Research Catalog

Title

Interview with Jerome Robbins [sound recording].

Author

Robbins, Jerome

Publication

1981.

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Additional Authors

McDonagh, Don.

Description

1 sound disc (ca. 48 min.): digital; 4 3/4 in.

Summary

Jerome Robbins speaks with Don McDonagh about the problems with filming dance for television, in particular its cost, as for example, in the filming of his work Other dances; the difficulty of finding camera operators experienced in shooting dance; the inherent limitations of film to capture the energy of a dance performance; creative impasse as the most frustrating aspect of choreographing and George Balanchine's advice as to how to get through it; practical problems with filming dance, including the frequent interruptions that inevitably ocurr; the changes in the way his ballet Dances at a gathering has been performed since he created it; the problem of authenticity when performing works created in the past, with his experience of dancing in Vitale Fokine's version of Schéhérazade as an example; more on the inherent difference between the viewpoint of the live spectator and that of the television watcher; where the cameras should be placed; more on his working methods, including his extensive preparation before entering the studio; Edwin Denby as a critic who can cause him to take another look at both his own and others' works; factors that can affect one's perception of a ballet, including the audience's mood and the costumes; the fact that none of his filmed-for-television ballets were created for the camera; attempts to describe, in response to McDonagh's question, what constitutes a choreographic idea; an anecdote about the choreographing of his work The Goldberg variations; his view that the televison series Dance in America [WNET/Thirteen's Great performances: Dance in America series] does not adequately compensate choreographers; tells an anecdote about his father to illustrate the general public's lack of understanding as to what choreographers do [ends abruptly].

Donor/Sponsor

• Oral history archive.
• New York State Council on the Arts, 2007-2008.

Subjects

• Audiotapes > Robbins, J
• Dances at a gathering (Choreographic work : Robbins)
• Dance > Economic aspects
• Dance > Documentation
• Dance in motion pictures, television, etc
• Television film
• Robbins, Jerome

Note

• Interview with Jerome Robbins conducted by Don McDonagh on Jan. 27, 1981 in New York City.
• Open as of August 22, 2012.

Funding (note)

• Preservation was funded in part with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, 2007-2008.
• Preservation was funded in part with public funds from the National Endowment for the Arts, 2007-2008.

Source (note)

• Don McDonagh

Call Number

*MGZTL 4-2493

OCLC

316798933

Author

Robbins, Jerome, interviewee.

Title

Interview with Jerome Robbins [sound recording].

Imprint

1981.

Funding

Preservation was funded in part with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, 2007-2008.

Preservation was funded in part with public funds from the National Endowment for the Arts, 2007-2008.

Local Note

Dubbing master: *MGZTD 4-2493

Archive original: *MGZTCO 3-2493

Source

Gift; Don McDonagh, 2007. NN-PD

Local Subject

Audiotapes -- Robbins, J.

Added Author

McDonagh, Don. Interviewer

McDonah, Don. Donor

Research Call Number

*MGZTL 4-2493 [sound disc]