The American Dance Festival is a non-profit organization committed to serving the needs of dance, dancers, choreographers, and professionals in dance-related fields. It presents a six and a half week summer festival of modern dance performances and educational programs, hosts community outreach activities, and sponsors numerous projects in the humanities. Its mission is to create and present new dance works, preserve the modern dance heritage, build wider national and international audiences and enhance public understanding and appreciation for modern dance, and provide training and education for dancers and choreographers. The collection includes photographic materials created and collected by the American Dance Festival, including negatives, contact sheets, prints, and transparencies.

The collection includes photographic materials created and collected by the American Dance Festival, including negatives, contact sheets, prints, and transparencies.

Ethel Tison Chaffin was born on January 13, 1921 in Natchitoches, LA. From childhood on, she took dance classes with a variety of instructors and, as a college student, studied dance at Louisiana State University, New York University, the University of Maryland, and Bennington College. Instructors included John Martin (former dance critic at the New York Times), Charles Weidman (Humphrey-Weidman Technique), Ethel Butler (Martha Graham Technique), and Nina Fornoff (Hanya Holm Technique). Ms. Chaffin also participated in master classes with Martha Graham and Katherine Manning. The collection contains the personal papers and dance-related memorabilia (circa 1930-1993) of Ethel Tison Chaffin. Materials include photographic prints, newspaper clippings, programs, and correspondence, which are housed within a scrapbook and one Hollinger box. Many of the materials are annotated by Ms. Chaffin.

The collection contains the personal papers and dance-related memorabilia (circa 1930-1993) of Ethel Tison Chaffin. Materials include photographic prints, newspaper clippings, programs, and correspondence, which are housed within a scrapbook and one Hollinger box. Many of the materials are annotated by Ms. Chaffin.

Included in the scrapbook are Ms. Chaffin's personal photographs documenting her involvement in dance and theater. These photographs depict several of her earliest dance recitals, university dance performances, and her 1948 performance as Laura in Tennessee William's The Glass Menagerie. In addition, she has incorporated photos of colleagues in the dance world. Also included within the scrapbook is correspondence between Ms. Chaffin and various educational institutions regarding admission to advanced dance programs at New York University and Bennington College, as well as job enquiries. Ms. Chaffin documented her career as an instructor by incorporating programs, clippings, and advertisements from her private studio, as well as those relevant to her tenure at Louisiana State University, the University of Alabama, and the Georgia State College for Women (now Georgia College) into the pages of her scrapbook. Memorabilia, including programs from festivals and performances that she attended, is also included within her scrapbook.

Records created after the compilation of the scrapbook are housed separately in a Hollinger box. Materials incorporated into this record set include correspondence with Elizabeth Andrews, educator and dance/drama critic, as well as newspaper clippings for a variety of well-known dancers and choreographers, including George Balanchine, Martha Graham, Charles Weidman, Merce Cunningham, and José Limón.

The American Dance Festival is a non-profit organization committed to serving the needs of dance, dancers, choreographers, and professionals in dance-related fields. It presents a summer festival of modern dance performances and educational programs, hosts community outreach activities, and sponsors numerous projects in the humanities. Its mission is to create and present new dance works, preserve the modern dance heritage, build wider national and international audiences and enhance public understanding and appreciation for modern dance, and provide training and education for dancers and choreographers. Contains correspondence, lists, administrative materials, memoranda, contracts, legal documents, financial records, class schedules, teaching materials, student records, clippings, press releases, publicity materials, brochures, tickets, posters, and other printed materials created by or related to the American Dance Festival.

Contains correspondence, lists, administrative materials, memoranda, contracts, legal documents, financial records, class schedules, teaching materials, student records, clippings, press releases, publicity materials, brochures, tickets, posters, and other printed materials created by or related to the American Dance Festival before the decision to move to Durham, North Carolina, in the fall of 1977.

