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Ohio University Libraries
30 Park Place
Athens, OH 45701

Series Description & Container List

  1. Administrative Series
    The Administrative series consists of three sub series: Itineraries, Management files, and Foundation Correspondence.  The series is arranged by artist and chronologically. Itineraries document the dates and places of performances, dance festivals and residencies.  Management files document business aspects of the dance companies and include contracts, technical specifications for performance venues, touring leads, and correspondence.  Foundation Correspondence includes letters and communications about performances, teaching engagements, television appearances and publications.
  2. Artistic Series
    The Artistic series is arranged by artist.  The Alwin Nikolais sub series includes: Choroscript, Illustrations, Production Papers and Manuscripts.  The Murray Louis sub series includes manuscripts of plays, video performances, magazine article manuscripts, book manuscripts and typescripts of interviews.  The Alwin Nikolais and Murray Louis sub series contains the manuscripts for The Nikolais/Louis Dance Technique: A philosophy and method of modern dance, including the Unique Gesture.
  3. Awards Series
    The Awards Series consists of objects and papers received by Alwin Nikolais and Murray Louis in honor of their achievements.  The awards are international, national, and local in scope.  They range from the National Medal of Arts to Keys of the City.  The series arranged by artist and chronologically.
     
  4. Moving Image Series
    The Moving Image series consists of two sub series: Film and Video.  The Film Sub series document the early choreographic from the 1950s – 1960s.  Content of the films include performances, rehearsals and workshops.  The Video Sub series consists of original videos and preservation copies of early films in video format.  Original videos were recorded during the 1970s through the 1990s.
  5. Personal Library
    The Personal Library series consists of three sub series: Magazines, Books, and Other Materials.  The magazine sub series includes titles on dance, theater and dance company publications. The books sub series includes handmade books, books on art, music and dance. Languages include Spanish, French, Japanese and English.  Other materials include a scrap book, illustrations, DVDs and theses published about Alwin Nikolais and Murray Louis.
  6. Photographic Series
    The Photographic Series consists of five sub series: prints, photography exhibits, negatives, slides, and CD-ROMs.  Photographs of the choreographic works, portraits and company members are contained in 79 boxes.  Photographers include David Berlin, Nan Melville, Max Waldron, Oleaga, Robert Sosenko, and Tom Caravaglia.
  7. Press and Promotion Series
    The Press and Promotion series consists of the following sub series: Company Publications and Press Packets, Posters, Playbills and Handbills, Programs, and Press Coverage.  Press Coverage includes Magazine Press and Newspaper Press. Newspaper Press also includes John Martin Reviews. T he Press and Promotion series is arranged by artist and chronologically. Dates range from 1927 – 2006.
  8. Sound Recording Series
    The Sound Recording Series consists of four sub series:  Original Reel to Reels not preserved:  Reel to Reels, Preservation Copies:  Compact Discs, and Original Reel to Reels Preserved.   This series is arranged by artist and chronologically.  Dates range from 1936 – 1996.  Recordings are of music to accompany the dances.  Many recordings are original sound scores written and performed by Alwin Nikolais. 
  9. Miscellaneous Series
    The Costumed Figurines series consist of 13 wooden costumed figures constructed by Frank Garcia, costume designer for the Alwin Nikolais and Murray Louis dance companies.  They depict the choreographic works by Alwin Nikolais.  The figurines were used in the opening segment of the “World of Alwin Nikolais” video series.
     
  10. Supplement: Materials From Other Donors
    Items in this series relate to the Alwin Nikolais and Murray Louis Dance Collection.  They are not part of the collection materials deposited by Murray Louis.  These materials were donated by other people who collected information about dance companies, American Modern Dance, dance education, and performances.  The series consists of materials from Ruth Grauert, the Alwin Nikolais Dance Theatre company manager, Shirley Wimmer and Gladys Bailin, former Directors of the School of Dance at Ohio University, Helen Priest Rogers, a dance educator from Ohio State University, and Sheppard Black, former Special Collections Librarian at Ohio University Libraries.