Research Catalog

Title

Interview with June Morris. November 18, 1976, 1976.

Author

Morris, June

Publication

1976

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Additional Authors

Hunt, Marilyn, 1937-

Description

3 sound discs (approximately one hour and 45 minutes) : digital; 4 3/4 in.

Summary

• Disc 1 (approximately 47 minutes). June Morris speaks with Marilyn Hunt about her early dance training, in Los Angeles, including an anecdote about Ruth St. Denis; dancing with Ballet Theatre [now American Ballet Theatre]; working with Antony Tudor; Jerome Robbins including in the role of Mercury in [David Lichine's] Helen of Troy; dancing in Leonide Massine's ballets including an anecdote about Robbins and Massine; dancing in Massine's ballet Aleko; George Balanchine as a person and as an artist including his ballet Waltz Academy and his kindness to her; her friendship with Marjorie and Maria Tallchief; taking class with Balanchine; touring in South America with the Ballet russe de Monte Carlo including her impressions of [Sergeĭ Leonidovich] Grigorʹev; touring with Col. Wassily de Basil's company [Ballet russe de Monte Carlo] in London and Paris including his fund-raising methods; leaving the Ballet russe de Monte Carlo and dancing on tour with the Cuevas Ballet [Grand Ballet de Monte Carlo]; their ballet masters, initially Bill [William] Dollar and then John Taras [ends abruptly but continues on disc 2].
• Disc 2 (approximately 51 minutes). June Morris speaks with Marilyn Hunt about dancing on the [television program] Your show of shows; her friendship with Bella Lewitzky and their analysis of the differences between modern dance and ballet; retraining herself as a modern dancer and performing with Lewitzky; Lewitzky's relationship with Lester Horton; Lewitzky as a teacher and choreographer; Antony Tudor and Hugh Laing, in class and at rehearsal; Tudor's work Dark elegies; her experiences rehearsing and dancing in his works Undertow, Dim lustre, and PIllar of fire; Harold Lang as a partner in Pillar of fire; Jerome Robbins' ballet Fancy free including her observing of the rehearsals and the opening night; Robbins and Ballet Theatre in the early days; his circle, including Leonard Bernstein and Betty Comden; Lucia Chase including the extent of her artistic direction and her points of conflict with Sol Hurok; her preferences with respect to dancers and choreographers; Anton Dolin; Alicia Alonso [ends abruptly but continues on disc 3].
• Disc 3 (approximately 7 minutes). June Morris continues to speak with Marilyn Hunt about Alicia Alonso including the intensity and purpose with which she worked; Melissa Hayden when she first joined Ballet Theatre; Morris's role [as Leto, the mother] in Balanchine's Apollo.

Alternative Title

• Dance Oral History Project
• Dance Audio Archive

Subjects

• Massine, Leonide, 1896-1979 > Aleko
• Robbins, Jerome
• Your show of shows (Television program)
• Audiotapes > Morris, J
• Chase, Lucia, 1897-1986
• American Ballet Theatre
• Morris, June
• Alonso, Alicia, 1920-2019
• Balanchine, George
• Tudor, Antony, 1909-1987
• Lewitzky, Bella
• Fancy free (Choreographic work : Robbins)

Note

• Interview with June Morris conducted by Marilyn Hunt on November 18, 1976 at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts for the Jerome Robbins Dance Division Oral History Project.
• Title supplied by cataloger.
• Sound quality is good.

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.

Call Number

*MGZTL 4-939

OCLC

80089912

Author

Morris, June, interviewee.

Title

Interview with June Morris. November 18, 1976, 1976.

Production

1976

Type of Content

spoken word

Type of Medium

audio

Type of Carrier

audio disc

Event

Recorded by Marilyn Hunt 1976, November 18 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 45 minutes); 5 inches; polyester, half-track; 1 7/8 ips.; transferred to wav file and compact disc formats in 2013.

Local Note

For transcript of interview: see *MGZMT 5-939

Former classmark: *MGZT 5-939

Connect to:

Request Access to Dance Division Audio and Moving Image material

Added Author

Hunt, Marilyn, 1937- interviewer.

Research Call Number

*MGZTL 4-939