Artistry & Athleticism: Dance in the Digital Collections
Dance Party NYC, a citywide festival of music and movement (including dance parties at many of our library branches), is taking place on Saturday, August 6, 2022 and it's put us in a mood for dance!
Did you know that NYPL's Digital Collections contain thousands of dance images? From rehearsals to studio portraits to live stage productions, in dance styles as diverse as vaudeville and burlesque to ballet and Broadway, there is something for every dance lover. The photographs below are a tiny sample of what you can discover These links will get you started and you can also search the Digital Collections for a specific dancer, choreographer, company, or dance.
Get your own #DancePartyNYC started with this playlist curated by NYPL librarians!
Dancer in handstand wearing rhinestone costume
Photo by Strand. NYPL Digital Collections, Image ID: variety_0120v
Pearl Primus dancing, likely at Cafe Society Downtown
Photo by Myron Ehrenberg, 1945. NYPL Digital Collections, Image ID: 5813282
Jerome Robbins' Broadway rehearsal, no. 3, 1989.
Photo by Martha Swope. NYPL Digital Collections, Image ID: 57831770
Martha Graham Dance Company, "Panorama", choreography by Martha Graham. 1993.
Photo by Martha Swope. NYPL Digital Collections, Image ID: swope_1215061
Alvin Ailey and Nathaniel Horne compete for the affections of Minnie Marshall in this dance from Alvin Ailey's Blues Suite, no. 14. 1958.
NYPL Digital Collections, Image ID: psnypl_dan_1575
Jerome Robbins and Maria Tallchief in George Balanchine's Prodigal Son, no. 14
Photo by George Platt Lynes, 1950. NYPL Digital Collections, Image ID: 57495027
A scene from the Broadway production of the musical "A Chorus Line." 1980
Photo by Martha Swope. NYPL Digital Collections, Image ID: swope_206506
Tanaquil Le Clercq in The Nutcracker
Photo by Frederick Melton. NYPL Digital Collections, Image ID: 58130785
Trinity, the Joffrey Ballet. Choreographed by Gerald Arpino.
Photo by Herbert Migdoll. NYPL Digital Collections, Image ID: 98F2435
Images used in this post from the Friedman-Abeles Collection have been preserved, cataloged, and digitized through the generosity of Nancy Abeles Marks and the Joseph S. and Diane H. Steinberg Charitable Trust.