Tony Johnson (b. 1959) is a choreographer and dancer who was based in Durham, NC between 1984 and 2017. Collection includes legal notepads, spiral-bound notebooks, newspaper clippings, webpage printouts, programs from performances, photographs, event fliers, personal correspondence, CD, VHS.

Collection includes legal notepads, spiral-bound notebooks, newspaper clippings, webpage printouts, programs from performances, photographs, event fliers, personal correspondence, CD, and VHS.

Dr. Charles Rudolph "Chuck" Davis or Baba Chuck (1937-2017) was an African American dancer, choreographer, and founder of the African American Dance Ensemble, the Chuck Davis Dance Company, and the annual DanceAfrica Festival. Collection includes correspondence, paper based records, printed materials, teaching materials, programs, posters, publications, newspaper clippings, conference materials, notebooks, photographs, negatives, slides, super 8 film, artwork, and various other types of memorabilia.

Collection includes correspondence, paper based records, printed materials, teaching materials, programs, posters, post cards, publications, newspaper clippings, conference materials, notebooks, photographs, negatives, slides, super 8 film, artwork, and various other types of memorabilia

Free to Dance: The African-American Presence in Modern Dance was a three-part television documentary co-produced by the American Dance Festival and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in association with Thirteen/WNET New York. The series aired on PBS' Great Performances: Dance in America in 2001. It chronicled the role of African-American choreographers and dancers in the development of modern dance as an American art form. The collection includes film, video, sound recordings, oral histories, interview transcripts, business records, photographs, clippings, and research materials created or collected during the production of the three-part television documentary Free to Dance.

The collection includes business records, grant proposals, correspondence, film, video, sound recordings, oral histories, interview transcripts, photographs, clippings, and research materials created or collected during the production of the three-part television documentary Free to Dance.

The bulk of the Free to Dance Collection dates from 1998 to 2001, when technical production of the series took place; however, the collection also includes grant proposals and early project development documentation dating back to 1987, as well as some correspondence and financial information created after its air date in 2001.

Mark Dendy (b. 1961) is a New York-based choreographer, writer, dancer, and actor. His career spans experimental dance theater, grand scale site specific work, pure movement dance pieces, opera, improvisation, Broadway, off-Broadway, and regional theater. Dendy also founded and served as Artistic Director of two dance companies: Mark Dendy Dance and Theater and Dendy Dancetheater. His work often responds to societal issues, examining diverse themes such as fame, gender, religion, heritage, violence, politics, the media, and values in society. The collection includes newspaper clippings and photocopies, magazines, programs, flyers, large-scale posters, publicity materials, project files, notes and notebooks, financial documentation, and correspondence. Other materials include photographs, negatives, 35 mm slides, DVDs, and VHS, U-matic, Betacam, Betacam-SP, and DVCPRO tapes.

The collection contains the papers of Mark Dendy, generated through his individual work as a performer and choreographer as well as his work as Artistic Director of both Mark Dendy Dance and Theater and Dendy Dancetheater. It contains printed, photographic, and audio-visual materials that document his performances, press appearances, and public relations activities. The collection also holds materials related to Dendy's creative projects in dance and theater, including scripts, rehearsal schedules, casting notes, and costume and set designs. There are a number of notebooks and handwritten notes on loose paper pertaining to creative projects, choreography, his dance companies, and his personal life. A small amount of correspondence and financial documentation is also contained in the collection.

Materials in the collection include paper-based records, notebooks, newspaper clippings and photocopies, magazines, programs, flyers, press kits, and large-scale posters. Other formats include photographs, negatives, 35 mm slides, DVDs, and VHS, U-matic, Betacam, Betacam-SP, and DVCPRO tapes.

Gerald E. Myers (1923-2009) was a professor of philosophy and the philosopher-in-residence at the American Dance Festival. This collection contains documents pertaining to Gerald Myers' participation in American Dance Festival programs funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities between 1979 and 1988.

This collection contains documents pertaining to Gerald Myers' participation in American Dance Festival programs funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities between 1979 and 1988.

