Archives Online at Indiana University

View options:

Search within this document:

 

Want to learn more?

  • Do you have a question about this collection?
  • Would you like to view the original items in this collection?
  • Are you seeking permission to publish or reproduce items in this collection?

Please contact the holding repository: University Archives, IU Bloomington

Email: archives@indiana.edu

Bookmark and Share

Indiana University Dance Program records, 1927-2012, bulk 1953-2012

Finding aid prepared by Phil Bantin, Cara Vukusich and Amanda Ferrara.

Summary Information

Repository
Indiana University Archives
1320 East Tenth Street
Herman B Wells Library E460
Bloomington, IN 47405-7000
Phone: 812-855-1127
Email: archives@indiana.edu
http://www.libraries.iub.edu/archives

Creator
Indiana University, Bloomington. Dance program.

Title
Indiana University Dance Program records, 1927-2012,  bulk 1953-2012

Collection No.
C561

Extent
2.6 cubic feet (4 boxes)

Language
Materials are in English

Abstract
Jane Fox, a dancer and faculty member of Indiana University, introduced the art of contemporary dance to the Bloomington campus in 1927 with the inception of the Contemporary Dance Program under the auspices of the Physical Education program (renamed Kinesiology in 1989). While it was first considered a women's extracurricular physical fitness program, it quickly evolved into a respected major and minor field. The program's objective was to teach students to use modern dance to convey ideas and feelings through natural movements. This collection includes scrapbooks, newspaper clippings, program booklets, photographs, film, sheet music, and miscellaneous records pertaining to the Program.

Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research. Advance notice required.

Administrative History

Indiana University's contemporary dance program dates back to 1927. Dancer Jane Fox, a graduate of Columbia University (NY), came to the IU campus as a faculty member with the intention of introducing "natural dance" to students. Though we know it to be its own department today, the program first began as a part of the Women's Physical Education department, under the supervision of the School of Education, which supported and funded it. Classes were held in the Student Building and in 1935, the first modern dance performing group, the Terpsichoreans, was organized. This group later evolved into the Modern Dance Workshop.

Jane Fox was not only a staunch defender of dance education, but also worked to validate the art of dance to the campus in general. In her quest to gain a wide acceptance of modern dance as a legitimate art form and academic discipline, Fox garnered campus, community, and national support. She immersed herself not only into IU's culture, but also became the Chair and Secretary of the Dance Section of the American Association for Health, Physical Education and Recreation (AAHPER), the head of the National Committee on Standards in Teacher Education in Dance, and frequently contributed scholarly writings to the Journal of AAHPER and The Dance Observer. Fox continued to defend the validity of the art form during her time at Indiana University, and soon the medium was well respected on campus.

In 1949, a dance major was established within the Department of Physical Education (renamed the Department of Kinesiology in 1989), and with continued support from Fox, as well as increased student enrollment, modern dance was soon seen as a legitimate part of the campus community and a respected academic discipline. Until the late 1980s, the dance program experienced tremendous growth in both enrollment and reputation and had a successive number of Coordinators to direct the program including Dr. Jacqueline Clifford, Fran Snygg, Bill Evans, Vera Orlock, Gwen Hamm, and Dr. John Shea.

Despite their best efforts to keep students enrolled, because of dwindling enrollment in 1991 the School of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation administration decided that a moratorium would be placed on the Dance major, effective May 1991. Despite this massive change, the professors and staff members committed to the role and mission of the program and spent the next ten years (1991-2001) attempting to salvage the work they, Fox, and others had put forth during the last 60 years. Those ten years saw an increase in the number of students enrolled in the Elective Dance Program. Courses were expanded, students were surveyed, and the administration began to discuss the possibility of reinstating the Dance major in 2004. Once all of the reinstatement procedures were completed and the curriculum revision had taken place, the fall of 2005 saw the first audition and admission of students to the Dance Major since 1991.

Today, the Dance Major Program is supported by 16 faculty and staff members. The program is based in modern dance, but students also study ballet and world dance forms, and can elect to study musical theatre, tap, and jazz. The program boasts over 50 Dance Majors and 100 Dance Minors. In April 2014, the program left the Department of Kinesiology to join the Department of Theatre and Drama (renamed the Department of Theatre, Drama and Contemporary Dance).

A detailed history of the Contemporary Dance Program is located in the Archives reference file. Contact Archives staff for further information.

Arrangement

Collection is organized into five series: Clippings (1922-2010, undated), Correspondence (1932-2000, undated), Program files (1926-2012, undated), Film and audio recordings (1971-2005, undated), and Scrapbooks (1953-1967, undated).

Scope and Content Note

The Dance program collection is organized into five series: Clippings (1922-2010, undated), Correspondence (1932-2000, undated), Program files (1926-2012, undated), Film and audio recordings (1971-2005, undated), and Scrapbooks (1953-1967, undated).

