25.5B. (Conflict) Choreographic Works

In this section:

2. Uniform titles for choreographic works

1. Background:

In catalogs dealing with dance material, there is a need both to collocate different versions of the same basic work under the same title and to differentiate between the different versions of the work in a meaningful way. A choreographic dance work, i.e., a dance created by a specific person, will often have a title that is the same as or similar to a musical or literary work that accompanies or is related to it. In addition, many dance works, though known by the same title, have been revised or adapted by different choreographers. The Dance Heritage Coalition, a group of several institutions, including the Library of Congress, has received funding for a project to prepare a catalog of primary research resources in dance history, including manuscript and archival materials, audio and videotape, printed texts and music, and visual collections. The coalition will add authority records to the national authority file for these materials, including newly created authority records and retrospective records from the files of the Dance Collection of the New York Public Library.

AACR2 does not include specific rules for the creation of uniform titles for choreographic works, and in the past LC has treated headings for individual choreographic dance works as subject headings, rather than name headings. However, because they do represent individual creative works and to meet the needs of the dance cataloging community, these headings should now be treated as name headings, and uniform titles for them will be constructed according to the guidelines below recommended by the Dance Heritage Coalition.

2. Uniform titles for choreographic works:

a. Qualifiers. When the title of a choreographic dance work is needed as a subject or added entry, construct a uniform title consisting of the title of the work followed by the qualifier "(Choreographic work)." In addition, when the item represents a particular choreographer’s version of the work, include the surname of the choreographer as part of the qualifier. Use the form of the surname found in the 100 field of the authority record for the choreographer.

Examples

If two or more choreographers share responsibility for the work, give their names in alphabetical order, unless one person is clearly principally responsible for the choreography, in which case that name should be listed first. Connect the names with the word "and."

Examples

As appropriate, also include the following additions to the qualifier:

i. Choreographer’s surname, after the original choreographer’s surname.

If the choreographic work is derived from another choreographic work, follow the name of the choreographer with a comma, the word "after," and the surname of the original choreographer.

Example

ii. Date of a reconstruction

Optionally, if the material being cataloged relates to a reconstruction of a choreographic work that was originally staged at an earlier date, include in the qualifier the date of the reconstruction.

Example

b. Language of the title. Use as the uniform title the title in the original language unless the work has become generally known in another language through extensive adaptation, e.g., when the choreographic work has been restaged in a number of different countries. In such cases, use the title found in the following reference work, making references from the title in other languages:

New York Public Library. Dictionary Catalog of the Dance Collection. Boston : G.K. Hall, 1974. 10 v. Annual supplement, Bibliographic Guide to Dance, 1975-

If the title is not found in the above source, consult the sources below, which are listed in order of precedence.

Beaumont, C.W. Complete Book of Ballets

Chujoy, A., and Manchester, P.W. The Dance Encyclopedia. Rev. ed.

Enciclopedia dello spettacolo

The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians

Koegler, H. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Ballet. 2nd ed.

McDonagh, D. The Complete Guide to Modern Dance

Examples