Research Catalog

Details

Additional authors

1. Conyers, Claude.
2. Chazin-Bennahum, Judith.
3. Newman, Barbara, 1944-
4. Genné, Beth.
5. Garafola, Lynn.
6. Hill, Constance Valis.
7. Hardy, Camille.
8. Palfy, Barbara.
9. Hunt, Marilyn, 1937-
10. Mattingly, Kate.
11. Horwitz, Dawn Lille.
12. Dorris, George E.
13. Caines, Christopher.
14. Fullington, Doug.
15. Ross, Janice.
16. Aldrich, Elizabeth.
17. Sommer, Sally R.
18. DeFrantz, Thomas.
19. Banes, Sally.

Description

1. 42 boxes.

Summary

1. The materials collected for the Popular Balanchine project include essays written on individual works and summary essays on the project (see "Overview of the project") or collected titles in a particular medium (see "Hollywood films"). Included also are correspondence, print materials such as playbills, souvenir programs, reviews, articles, and book excerpts; graphic materials such as photographs, drawings, set designs and costume sketches; and other materials such as music (both published and unpublished, some annotated), production notes, prompt books, scripts, and scenarios. Almost evey title includes oral history interview transcripts and some include typescripts of published or archival materials, interview summaries, sources of original materials, and compilations of notices and reviews. Most of the materials are collected in binders while some dossiers include additional oversize materials. The first item in each binder is an inventory of the dossier's contents. The bulk of the materials are reproductions (photocopies or digital scans) but the collection does include original artifacts such as playbills, souvenir programs, photographs, music, print excerpts, and some correspondence.

Subject

1. Photographs
2. Correspondence
3. Clippings
4. Choreographers > United States
5. Balanchine, George
6. Theatrical productions > New York (State) > New York > 20th century

Genre/Form

1. Correspondence.
2. Clippings.
3. Photographs.

Contents

1. Includes the following titles: Babes in arms, 1937 (box 14) -- Balieff's Chauve-Souris, 1927-1929 (box 1) -- Ballet of the elephants, 1942 (box 41) -- Boys from Syracuse, 1938 (boxes 15-16) -- Cabin in the sky, 1940 (boxes 20-21) -- Charles B Cochran's revue, 1929 (box 4) -- Charles B. Cochran's revue, 1930 (box 5) -- Charles B. Cochran's revue, 1931 (box 6) -- The chocolate soldier, 1947 (boxes 31-32) -- Courtin' time, 1951 (boxes 35-36) -- Dark red roses (box 3) -- Dream with music, 1944 (box 27) -- Follow the boys, 1944 (box 40) -- Goldwyn follies, 1938 (box 39) -- Great lady, 1938 (box 17) -- Hollywood films, 1938-1942 (box 39) -- House of flowers, 1954 (boxes 37-38) -- I married an angel, 1938 (box 18) -- I was an adventuress, 1940 (box 40) -- Keep off the grass, 1940 (box 22) -- The lady comes across, 1942 (box 23) -- Louisiana purchase, 1940 (box 23) -- The merry widow, 1943, 1957 (box 25) -- Mr. Strauss goes to Boston, 1945 (box 30) -- On your toes, 1936, 1937, 1954, 1982 (boxes 9-13) -- Orpheé aux enfers, 1931 (box 2) -- Overview of the project, 2000-2004 (box 42) -- Rosalinda, 1942 (box 24) -- Sir Oswald Stoll's variety shows, 1931 (box 7) -- Song of Norway, 1944 (boxes 28-29) -- Stars in your eyes, 1939 (box 19) -- Star spangled rhythm, 1942 (box 40) -- What's up, 1943 (box 26) -- Where's Charley?, 1948 (boxes 33-34) -- Ziegfeld follies of 1936 (box 8)

Call number

1. (S) *MGZMD 146

Note

1. The Popular Balanchine dossiers document the Paris and London reviews, Broadway work, and London and Hollywood films choreographed by George Balanchine, 1927-1954. The collection includes research by twenty principal researchers and includes binders with some original but primarily photocopied artifacts for the many titles, interviews with participants, and some scripts and music.
2. Researchers include Claude Conyers, Judith Chazin Bennahum, Barbara Newman, Beth Genné, Lynn Garafola, Constance Valis Hill, Camille Hardy, Barbara Palfy, Marilyn Hunt, Kate Mattingly, Dawn Lille, George Dorris, Christopher Caines, Doug Fullington, Janice Ross, Elizabeth Aldrich, Sally Sommer, Tommy DeFrantz, and Sally Banes.

