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Items Interview with Betty Oliphant

Interview with Betty Oliphant, 1977

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Library division & collection with this item:

LIBRARY DIVISION
Jerome Robbins Dance Division

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COLLECTION
Dance Audio Archive

This Item

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Title
Interview with Betty Oliphant, 1977
Names
Oliphant, Betty, 1918-2004 (Interviewee)
Gruen, John (Interviewer)
Collection

Dance Audio Archive

Dates / Origin
Date Created: 1977-11-17
Library locations
Jerome Robbins Dance Division
Shelf locator: *MGZTCO 3-780
Topics
Bruhn, Erik, 1928-1986
Oliphant, Betty, 1918-2004
Franca, Celia, 1921-2007
National Ballet School (Canada)
Kungliga Svenska Balettskolan
Kungliga Baletten (Stockholm, Sweden)
Dance teachers
Genres
Interviews
Notes
Content: Title supplied by cataloger.
Venue: Recorded by John Gruen 1977, November 17 Toronto (Ont.)
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.
Acquisition: Gift John Gruen
Physical Description
Audiocassette
Extent: 1 audiocassette (approximately 1 hr., 29 min.) : quarter-track; 1.875 ips
Sound quality is good. The recording is marred by extraneous noise and occasional short gaps.
Description
Interview with Betty Oliphant conducted by John Gruen on November 17, 1977, in Toronto, Canada, as research for his book Erik Bruhn: danseur noble (Viking Press, New York, 1979). Streaming audio file 1 (approximately 46 minutes). Betty Oliphant speaks with John Gruen about her background and training including her teacher [Tamara] Karsavina; her early career as a dancer, arranger, and teacher including her work in popular entertainment and the opening of her own school when she was 18; her civilian service during World War II; her marriage and children; moving to Canada and restarting her career; teaching at and managing her school while working as the ballet mistress at the National Ballet of Canada; the curriculum at the National Ballet of Canada school and the teachers; Erik Bruhn as an artist; Celia Franca and her relationship with Bruhn [ends abruptly but continues on streaming audio file 2]. Streaming audio file 2 (approximately 43 minutes). Betty Oliphant speaks with John Gruen about Celia Franca and Erik Bruhn as well as her own relationship with Franca; her time as associate director of the National Ballet of Canada including the internal power struggles; Bruhn's staging of Swan lake for the company; Alexander Grant and his directorship of the company; reorganizing the Royal Swedish Ballet School [Kungliga Svenska Balettskolan] while Bruhn was director of the Royal Swedish Ballet [Kungliga Baletten]; how Bruhn is coping with his retirement from his dancing; their continuing friendship.
Type of Resource
Sound recording
Languages
English
Identifiers
RLIN/OCLC: 80416952
NYPL catalog ID (B-number): b12118704
Universal Unique Identifier (UUID): 61f59cb0-7960-0136-9547-0bd633a7c9e5
Rights Statement
The copyright and related rights status of this item has been reviewed by The New York Public Library, but we were unable to make a conclusive determination as to the copyright status of the item. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use.

Item timeline of events

  • 1918: Creator Born
  • 1977: Created
  • 2004: Creator Died
  • 2018: Digitized
  • 2024: Found by you!
  • 2025

MLA Format

Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library. "Interview with Betty Oliphant" The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1977. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/b3f0fd00-c31a-0133-d4c6-60f81dd2b63c

Chicago/Turabian Format

Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library. "Interview with Betty Oliphant" New York Public Library Digital Collections. Accessed April 30, 2024. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/b3f0fd00-c31a-0133-d4c6-60f81dd2b63c

APA Format

Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library. (1977). Interview with Betty Oliphant Retrieved from https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/b3f0fd00-c31a-0133-d4c6-60f81dd2b63c

Wikipedia Citation

<ref name=NYPL>{{cite web | url=https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/b3f0fd00-c31a-0133-d4c6-60f81dd2b63c | title= (sound recording) Interview with Betty Oliphant, (1977)|author=Digital Collections, The New York Public Library |accessdate=April 30, 2024 |publisher=The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations}}</ref>

Interview with Betty Oliphant