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Items Interview with May O'Donnell, 1979

Interview with May O'Donnell, 1979

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Library division & collection with this item:

LIBRARY DIVISION
Jerome Robbins Dance Division

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COLLECTION
Dance Oral History Project

This Item

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Title
Interview with May O'Donnell, 1979
Names
O'Donnell, May, 1906-2004 (Interviewee)
Small, Linda (Interviewer)
Collection

Dance Oral History Project

Dates / Origin
Date Created: 1979-03-19
Library locations
Jerome Robbins Dance Division
Shelf locator: *MGZTO 5-970
Topics
Graham, Martha
Horst, Louis
O'Donnell, May, 1906-2004 -- Interviews
Dance concerto (Choreographic work : O'Donnell)
Suspension (Choreographic work : O'Donnell)
Dance energies (Choreographic work : O'Donnell)
Genres
Oral histories
Interviews
Notes
Additional physical form: For transcript of interview see: *MGZMT 5-970.
Source characteristics: Sound quality is good overall. The recording is marred by occasional extraneous noise.
Content: Title supplied by cataloger.
Venue: Recorded by Linda Small for The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts 1979, March 19 New York (N.Y.)
Funding: The processing 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.
Physical Description
Audiotape reel
Extent: 1 audiotape reel (approximately 1 hour and 36 minutes) : analog
Description
Streaming audio file 1 (approximately 52 minutes). May O'Donnell speaks with Linda Small about the classes at her studio, in particular the technique taught; Martha Graham, including how Small's style of dancing differed from that of Graham's; her first years with the Martha Graham Dance Company and Graham's lasting influence on her; her life in New York at the time including her friendship with Gertrude Shurr; Louis Horst's composition class; contemporary choreographers she likes; audiences today; her first dance classes and early performances; her family and childhood; her early choreography [ends abruptly but continues directly on streaming audio file 2]. Streaming audio file 2 (approximately 44 minutes). May O'Donnell speaks with Linda Small about her early choreography; performing with José Limón; her work with Erick Hawkins and Martha Graham, in the 1940s; her own company and her work Dance concerto; teaching at Mills College and elsewhere in the 1960s; reviving her work Suspension for Alvin [Ailey]; her work Dance energies; her current activities.
Type of Resource
Sound recording
Languages
English
Identifiers
RLIN/OCLC: 78524601
NYPL catalog ID (B-number): b12118828
Universal Unique Identifier (UUID): 074996d0-e423-0135-f4b8-497931474e51
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

  • 1906: Creator Born
  • 1979: Created
  • 2004: Creator Died
  • 2019: Digitized
  • 2024: Found by you!
  • 2025

MLA Format

Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library. "Interview with May O'Donnell, 1979" The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1979. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/1e5d2990-3b73-0134-4fb1-60f81dd2b63c

Chicago/Turabian Format

Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library. "Interview with May O'Donnell, 1979" New York Public Library Digital Collections. Accessed April 23, 2024. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/1e5d2990-3b73-0134-4fb1-60f81dd2b63c

APA Format

Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library. (1979). Interview with May O'Donnell, 1979 Retrieved from https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/1e5d2990-3b73-0134-4fb1-60f81dd2b63c

Wikipedia Citation

<ref name=NYPL>{{cite web | url=https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/1e5d2990-3b73-0134-4fb1-60f81dd2b63c | title= (sound recording) Interview with May O'Donnell, 1979, (1979)|author=Digital Collections, The New York Public Library |accessdate=April 23, 2024 |publisher=The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations}}</ref>

Interview with May O'Donnell, 1979