
○
○
○
A
Act I, Act II but first, second and third acts
aerial
aesthetic(s)
analyze, symbolize (not analyse or symbolise)
○
○
○
○
○
L
La Bayadére (italicized)
○
M
Maryinsky
marshalled (not marshaled)
Martins’ (not Martins’s)
Michaelangelo
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
B
Ballet B.C. (not BC)
Ballett Frankfurt
borsch
N
naiad
○
○
○
○
C
corps (de ballet) is singular, as in “the corps performed … ”
co-operation
co-ordination
○
○
○
O
ordinals:
- first, second … ninth
- 10th,11th… (no superscripts)
○
○
○
○
D
dates are expressed as:
- June 16-25, 2003
- November 6-December 9, 2005
decades are expressed as:
- 1970s
- ‘20s
dévéloppés
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
P
Pacific Northwest Ballet
period “.”
- preceded by only one space, NOT two
pointe shoes
Poletti, Silvia
premiere (not première)
programme
○
○
○
○
E
elipsis “ … “
- with a space before and after the elipsis
em dash “ — “
- otherwise denoted with two consecutive en dashes “ -- “
en dash “ – “
- also known as a hyphen
enchaînement
étoile
études - some exceptions
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
R
recognized (not recognised)
reveller; revelling
Roumanian
○
○
○
○
S
sceptical (not skeptical)
seasons
- spring, summer, fall/autumn, winter (lower case)
show-stopping
sniveller; snivelling
○
○
○
○
○
○
F
finale – not finalé
focussed; focussing
T
Tchaikovsky
The Royal Ballet
The Stuttgart Ballet
theatre(s)
- ex. American Ballet Theatre and Dance Theatre of
Harlem
- except in references to U.S. such as “the Second Avenue
Theater in New York”
toward (not towards)
traveller; travelling (not traveler or traveling )
turn-out (noun; not turnout)
T-shirts
TV (not tv or T.V.)
○
○
○
○
G
glamour; glamourous
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
I
italics
- italicize film titles and names of dances
- do not italicize sections or parts of dance, publication
titles (book or poem) or music titles
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
H
hip-hop
hyphen “ – “
- also known as an en dash
○
○
J
jewelled
Jirí Kylían
○
○
○
W
West Coast (first letters are capitalized)
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
Dance International Magazine Style Guide
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
Last Updated: October 12th, 2005 | Page 2