Research Catalog

Interview with Melissa Hayden

Title
Interview with Melissa Hayden, 1978
Author
Hayden, Melissa
Publication
1978

Available Online

NYPL Digital Collections

Details

Additional Authors
Kaptzan, Kyra Lynn
Description
Three streaming audio files (approximately one hour and 19 minutes): digital
Summary
  • Streaming audio file 1 (approximately 32 minutes). Melissa Hayden speaks with Kyra Lynn Kaptzan about first discovering dance in books; developing her athletic ability by swimming; her first dance classes; having seen the Original Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo as the inspiration to become a dancer; moving to New York City and joining the corps de ballet at Radio City Music Hall at the suggestion of Anatole Chujoy; auditioning for the Ballet Russe; the circumstances of her joining the corps of Ballet Theatre [now American Ballet Theatre]; her first soloist roles with Ballet Theatre, including the bird in Peter and the Wolf; her admiration for Nora Kaye's dancing and Alicia Alonso's Giselle; performing in Agnes de Mille's musical comedy Allegro and Michael Kidd's Love life during the period Ballet Theatre was closed; touring with Alicia Alonso's company [Ballet Alicia Alonso] in Havana, Cuba, and South America, including in such ballets as Les sylphides, Giselle, and Pas de quatre; reasons she greatly values having experienced this tour; the circumstances of her returning to the U.S. and joining Ballet Society, including Nicholas Magallanes' role in this; her admiration for George Balanchine's choreography, including Serenade and Symphony in C; her great desire to dance for Balanchine [gap]; the motion picture, The turning point.
  • Streaming audio file 2 (approximately 19 minutes). Melissa Hayden speaks with Kyra Lynn Kaptzan about joining New York City Ballet as a soloist, the term for principal dancer at the time; the differing backgrounds of the soloists; works in which she danced, including Balanchine's Concerto barocco and The four temperaments as well as roles created by Todd Bolender and William Dollar; how roles were taught, including her classes with Balanchine; performing with André Eglevsky in the motion picture Limelight, including working with Charles Chaplin; the experience of seeing herself on film; the reasons she left New York City Ballet and re-joined Ballet Theatre.
  • Streaming audio file 3 (approximately 28 minutes). Melissa Hayden speaks with Kyra Lynn Kaptzan about dancing with Ballet Theatre, first in Europe and then in the U.S.; finding the roles less challenging than the roles she danced in Balanchine's works; meeting her husband; returning to New York City Ballet; dancing as a guest artist with various companies; her partners; concert performances outside of New York City; favorite roles, including Swan lake and Giselle; her love of Balanchine's choreography; her regret that she never danced in the Rubies section of Jewels; the significance to the dance world of the School of American Ballet; her new dance school in New York City; her career during the four years she was away from New York City, including her experience an artist-in-residence at Skidmore College where she created a dance program; reasons for leaving Skidmore College, to direct a small company in Seattle, Washington; returning to New York City; her family.
Donor/Sponsor
Oral history archive.
Uniform Title
Ballet Beat (Radio program)
Subjects
Genre/Form
Radio interviews.
Note
  • Sound quality is good.
  • Interview with Melissa Hayden conducted by Kyra Lynn Kaptzan on July 16, 1978 for the radio program Ballet Beat on WNYU-FM, and broadcast on October 3 and 10, 1978.
  • Title supplied by cataloger.
Access (note)
  • Patrons may access streaming audio only on site at The New York Public Library 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.
Source (note)
  • Kyra Lynn Kaptzan
  • Kyra Lynn Kaptzan.
Call Number
*MGZTCO 3-1968 [sound cassette]
OCLC
231319384
Author
Hayden, Melissa, interviewee.
Title
Interview with Melissa Hayden, 1978
Production
1978
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 research libraries.
Event
Recorded for the program Ballet Beat on WNYU-FM 1978, July 16 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: two sound cassettes (one hour and 19 minutes); quarter-track; 1.875 ips.; transferred to wav file and streaming file format (myd_mgztco31968_v01f01_sc, myd_mgztco31968_v01f02_sc, and myd_mgztco31968_v02f01_sc) in 2015.
Local Note
Former call number: *MGZTC 3-1968
Source
Gift Kyra Lynn Kaptzan
Gift; Kyra Lynn Kaptzan. NN-PD
Connect to:
NYPL Digital Collections
Added Author
Kaptzan, Kyra Lynn, interviewer
Added Title
Ballet Beat (Radio program)
Research Call Number
*MGZTCO 3-1968 [sound cassette]
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