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Violet Holmes collection

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Collection Data

Description
Violet Holmes (1927-2019) was a dancer and choreographer, who spent the majority of her professional life with the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall. The collection contains materials related to her nearly five-decade-long career, including extensive notes on choreographic routines; music, staging, and costume notation; theatrical programs; photographs; recorded performances; costumes; papers; correspondence; and certificates and awards.
Names
Holmes, Violet (Creator)
Holmes, Violet
Markert, Russell, 1899-1990 (chr)
Dates / Origin
Date Created: 1930 - 2019
Library locations
Jerome Robbins Dance Division
Shelf locator: (S) *MGZMD 560
Topics
Radio City Music Hall (New York, N.Y.)
Rockettes (Dance company)
Dance companies -- photographs
dance notation
dancers -- United States
Musical theater
vaudeville -- United States
Women choreographers
Dancers
entertainers
Theatrical directors
Genres
Dance programs
Filmed performances
Negatives (photographs)
Photographs
Piano scores
Posters
Sound recordings
Video recordings
Notes
Biographical/historical: Violet Holmes (1927-2019) was a dancer and choreographer whose career with the Rockettes began in 1945. The Rockettes are an American dance company well known for their precise choreography, specifically their kick line. Founded in St. Louis, Missouri, as the Rockets in 1925, the group has been based at Radio City Music Hall in New York City since 1932. Holmes began dancing with the Rockettes in 1945 as a summer understudy at the age of eighteen, eventually becoming a full-time dancer with the troupe. In 1960, she was designated as the team's assistant line captain. Holmes was named full captain of the line when Russell Markert, the founding director and head choreographer of the Rockettes, retired in 1971. Holmes took on a significant role in the creative vision of the Rockettes, choreographing routines for Radio City Music Hall, touring shows, and television performances. She continued creating new choreography until her retirement, composing several well-known numbers for the Rockettes, including "New York, New York," "Dancing in Diamonds," "All That Jazz," "Vamps," and more. In 1973, Holmes was promoted to associate director; in 1977, she became director of the company. Holmes traveled with the Rockettes on several domestic and international tours, including the "I Love New York" tour at London's Royal Albert Hall, and a Rockettes performance with Liberace in Las Vegas. Holmes also choreographed and managed the Rockettes in several television specials and appearances, including live broadcasts of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade; Rockette, a 1978 ABC special starring Gregory Peck and Anne-Margret; the 1983 ABC television musical Legs; and a live routine for the 1988 Super Bowl halftime show. Historically, the Rockettes have adopted a strict policy regarding their dancers' physical attributes; this included weight, height, and leg length limits. Until the mid-1980s, all Rockettes hired by the company were white. Since 1985, after public criticism of their hiring practices, the Rockettes have adopted a more racially diverse line of dancers. The company continues to be pushed towards embracing a more inclusive concept of what a modern American dance troupe looks like. Holmes officially retired from her position with the Rockettes in 1992. However, she served as president of the alumnae association through the 2000s. Holmes died in 2019.
