Research Catalog

Interview with Jean Erdman.

Title
Interview with Jean Erdman. December 21, 1978.
Author
Erdman, Jean
Publication
1978.

Available Online

NYPL Digital Collections

Details

Additional Authors
Small, Linda
Description
One streaming file (approximately one hour and 38 minutes) : digital, stereo
Summary
Streaming file (approximately one hour and 38 minutes). Jean Erdman speaks with Linda Small about the Theater of the Open Eye including the origins of its name and the nature of the Theater's repertory; her early dance experiences; her first impressions of Martha Graham; becoming a member of the company [Martha Graham Dance Company]; some of her first roles; Erick Hawkins and the changes in Graham's style after he entered the company; Louis Horst and his lecture-demonstrations; Graham as a teacher of her own choreography; Graham's Letter to the world, in particular Erdman's role [One who speaks]; her relationship with Graham outside of the studio; her husband, Joseph Campbell, including the story of their meeting at Sarah Lawrence College; the influence of Asian dance on modern dance; her first impressions of the company after she joined; more on changes in the company and Graham's style after Hawkins became a member; her feelings upon seeing the company after she had left; working with Merce Cunningham and John Cage [primarily in 1942]; leaving the company, studying other kinds of dance, and teaching; her approach to movement training; her first independent choreography including The perilous chapel and Sea deep [: a dreamy drama]; her first solo concerts; her solo tour in Japan and India including the warm public response; The coach with six insides including how she came to base a work on James Joyce's Finnegan's wake and her thoughts on working with actors; her experience as the choreographer for Joseph Papp's 1971 production of Two gentlemen from Verona.
Alternative Title
  • Dance Oral History Project.
  • Dance Audio Archive.
Subjects
Note
  • Interview with Jean Erdman conducted by Linda Small on December 21, 1978 at the Theater of the Open Eye in the Church of the Holy Trinity in New York City for The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Jerome Robbins Dance Division Oral History Project.
  • For transcript see: *MGZMT 5-588.
  • Title supplied by cataloger.
  • Sound quality is good overall. There is extraneous noise including a tapping noise, but the speakers' voices are easily intelligible.
Access (note)
  • Patrons may access streaming audio only on site at The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center.
Funding (note)
  • The conservation and cataloging of this recording was made possible in part by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. The support of the National Endowment for the Arts is also gratefully acknowledged.
Call Number
*MGZTO 5-588
OCLC
82279666
Author
Erdman, Jean, interviewee.
Title
Interview with Jean Erdman. December 21, 1978.
Imprint
1978.
Type of Content
spoken word
Type of Medium
audio
Type of Carrier
online resource
Digital File Characteristics
audio file
Restricted Access
Patrons may access streaming audio only on site at The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center.
Event
Recorded for The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts December 21, 1978 New York (N.Y.)
Funding
The conservation and cataloging of this recording was made possible in part by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. The support of the National Endowment for the Arts is also gratefully acknowledged.
Original Version
Original format: one sound reel (approximately one hour and 38 minutes); 5"; polyester; half-track; 1.875 ips.; transferred to wav file and streaming file formats in 2014.
Local Note
Former call number: *MGZT 5-588
Connect to:
NYPL Digital Collections
Added Author
Small, Linda, interviewer.
Research Call Number
*MGZTO 5-588
View in Legacy Catalog