Jay C. Anderson (1956-2013) was the photographer for the American Dance Festival from 1978 to 1994. This collection contains documents, slides, negatives, and prints pertaining to ADF performances and student classes during Jay Anderson's tenure as photographer for the American Dance Festival.

This collection contains documents, slides, negatives, and prints pertaining to ADF performances and student classes during Jay Anderson's tenure as photographer for the American Dance Festival.

Laura Dean (b. 1945) is an American choreographer and composer. In 1972, she established her company, Laura Dean Dancers and Musicians, where she created the choreography for forty works, and in most instances, created the music as well. A number of Dean's pieces were also accompanied by the music of Steve Reich. Dean continued to create works for her company until 2000. She received the Samuel H. Scripps/American Dance Festival Award in recognition of her accomplishments as a choreographer and composer in 2008. Collection includes photographic prints, contact sheets, negatives, slides, clippings, programs, printed materials, posters, VHS videotapes, and an audiocassette.

Collection includes photographic prints, contact sheets, negatives, slides, clippings, programs, printed materials, posters, VHS videotapes, and an audiocassette.

Stephanie Reinhart (1944-2002) began working at the American Dance Festival in 1977 as the Director of Planning and Development and became Co-Director with Charles L. Reinhart in 1993. While on the board Stephanie traveled to many countries to view dance and lecture on American modern dance and arts administration, and in 1993 she was awarded a Fulbright research grant to study modern dance in Argentina.

The collection contains Stephanie Reinhart's personal papers, company management materials, and materials from her 1993 Fulbright research. Her personal papers include essays, poetry, calendars, correspondence, clippings, and papers related to her Durham residence. The company management materials include slides from her time as Company Manager with Crowsnest Dance Company. The Fulbright research materials include correspondence with the Fulbright program, research, notes, articles, and both audiocassettes and transcripts of the interviews she conducted in Argentina.

The Harper Theater Dance Festival Records (1965-1979) presented Chicago audiences with more than a decade of annual performance seasons from a variety of celebrated dance companies. Originating in 1965 as the brainchild of Bruce and Judith Sagan, proprietors of a series of local, neighborhood newspapers in Chicago, the Festival also served as an important milestone in American modern dance as the pilot program for the National Endowment for the Arts Residency Touring program. Favorite performers included Merce Cunningham, Alwin Nikolais, Paul Taylor, José Limón, and Murray Louis. The collection includes financial records, production requirements, clippings, correspondence, posters, programs, tickets, photos, negatives, 35 mm slides, video and audio reels, and several small objects.

The collection contains the institutional records of the Harper Theater Dance Festival, public relations and publicity materials of dance companies, as well as the personal files of the collection's donor, Judith Sagan. The materials housed within the collection are in a variety of formats, including paper-based records, photographs, 35 mm slides, programs, newspaper clippings, large-format posters and publicity materials, audio reels, open reel video, and several objects.

The bulk of the materials were collected or created during the running of the Festival (1965-1979), with additional records (e.g. souvenir programs, professional membership records, financial records, etc.) collected by the donor following the Festival's demise.

Anna Halprin (b. 1920) is a pioneering dancer and choreographer of the post-modern dance movement. She founded the San Francisco Dancer's Workshop in 1955 as a center for movement training, artistic experimentation, and public participatory events open to the local community. Halprin has created 150 full-length dance theater works and is the recipient of numerous awards including the 1997 Samuel H. Scripps Award for Lifetime Achievement in Modern Dance from the American Dance Festival. Her students include Meredith Monk, Trisha Brown, Yvonne Rainer, Simone Forti, Ruth Emmerson, Sally Gross, and many others. Collection includes books, magazines, photographic prints, clippings, flyers, written correspondence, programs, essays, and other printed materials.

Collection includes books, magazines, photographic prints, clippings, flyers, written correspondence, programs, essays, and other printed materials.

