The Library of Congress > Blogs > Music > Archive by category 'Dance'

New Dance Collections in the Performing Arts Encyclopedia

September 21, 2012 by Pat Padua

Photograph of Bronislava Nijinska and V. Karnetzky in Polovtsian Dances from Prince Igor, n.d.

The Music Division is proud to offer two new web presentations in the Performing Arts Encyclopedia. The collection of notable dancer, choreographer and teacher Bronislava Nijinska (1891-1972) contains a diverse variety of materials documenting dance and the arts in the twentieth century. Available here are over 200 collection items, including manuscripts, books, diaries, choreographic notebooks, correspondence, moving image materials, music scores, photographs, posters, programs, set and costume designs, and scrapbooks.

The world of ballet changed dramatically when the Ballets Russes de Serge Diaghilev took Paris by storm at the Théâtre du Châtelet in May of 1909. This web presentation includes a wide range of Ballets Russes objects, including photographs, scrapbooks, writings, music scores, costume and set designs, choreographic notes, diaries, and programs.

Pics of the Week: Behind the Mask Edition

July 18, 2012 by Pat Padua

Caped crusaders are not the only ones who don masks as a career choice. A recent show and tell in the Music Division curated by the Music Division’s Elizabeth Aldrich, with Dance Heritage Fellows Nicole Topich and Kirsten Wilkinson, showcased items from special collections in dance. This mask was used by Armgard von Bardeleben (1940-2012) in …

Pic of the Week: Calling all Choreographers Edition

June 15, 2012 by Pat Padua

The following is a guest post by Dance Heritage Coalition Fellow Nicole Topich. Processing the Marge Champion Collection in the Music Division has been one of the most exciting archives jobs I have held. The collection is not very large, but almost every item I found was interesting or historically significant. Because the collection has …

Pic of the Week: Politics and the Dancing Body Edition

February 17, 2012 by Pat Padua

The Music Division is proud to announce a new exhibition in the lobby of the Performing Arts Reading Room. Choreographers have long used the medium of dance to express America’s cultural diversity. Politics and the Dancing Body also explores the way choreographers employ the body as a tool in the fight against injustice. The exhibit …

Pic of the Week: Happy Birthday Alvin Ailey Edition

January 5, 2012 by Pat Padua

The following is a guest post by Denise Gallo, Head of Acquisitions and Processing. Many people may be under the misconception that the Music Division only collects music. Despite our division’s title, the name of our reading room, Performing Arts, actually describes our holdings far more accurately. So, in addition to music, we also boast …

Pic of the Week: Life is a Cabaret Edition

June 23, 2011 by Pat Padua

Dancer/ Choreographer Bob Fosse was born on this day in 1927. Among his accomplishments are classics of both stage and screen. He won eight Tony awards for his choreography in shows like The Pajama Game, Damn Yankees, and Sweet Charity. The Broadway revival of Chicago, for which Fosse co-wrote the book, holds the record for …

Happy Birthday Martha Graham!

May 11, 2011 by Pat Padua

It’s been an especially busy week here in the Music Division, and In the Muse will soon bring you exclusive pictures of last night’s all-star ASCAP concert in the Coolidge Auditorium. But it has come to our attention that Google is paying homage to Martha Graham on her birthday with an animation of the iconic dancer. …

Pic of the Week: Graham by Moselsio

April 20, 2011 by Pat Padua

This week’s featured picture is from the Herta Moselsio Collection, a remarkable body of work that can be found in our Martha Graham presentation. In 1939, film maker Moselsio worked with Martha Graham to film her work Lamentation, which premiered in New York in 1930. This iconic work of Graham places the solo dancer on …

Martha, Martha, Martha!

November 10, 2010 by Pat Padua

Selections from the Martha Graham Collection is a new web presentation now available in the Performing Arts Encyclopedia. Dancer, choreographer, and company director Martha Graham (1894-1991) is considered one of the pioneering founders of American modern dance. In a career spanning over seven decades, Graham developed her own innovative technique and produced an impressive legacy …

Harriet Hoctor and Yo-Yo Ma

October 7, 2010 by Pat Padua

The rejuvenative force of spring (or is it hunkering down for the winter?) leads to many an autumn baby. This week In the Muse would like to celebrate the birthdays of two alliteratively named figures whose work can be found in the Music Division’s diverse collections. Vaudeville, Broadway, and film dancer Harriet Hoctor was born September …