Content: The Violet Holmes collection dates from the 1930s until 2019, and holds professional files from her career with the Rockettes, including Production, Performances, Administrative, and Press files. There are also some Personal files present. Production files contain resources used to organize shows, such as notation, musical scores, staging and costume designs, and any materials related to managing the production of a Rockettes performance. The bulk of materials in the Production files are Holmes' notation of her original choreographic routines designed for the Rockettes, as well as her notes on staging numbers by former Rockette choreographers and directors Russell Markert and Emilia Sherman. Holmes drew schematics in notebooks and loose sheets of paper of the dancers' positions on stage, and included detailed notes on the routine steps. Her notes incorporate drawings, written descriptions, and small stick figure illustrations of the pose that a dancer was meant to enact during the dance routine. Performance files have been arranged by: Productions held at Radio City Music Hall; Tours; Television Specials; Costumes and Accessories; and Recordings. They are organized within these subjects chronologically, except for the Recordings, which are alphabetical by title. Files in Performances at Radio City Music Hall hold any material related to the Rockettes' regular annual seasons and special events held at Radio City. Included are programs, and materials related to the Spring (or Easter) Spectacular, The Christmas Spectacular, and a Fiftieth Anniversary event titled Encore. There is also a commemorative doll created for this event present. All files are organized chronologically within each subject. There are photographs in these files depicting both Holmes and the Rockettes performing at Radio City Music Hall from the 1940s through the 2000s. Tours include call sheets, itineraries, production memos, and correspondence related to the planning and production of domestic and international Rockettes performances. There are files here for tours in Texas; St. Louis, Missouri; Florida; London; and Paris. Television Specials are arranged into general appearances and larger televised movie musicals and specials. Some of the specials include Rockette, Rockette Spectacular, Legs, the Rockettes in the Superbowl Halftime Show, and Night of 100 Stars. Files contain scripts, call sheets, and schedules. Costumes and Accessories in the Performance files include the first pair of tap shoes Holmes used as an understudy dancer, and the last pair of shoes she wore performing on stage. The older pair of shoes are worn and contain the name of a previous dancer that is crossed out, with Holmes' name written below. Both pairs of shoes are extensively worn and have been patched and resoled; tapping heels and toes have been replaced several times. Other objects include the stopwatch Holmes used to time every performance as choreographer, and a t-shirt signed by the cast of the Rockettes in the 1990s. These files also contain a headpiece from a 1961 Rockettes routine titled "Fresh Paint," in which all dancers wore an elaborate headpiece resembling an artist's palette. Recordings are present in the Performance files, which include audio and filmed Rockette routines, rehearsals, full productions (both live and televised,) and specific events, including the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, commercials, and alumnae gatherings. There are also recordings of radio interviews with Holmes discussing her role with the Rockettes. The Administrative files contain materials related to Holmes' work as the director of the Rockettes from the 1970s until her retirement in 1992, and as an employee at Radio City Music Hall. Many of these files are related to the staffing and finances of the Rockettes, and include office memos and newsletters from Radio City Music Hall, as well as official letterhead and handmade block stamps used by Holmes. There are two albums containing photographs and ephemera prepared by the Rockettes, one for founding director Russell Markert's funeral, and another for Holmes' retirement. There are also letters of appreciation held here from fans, collaborators, and corporations. Materials from the Rockettes Alumnae Association are located in the Administrative files, and describe much of the work Holmes continued to do with the Rockettes after retirement. These files include correspondence, newsletters, programs from various gala events, a directory of standing alumnae, and papers related to an attempt to file the organization for nonprofit status. Press is arranged chronologically from the 1950s through the 2000s, and includes articles about Holmes, the Rockettes, and Radio City Music Hall. The Personal files contain materials related to Holmes' home life, primarily after her retirement in 1992. Much of the material is still associated with the Rockettes, including correspondence from former dancers and other Rockettes Alumnae. There is also a baby book that documents the first years of her son's life from the 1950s through the 1960s. There are also some written profiles about Holmes, as well as programs related to her volunteer work as a judge for a local dance competition called Talent America. The personal photographs held here depict Holmes' family and friends from throughout her life. Of note are some images of her friendship with Liberace, which includes photographs of Holmes with Liberace, along with a puppy he gave her named Sweet Sue. The Personal files also hold several awards and certificates Holmes received throughout her career, including a commemorative wine bottle. These items are arranged chronologically. Recordings of personal materials includes footage of holidays and travel with Holmes' family.
Physical Description
Extent: 8.19 linear feet (26 boxes, 3 oversize folders)
Type of Resource
Text
Identifiers
Other local Identifier: (S) *MGZMD 560
NYPL catalog ID (B-number): b22840075
MSS Unit ID: 186116
Universal Unique Identifier (UUID): d806cbf0-74ba-013b-8e82-0242ac110002
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