Charles Reinhart Management, Inc. (CRMI) was involved in dance company management, festival production, grant-funded projects, and assorted professional services. Collection includes correspondence, printed material, and business and financial records created by Charles L. Reinhart and the employees of Charles Reinhart Management, Inc., 1951-2008.

Collection includes correspondence, printed material, and business and financial records created by Charles L. Reinhart and the employees of Charles Reinhart Management, Inc., 1951-2008. Some personal papers of Charles L. Reinhart are also included.

Joe Nash (1919-2005) was a self-taught dancer and prominent historian of African-American dance history. Collection includes photographic prints, programs, clippings, fliers, and other printed materials.

Collection includes photographic prints, programs, clippings, fliers, and other printed materials.

Dance Pages (circa 1983-1997), a quarterly magazine, presented its readers with articles about a wide range of dance genres, performances, companies, and individual dancers. The magazine also contained studio listings, book and video reviews, and information about dance history and health. Kenneth Romo and Donna Gianell, both professional dancers, created Dance Pages as a hobby, and they continued to serve as the publishers and editors of the magazine as it grew in size and scope. In 1995, the magazine changed names, becoming Dance & the Arts, and moved to a bimonthly publication schedule. The magazine ceassed publication in 1997. The collection includes publicity information, magazines, drafts of articles and advertisements, paste-ups for advertisements and magazine features, newspaper clippings, press kits, programs, flyers, brochures, catalogs, invoices, personal and professional correspondence, photographs, contact sheets, negatives, 35 mm slides, and transparencies.

The collection contains the records of Dance Pages, which were collected or created during the production of the magazine, as well as copies of the magazine from 1987 to 1997. Records were typically filed by subject or person rather than by type of record, so files contain a range of materials. The majority of the Dance Pages records are subject files, which primarily contain publicity information such as photographs and press releases for dance companies, dancers, schools, teachers, artists, musicians, filmmakers, photographers, performance venues, events, performances, and other dance-related topics. In addition to publicity materials, subject folders can contain drafts of articles and advertisements, paste-ups for advertisements and magazine features, illustrated graphics, press clippings, correspondence, invoices, brochures, flyers, programs, 35 mm slides, and negatives. The collection also contains administrative files, which hold materials related to magazine contributors, personnel, and business management. While the collection includes some financial documentation and correspondence, these materials are filed with the subject to which they pertain and are therefore distributed throughout the collection.

The materials housed within the collection are in a variety of formats, including paper-based records, magazines, paste-ups, illustrated graphics, newspaper clippings, press kits, programs, flyers, brochures, and catalogs, as well as photographs, contact sheets, negatives, 35 mm slides, and transparencies.

The American Dance Festival is a non-profit organization committed to serving the needs of dance, dancers, choreographers, and professionals in dance-related fields. It presents a six and a half week summer festival of modern dance performances and educational programs, hosts community outreach activities, and sponsors numerous projects in the humanities. Its mission is to create and present new dance works, preserve the modern dance heritage, build wider national and international audiences and enhance public understanding and appreciation for modern dance, and provide training and education for dancers and choreographers. The collection consists of materials collected by the American Dance Festival pertaining to choreographers, dance companies, and others involved in modern dance, including printed materials, newspaper and magazine clippings, press kits, programs, and correspondence.

The collection consists of materials collected by the American Dance Festival pertaining to choreographers, dance companies, and others involved in modern dance, including printed materials, newspaper and magazine clippings, press kits, programs, and correspondence.

Pearl Primus (1919-1994) was an African-American dancer, choreographer, anthropologist, and teacher. Collection includes materials created or collected by Primus and by others dating from circa 1920 to 1994, including correspondence, writings, legal documents, research and teaching materials, clippings, programs, printed materials, photographs, sound recordings, films, videos, and artifacts.

Collection includes materials created or collected by Primus and by others dating from circa 1920 to 1994, including correspondence, writings, legal documents, research and teaching materials, clippings, programs, printed materials, photographs, sound recordings, films, videos, and artifacts.