Lecture on the history of dance in America

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Title
Lecture on the history of dance in America
Names
Terry, Walter (Speaker)
Collection

Dance Audio Archive

Dates / Origin
Date Created: 1976-03-09
Library locations
Jerome Robbins Dance Division
Shelf locator: *MGZTO 7-800
Topics
Dance -- History -- United States -- 18th century
Dance -- History -- United States -- 19th century
Dance -- History -- United States -- 20th century
African American dance
Dance
Modern dance
Dance, Black
Genres
Lectures
Notes
Content: Lecture given by Walter Terry on the history of dance in the United States, in England; recorded on March 9, 1976.
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.
Venue: Recorded on March 9, 1976 England
Physical Description
Audiotape reel
Extent: 1 audiotape reel (approximately one hour and 55 minutes minutes) : analog, 7.5 ips, half-track, 7 in.
The sound quality is very good except for the remarks of the first speaker, which are relatively low in volume, and the questions from the audience, which, for the most part, are unintelligible.
Description
Unidentified female speaker introduces David Henshaw, chairman of Movement Studies at Middlesex Polytechnic [later merged into Middlesex University] in London, England; David Henshaw introduces Walter Terry mentioning some of his works and salient points of his career. Walter Terry begins with an anecdote about his dance performance in Cairo, Egypt during World War II; he identifies three major currents in dance in the United States: the ethnic, the classical or balletic, and the modern or non-conformist. With the aid of slides he outlines the historical development of each. His discussion of ethnic dance focuses initially on the traditions of Native Americans including the ghost dances and various characteristic drum rhythms; he discusses a number of ballets based on Native American themes and danced by Native American ballerinas; and notes that José Limón was a choreographer of Native American heritage; he continues with a discussion of the development of Black dance in the United States including the origins of tap dancing and the fame of the dancer Juba; minstrel shows; Black concert dance, in particular the pioneer Edna Guy; other noted African-American dancers and choreographers including Josephine Baker, Katherine Dunham Pearl Primus, Alvin Ailey, and Arthur Mitchell. He traces the American classical heritage including the dancing of John Durang, Anna Pavlova's touring in the United States, and the choreography of Agnes de Mille and Ruth Page. [Ends abruptly but continues directly on streaming audio file 2.] Streaming audio file 2 (approximately 12 minutes). Walter Terry continues to trace the heritage of classical dance in the United States including his discussion of works of Ruth Page, Jerome Robbins, Eugene Loring, Antony Tudor, Agnes de Mille, and George Balanchine. [Ends abruptly but continues on streaming audio file 3.] Streaming audio file 3 (approximately 51 minutes). [Begins abruptly.] Walter Terry continues to trace the heritage of classical dance in the United States including discussion of works of Eliot Feld, Twyla Tharp, and Gerald Arpino. Terry traces the heritage of modern dance in the United States beginning with Loïe Fuller and Isadora Duncan and including discussions of Ruth St. Denis, Ted Shawn, Martha Graham, Doris Humphrey, Hanya Holm, Helen Tamiris, Pearl Lang, Merce Cunningham, Paul Taylor, Alwin Nikolais, and Fred Astaire; dance on television; dance education in the United States today. A question and answer period follows; topics discussed include the role of modern dance in the popularization of Eastern religions and yoga; and dance education in the United States including how it has developed over the years as well as regional disparities in funding; Terry's closing remarks .
Type of Resource
Sound recording
Languages
English
Identifiers
RLIN/OCLC: 37633230
NYPL catalog ID (B-number): b12118690
Universal Unique Identifier (UUID): b30718a0-3472-0137-6087-43a653864d10
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

  • 1976: Created
  • 2019: Digitized
  • 2024: Found by you!
  • 2025

MLA Format

Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library. "Lecture on the history of dance in America" The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1976. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/67f979a0-3ba6-0134-8685-60f81dd2b63c

Chicago/Turabian Format

Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library. "Lecture on the history of dance in America" New York Public Library Digital Collections. Accessed October 12, 2024. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/67f979a0-3ba6-0134-8685-60f81dd2b63c

APA Format

Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library. (1976). Lecture on the history of dance in America Retrieved from https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/67f979a0-3ba6-0134-8685-60f81dd2b63c

Wikipedia Citation

<ref name=NYPL>{{cite web | url=https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/67f979a0-3ba6-0134-8685-60f81dd2b63c | title= (sound recording) Lecture on the history of dance in America, (1976)|author=Digital Collections, The New York Public Library |accessdate=October 12, 2024 |publisher=The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations}}</ref>

Lecture on the history of dance in America