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Items Interview with Alwin Nikolais

Interview with Alwin Nikolais, 1976

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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

Interview with Alwin Nikolais

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Title
Interview with Alwin Nikolais, 1976
Additional title: Sound of dance (Radio program)
Names
Nikolais, Alwin (Interviewee)
Gruen, John (Interviewer)
Collection

Dance Audio Archive

Dates / Origin
Date Created: 1976-07-12
Library locations
Jerome Robbins Dance Division
Shelf locator: *MGZTCO 3-343 Side A
Topics
Nikolais, Alwin
Nikolais Dance Theatre
Triad (Choreographic work : Nikolais)
Styx (Choreographic work : Nikolais)
Tribe (Choreographic work : Nikolais)
Arporisms (Choreographic work : Nikolais)
Nudity in dance
Genres
Radio programs
Interviews
Notes
Content: Title supplied by cataloger.
Venue: Recorded by WNCN-FM, New York 1976, July 12 New York (N.Y.)
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.
Physical Description
Audiocassette
Extent: 1 audiocassette (approximately 1 hr., 1 min.)
Sound quality is good overall. There is some distortion, but the speakers' voices are easily intelligible.
Description
Interview with Alvin NIkolais conducted by John Gruen, as host, for broadcast on July 12, 1976 by radio station WNCN-FM, New York on its series The sound of dance. Streaming audio file (approximately one hour and one minute). [Begins abruptly with end of introductory remarks by Oscar Buhler.] John Gruen, as host, introduces Alwin Nikolais and his work; Alwin Nikolais and Gruen speak about his concern with the visual aspects of dance including the use of light and color; Nikolais' work Scenario [a recording of an excerpt of the sound score created by Nikolais for his work Triad is played]; Nikolais speaks about Triad; his work Styx; his creative process, including his use of slides to design the choreography and the lighting; the sound; touring with his company [Nikolais Dance Theatre]; [a recording of an additional excerpt from the sound score for Triad is played]; Nikolais speaks about how he creates the sound scores for his works including his use of objects, synthesizers, and ethnic instruments; the reason he does not use more conventional instruments; his start in music and how he came to have a career in dance; his evaluation of critics who have written about his work; the financial hardship of performing in New York City [a recording of an additional excerpt from the sound score for Triad is played]; Nikolais speaks about his work Tribe including its length; the influence of Asian art on his work; his new work-in-progress [Arporisms], in honor of Jean Arp; Gruen's closing remarks [Oscar Buhler's closing remarks; ends abruptly].
Type of Resource
Sound recording
Languages
English
Identifiers
RLIN/OCLC: 82814220
NYPL catalog ID (B-number): b12118163
Universal Unique Identifier (UUID): b4bb86f0-c249-0135-ad4a-0b6b5128f422
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
  • 2018: Digitized
  • 2025: Found by you!
  • 2026

MLA Format

Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library. "Interview with Alwin Nikolais" The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1976. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/c7e02610-c323-0133-25fe-60f81dd2b63c

Chicago/Turabian Format

Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library. "Interview with Alwin Nikolais" New York Public Library Digital Collections. Accessed June 23, 2025. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/c7e02610-c323-0133-25fe-60f81dd2b63c

APA Format

Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library. (1976). Interview with Alwin Nikolais Retrieved from https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/c7e02610-c323-0133-25fe-60f81dd2b63c

Wikipedia Citation

<ref name=NYPL>{{cite web | url=https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/c7e02610-c323-0133-25fe-60f81dd2b63c | title= (sound recording) Interview with Alwin Nikolais, (1976)|author=Digital Collections, The New York Public Library |accessdate=June 23, 2025 |publisher=The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations}}</ref>

Interview with Alwin Nikolais