Research Catalog

Details

Additional authors

1. Bournonville, August, 1805-1879
2. Duncan, Isadora, 1877-1927
3. St. Denis, Ruth, 1880-1968
4. Shawn, Ted, 1891-1972
5. Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival

Description

1. 80 linear feet (133 boxes)

Summary

1. The Walter Terry papers contain correspondence, artwork, written material, photographs, ephemera and oversized material. The collection demonstrates Terry's relationships with individual choreographers and dancers, as well as documents his activities with various dance companies and festivals. Most notable among Terry's correspondents are Ted Shawn and Ruth St. Denis, with whom Terry shared a lifelong friendship. Materials include intimate diary entries by St. Denis, along with personal correspondence, which may give some insight into the Shawn-St. Denis relationship. Correspondence between Shawn and Terry also illustrates the growth and development of the Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival. The Written material (Series IV) covers Terry's work as a newspaper dance critic and as an author of books; it contains numerous typescripts of articles and other writings. Also included are extensive research material on two subjects of books by Terry: August Bournonville and Isadora Duncan. Typical research materials may include biographies, clippings, notes, photographs, programs, and publicity materials. Among Terry's personal papers are many items relating to his military service in World War II.

Subject

1. Terry, Walter.
2. Bournonville, August, 1805-1879.
3. Duncan, Isadora, 1877-1927.
4. St. Denis, Ruth, 1880-1968 -- Correspondence.
5. Shawn, Ted, 1891-1972 -- Correspondence.
6. Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival -- Correspondence.
7. Dance critics -- United States -- 20th century.

Genre/Form

1. Clippings.
2. Correspondence.
3. Diaries.
4. Photographs.
5. Typescripts.

Call number

1. (S) *MGZMD 167

Language

1. English

Source (note)

1. Terry, Walter

Biography (note)

1. Walter Terry (1913-1982) was a prolific writer and influential dance critic whose reviews, lectures, and other activities helped to educate the American public about dance as an art form. Over the course of a long and groundbreaking career, Terry served as a regular dance critic for the New York Herald Tribune (1939-1942, 1945-1966), its successor, the New York World Journal (1966-1967), and the Saturday Review (1967-1982). Not only a journalist, Terry was a juror for many dance competitions and he was a popular speaker on dance at a variety of venues. Born in Brooklyn, he spent his childhood in New Canaan, Connecticut, but Terry's interest in the performing arts began in earnest at the University of North Carolina, where he majored in drama and minored in music. In 1936, he was hired as a dance critic for the Boston Herald. His first assignment was to cover the Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, where he met and developed a long lasting friendship with the Festival's founder and artistic director, Ted Shawn (Terry later would briefly become artistic director at Jacob's Pillow). In 1939, Terry began working for the New York Herald Tribune. During this period, he also hosted the radio program, Invitation To Dance, and taught dance at Adelphi University. Although he was drafted in 1942, he continued to show his support for dance by teaching modern dance to students at the American University in Cairo, while serving in the army. After his return from Egypt, Terry continued to promote dance through teaching, lecturing widely, and serving on UNESCO's International Dance Council. He would publish some twenty-two books on dance. Some of his most best known works are: Isadora Duncan: Her Life, Her Art, Her Legacy (1964), Ballet: A Pictorial History (1970), and Great Male Dancers of the Ballet (1978). For his contribution to the dance world, Terry received numerous honors, including a knighthood from Queen Margrethe II of Denmark in 1976 for his part in helping to revive international interest in the work of the 19th century Danish ballet master, August Bournonville. In 1980, Terry was awarded the Capezio Dance Award.

Indexes/finding aids (note)

1. Collection guide available in repository and on internet.

Connect to:

1. Request Access to Special Collections (Dance Division) material
2. NYPL Digital Collections
3. Finding Aid

Occupation

1. Dance critics.