Ballet has long needed a reference work like this. Hort Koegler's The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Ballet (Oxford Univ. Pr., 1982. rev. ed.) is the most accurate, comprehensive, and affordable guide to the subject, but its entries are necessarily brief. Here, 750 entries written by dance critics, academics, and historians detail artists, ballets, and ballet companies with an emphasis on the art's performance aspect. Each entry includes brief historical/career data followed by a list of roles, works, and productions as applied to each performer, choreographer, artist, librettist, or composer. A signed critical essay by one of 160 contributing authorities (e.g., Ivor Guest, Mindy Aloff) is the heart of each entry. While balletomanes may argue about specific inclusions and omissions, the publication's historical accuracy, handsome appearance, and readable and provocative essays make it an important work for medium and large public libraries as well as academic libraries.
- Joan Stahl, National Museum of American Art, Washington, D.C.Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
More than 750 entries make up this comprehensive review of the various elements of the world of ballet. The dictionary is both historical and international in scope. It covers the ballet world from its beginnings in Renaissance Europe to its present-day manifestations in countries as diverse as Cuba and China. There is, however, an emphasis on ballet in Russia, Europe, and North America, areas where it developed and flourished. A few seminal figures or works of modern dance are included.
The majority of entries are for the artists of the ballet: dancers, choreographers, designers, composers, librettists, and teachers. Entries for these individuals include as much of the following information as available: biographical notes, a complete list of roles, publications by and about the artist, and a signed critical essay. A black-and-white picture is included for many dancers. All the names familiar to balletomanes are here--Nureyev, Fonteyn, Balanchine, Villella, Taglioni, and Nijinsky--as well as those who will be the favorites of the future--Kistler, Bocca, and Bussell. The list of roles notes the dancer's first appearance in the role and if the artist created the role. For the works of the choreographers, the date refers to the premiere performance of the work.
Entries on individual ballets include the date and location of the ballet's premiere, composer and librettist, cast, choreographer, set and costume design, relevant publications, and a signed critical analysis of the ballet. There is also a list of significant other productions. The entry for that perennial Christmas favorite, The Nutcracker, lists more than 20 additional productions. If a ballet is based on myth, folktale, or a Shakespeare play, an additional section, "Other Choreographic Treatments of Story," may be a part of the entry. Romeo and Juliet, choreographed by Lavrovsky with music by Prokofiev, lists 10 other treatments of this story with a cross-reference to the Antony Tudor version. (The dictionary also includes three other entries on versions that use Prokofiev's music but emphasize different aspects of the story.)
Entries on ballet companies are the smallest category. Only companies of international standing or historical importance are included. Each entry contains a synopsis of the company's history, a list of relevant publications, and a signed critical essay.
A list of contributors to the dictionary is included in volume 1; their credentials and the entries written are in volume 2. The majority of the contributors are writers for dance periodicals. Others are professors of dance and dance history or critics for major newspapers and periodicals.
Numerous black-and-white photographs illustrate the dictionary. The vast majority are of dancers in standard ballet poses. However, scenes from major ballets, as well as sketches of costumes and sets, are also included. It is especially valuable to have illustrations of lesser-known figures of the ballet and of works that may no longer be performed.
An index of artists and ballet companies by country is included in volume 1. Another index categorizes entries by profession or institution, such as Ballet/Company Directors, Choreographers, Dancers, Impresarios, and Teachers.
The International Dictionary of Ballet is an excellent compendium of biographical and historical information on the art of ballet and its practitioners. It is not meant to provide definitions of ballet steps or movements. It is a worthy successor to such dance encyclopedias as Chujoy and Manchester's The Dance Encyclopedia (Simon & Schuster, 1967) or The Encyclopedia of Dance & Ballet (Putnam, 1977), both of which include information on other forms of dance as well. Public libraries with a strong commitment to the arts or in a community with its own company will want to have this set on their shelves. Academic libraries should also consider purchase based on curricular needs.