Source (note)

1. George Balanchine Foundation.

Biography (note)

1. Popular Balanchine was designed to document the works choreographed by George Balanchine for the popular stage and the movie screen. From 1927-1931, Balanchine staged dances and musical numbers for reviews, variety shows, and operettas in London and Paris as well as creating choreography for Dark red roses, among the first feature-length talking motion pictures made in England. In the United States, from 1936-1954, he worked with Vernon Duke, John Murray Anderson, Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart, George Abbott, George Gershwin, Joshua Logan, Frederick Loewe, Irving Berlin, John Latouche, Felix Brentano, Alan Jay Lerner, Frank Loesser, and Harold Arlen - leading figures of American musical theater - to create two reviews, fifteen musical comedies, four operettas, and five Hollywood films. He also collaborated with Igor Stravinsky on the famous Ballet of the elephants for Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. To preserve what is possible of this heritage, the George Balanchine Foundation undertook a major research initiative in 1999 focusing on Balanchine's popular entertainment works. Nancy Reynolds, director of research for the Foundation, originated the project and engaged Claude Conyers as project director. The mandate given him was to establish and supervise a team of dance and theater historians to research, assemble, and organize a collection of primary source materials on the subject. The results of this effort, conducted over a period of three years, constitute a unique collection of documents, printed materials, photographs, memorabilia, audio and video recordings, and transcripts of interviews with participants who were a part of a major period in the history of American musical theater.

Indexes/finding aids (note)

1. Finding aid available in repository and on internet.

Author

1. George Balanchine Foundation.

Title

1. Popular Balanchine dossiers, 1927-2004.

Biography

1. Popular Balanchine was designed to document the works choreographed by George Balanchine for the popular stage and the movie screen. From 1927-1931, Balanchine staged dances and musical numbers for reviews, variety shows, and operettas in London and Paris as well as creating choreography for Dark red roses, among the first feature-length talking motion pictures made in England. In the United States, from 1936-1954, he worked with Vernon Duke, John Murray Anderson, Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart, George Abbott, George Gershwin, Joshua Logan, Frederick Loewe, Irving Berlin, John Latouche, Felix Brentano, Alan Jay Lerner, Frank Loesser, and Harold Arlen - leading figures of American musical theater - to create two reviews, fifteen musical comedies, four operettas, and five Hollywood films. He also collaborated with Igor Stravinsky on the famous Ballet of the elephants for Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. To preserve what is possible of this heritage, the George Balanchine Foundation undertook a major research initiative in 1999 focusing on Balanchine's popular entertainment works. Nancy Reynolds, director of research for the Foundation, originated the project and engaged Claude Conyers as project director. The mandate given him was to establish and supervise a team of dance and theater historians to research, assemble, and organize a collection of primary source materials on the subject. The results of this effort, conducted over a period of three years, constitute a unique collection of documents, printed materials, photographs, memorabilia, audio and video recordings, and transcripts of interviews with participants who were a part of a major period in the history of American musical theater.

Indexes

1. Finding aid available in repository and on internet.

Local note

1. Stored offsite; advance notice recommended.

Connect to:

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

Occupation

1. Choreographers.

Added author

1. Conyers, Claude.
2. Chazin-Bennahum, Judith.
3. Newman, Barbara, 1944-
4. Genné, Beth.
5. Garafola, Lynn.
6. Hill, Constance Valis.
7. Hardy, Camille.
8. Palfy, Barbara.
9. Hunt, Marilyn, 1937-
10. Mattingly, Kate.
11. Horwitz, Dawn Lille.
12. Dorris, George E.
13. Caines, Christopher.
14. Fullington, Doug.
15. Ross, Janice.
16. Aldrich, Elizabeth.
17. Sommer, Sally R.
18. DeFrantz, Thomas.
19. Banes, Sally.

Research call number

1. (S) *MGZMD 146