The Clippings series features both unbound newspaper clippings and a binder of laminated clippings. The Correspondence series features three folders of correspondence about the Program, its members, much of which is from or to Michael Lucas, a faculty member of the Program. The Film and audio recordings series consists of both moving images and audio, on reel to reel, as well as cassette and disk, see the folder list for more information. The audio, reel to reel recordings are most likely recordings of music for performances. The moving image recordings mostly consist of dance performances and rehearsals.

The Program files consist of mostly writings and program booklets about the Department's performances and history, sheet music by Evelyn Locke, and a script entitled Quarter Hour from College Hill. The Scrapbook series consists of three scrapbooks, two of which are untitled. The scrapbooks consist of program booklets, newspaper clippings, journal articles, announcements, photographs, newsletters, writings, and correspondence.

Separated Material

1 box of photographs has been transferred to the Indiana University Archives Photograph Collection. Please contact Indiana University Archives staff for access information.

Related Material

Archived web sites for the department may be included in Archive-It.

Related photographs may be available in the University Archives Photographs Database.

Administrative Information

Acquisition Information
Accession 2013/079
Usage Restrictions
Copyrights for records originating with Indiana University administrative units, departments, and other offices are held by the Trustees of Indiana University. For more information, please contact the Indiana University Archives staff.

The Indiana University Archives respects the intellectual property rights of others and does not claim any copyrights for non-university records, materials in the public domain, or materials for which we do not hold a Deed of Gift. Responsibility for the determination of the copyright status of these materials rests with those persons wishing to reuse the materials. Researchers are responsible for securing permission from copyright owners and any other rights holders for any reuse of these materials that extends beyond fair use or other statutory limitations.

Digital reproductions of archival materials from the Indiana University Archives are made available for noncommercial educational and research purposes only. If you are the copyright holder for any of the digitized materials and have questions about its inclusion on our site, please contact the Indiana University Archivist.

Preferred Citation
[Item], Indiana University Dance Program records, Collection C561, Indiana University Archives, Bloomington.
Provenance
Transferred from the Dance program to the University Archives, July 2013.
Processing Information
Processed by Phil Bantin, Cara Vukusich and Amanda Ferrara.

Completed in 2015

Container List


Series: Box 1 Clippings, 1922-2010, undated 

Miscellaneous Newspaper Articles and Reviews, 1922-2010 

Newspaper Clippings, 1943-1966, undated 

Series: Box 1 Correspondence, 1932-2000, undated  

General, 1932-2000 

Dance Theatre, Correspondence and Memos, 1985-1986, undated 

Pageknopf, Patty, 1985-1986, undated 

Series: Box 1 Program files, 1926-2012, undated  

Concerts and Performance Programs, 1926-1996 

Dance and Vocal Arrangements, 1949-1959, undated 

Dance Demonstrations, 1950-1968, undated 

Dance Workshop Information, 1936-1986, undated 

Historical Information, 1974-2012, undated 

Program Booklets, 1928-1985, undated 

Sheet Music, undated 

Series: Box 2 Film and audio recordings, 1971-2005, undated  

Audio Recordings,

Audio-cassette Tape

Indiana University Dance Theater, Variations Concert, March 2, 1983 

Audio Tape (reel to reel)

Grant Us Sweet Peace-Mike Lucas, undated  [1/4"]

Lucas-Dance Dept. IU Hper #1, undated  [1/4"]

Lucas "Flock", undated  [1"]

Lucas-Jazz and Sinnan Man, 1971  [1"]

Lucas "Live", undated  [1/2"]

Lucas (Mika), undated  [1/2"]

Mike Lucas-Mix of "Love Our One Need", undated  [1/4"]

Reel 1, Spring Drack [?], undated  [1"]

Reel # 2, Sound Drack [?], undated  [1"]

Moving Image Recordings,

BETA tapes,

Amazing Grace, March 1975 

The Studies (rehearsal), 12/10/1984 

DVD

imp Creative and Performing Arts Exhibition, 2005 

Video-cassette tapes,

Cool, Hot, Jazz, undated 

Reel # 2, Sound Drack [?], undated  [1"]

Box 3 Danny Lepkoff..., 4/1/1991 

Dress Rehearsal, "An Evening of Modern Dance", March 1, 1993 

An Evening of Contemporary Dance, 2/6/2004 

An Evening of Dance, undated 

IU on location, Aired 7/14/1990 

IUDT (Except Kara), 4/9/1989 

IUDT (Except Kara's solo), 4/9/1989 

Lepkoff..., April 1991 

Revival: A Rebirth of Dance, undated 

Series: Box 4 Scrapbooks, 1933-1967, undated  

Dance Group Scrapbook, 1933-1952, undated 

Untitled, 1953-1957, undated 

Untitled, 1958-1967, undated 

Accessibility Help