- Description
- 4 streaming audio files (approximately two hours and 5 minutes): digital
- Summary
- Streaming audio file 1 (approximately 46 minutes). Dorothy Bird reminisces about rehearsing with Martha Graham in the 1930s; Graham's dispensing with certain social conventions and how this contributed to her creativity; the atmosphere at George Balanchine's rehearsals compared to Graham's; the time-consuming process of inventing and developing Graham technique; making costumes and leotards; the annual performances at the Guild Theatre; the lecture-demonstrations at the New School for Social Research [New School University as of 1997] including an anecdote about Michel Fokine arguing with Graham; reasons she was unhappy including the unpleasant atmosphere, and her decision to leave [ends abruptly].
- Streaming audio file 2 (approximately 47 minutes). Dorothy Bird reminisces about the dancer Grace Cornell; use of the parallel line in Graham technique; Agnes de Mille's respect for Martha Graham; Bird's experience as a dancer in the musical comedy Hooray for what! including performing in Under the green apple tree; Agnes de Mille's role in raising the status of dancers in Broadway musicals; the musical comedy Lady in the dark and Albertina Rasch [ends abruptly]. Bird's reminiscences include numerous examples of how the female dancers were treated by management.
- Streaming audio file 3 (approximately 16 minutes). Dorothy Bird speaks about various elements of Graham technique including triplets, skips; tilts, and falls [ends abruptly but continues on streaming audio file 4].
- Streaming audio file 4 (approximately 16 minutes).; Dorothy Bird speaks about various elements of Graham technique including types of jumps, running in place, leaps, articulation of the feet, and pliés [ends abruptly].
- Donor/Sponsor
- Oral History Archive. Gift of Dorothy Bird.
- Subjects
- Genre/Form
- Oral histories.
- Note
- Dorothy Bird reminisces about dancing for Martha Graham and Graham technique.
- Sound quality is fair. The speaker's voice is soft but for the most part easily intelligible. There are occasional short gaps.
- Title supplied by cataloger.
- Access (note)
- Patrons may access streaming audio only on site at The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center.
- 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.
- Source (note)
- Call Number
- *MGZTCO 3-905
- OCLC
- 81938790
- Author
Bird, Dorothy, 1912-1996.
- Title
Reminiscences/ Dorothy Bird, 1979
- Imprint
1979.
- 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 New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center.
- Event
Recorded by Dorothy Bird 1979
- 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: two sound cassettes (approximately two hours and 5 minutes); transferred to wav file and streaming file format in 2015 : myd_mgztco3905_v01f01_sc, myd_mgztco3905_v01f02_sc, myd_mgztco3905_v02f01_sc, and myd_mgztco3905_v02f02_sc.
- Local Note
Former class mark: *MGZTC 3-905
- Source
Gift Dorothy Bird
- Connect to:
- Research Call Number
*MGZTCO 3-905