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Dance Research at the Library of Congress

American Folklife Center

Carl Fleischhauer, photographer. Male Traditional Dancer at 1983 Omaha pow-wow, Macy, Nebraska. Omaha Powwow Project Collection (AFC 1986/038). Library of Congress American Folklife Center.

Collections related to ethnic, indigenous, and folk dance in the Library of Congress are in the custody of the American Folklife Center. These ethnographic research collections are often multi-media, with moving image material and sound recordings. Collections with dance-related materials also include contextual documentation about the cultures represented in a collection. Such collections are not limited to strictly dance and often cover dance as part of larger cultural studies.

Collections in the American Folklife Center document dance practices in many cultures and countries, including Native American traditions, Africa, Asia, the Carribean, Europe, Scandinavia, and South America. Contact the American Folklife Center with reference questions regarding dance materials in their collections.