- Additional Authors
- Description
- Two streaming files (approximately one hour and 34 minutes) : digital, stereo
- Summary
- Streaming file 1 (approximately one hour and 32 minutes). Unidentified speaker [Jeff Duncan] introduces guest Mariano Parra; Mariano Parra introduces La Meri and Deborah Jowitt; in response to questions from Jowitt and Parra, La Meri speaks about her career including her early dance training and performances; how she came to specialize in ethnic dance; her study of many types of dance; her impressions of Anna Pavlova and Mary Wigman; Ravi Shankar; belly dance including an anecdote about a performance in Paris, France; her work Swan lake in Hindu; her books and lecture-demonstrations; folk dance compared with theatrical ethnic dance; the vexed issues of creativity and authenticity in ethnic dance; the tendency of audiences to focus on technique and virtuosity; her international touring as a soloist; her return to New York where she performed with her own company [at the New York School of Natya, later absorbed into the Ethnologic Dance Center]; retiring and founding a school and performance center [Ethnic Dance Arts Inc] in Cape Cod, Massachusetts; the relationship of ethnic dance and modern dance forms; authentic re-interpretation of ethnic dance as compared to interpretation that is superficial and misguided [question and answer session including the issue as to why ethnic dance is the so-called step-child of dance, including an anecdote about the critic Walter Terry and discussion of Clive Barnes' and John Martin's remarks about ethnic dance; ends abruptly].
- Streaming file 2 (approximately 2 minutes). [Begins and ends abruptly.] Mariano Parra closes the program with remarks about La Meri and an announcement.
- Donor/Sponsor
- Oral History Archive.
- Subjects
- Note
- Lecture given by La Meri at the Dance Theatre Workshop program at the American Theatre Laboratory, on December 8, 1975, probably in New York City, with moderators: Deborah Jowitt and Mariano Parra, followed by a question and answer session.
- Title supplied by cataloger.
- Sound quality is good.
- Access (note)
- Patrons may access streaming audio only on site at The NYPL research libraries.
- Funding (note)
- The conservation and cataloging of this recording was made possible in part by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. The support of the National Endowment for the Arts is also gratefully acknowledged.
- OCLC
- 79207925
- Author
La Meri, 1898-1988, speaker.
- Title
An evening with La Meri: the life of a woman in dance [sound recording].
- Imprint
1975.
- Type of Content
spoken word
- Type of Medium
audio
- Type of Carrier
online resource
- Digital File Characteristics
audio file
- Restricted Access
Patrons may access streaming audio only on site at The NYPL research libraries.
- Event
Recorded at the Dance Theatre Workshop program at the American Theatre Laboratory December 8 , 1975 New York (N.Y.)?
- Funding
The conservation and cataloging of this recording was made possible in part by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. The support of the National Endowment for the Arts is also gratefully acknowledged.
- Original Version
Original format: one sound reel (approximately one hour and 34 minutes); 5"; polyester; half-track; 1.875 ips.; transferred to wav file and streaming file formats in 2014
- Local Note
Former call number: *MGZT 5-257
- Connect to:
- Added Author
Parra, Mariano.
Jowitt, Deborah.
Duncan, Jeff, 1930-1989.
New York University. School of the Arts.
Dance Theater Workshop.