Scope and arrangement
The Society of Dance History Scholars records document outreach and research initiatives aimed at facilitating the study of dance across the arts, humanities, and social sciences. The collection contains minutes and by-laws, correspondence, membership mailings, and conference materials. Editorial board files address the production of the Society's "Studies in Dance" series, while materials maintained by Christena Schlundt -- a founding member of the Society and its unofficial archivist -- provide evidence the earliest activities of the Society.
The Society of Dance History Scholars records are arranged in four series:
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1979-1999
This series includes the organization's minutes and updated and amended by-laws. The minutes of the Society's meetings typically include an agenda, followed by a detailed account of the Board of Directors meetings. Various committee reports are included, such as the editorial, treasury, nominating and the conference committees. Occasionally, the handouts from the separate committees are attached to the minutes for reference. An ongoing theme within the minutes is expanding and maintaining membership levels, especially outside of the United States.
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1978-2007
The general administrative files contain materials that reflect the activities and production of the society. The correspondence contains both correspondence generated by the Society as well as letters received by the Society from other dance organizations, scholars, and vendors. The membership mailings include flyers, newsletters, and membership lists and directories. The conference materials include the packets handed out at each annual Society conference; some written proposals for speaking and the submission of papers at conferences; and photographs of members, mostly taken at the 2000 conference.
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1993-1999
The Editorial Board's records primarily contain correspondence dealing with the choice and analysis of materials to be published under the "Studies in Dance History" series, a project that advances the Society's goals through the publication of monographs on a diversity of topics related to scholarship in dance theory and history. These provide an overview of the selection process in the publication of new works. The series also contains administrative files dealing with copyright matters, publishers, and the publication of the Society's website. There are also individual files dedicated to specific books that were published between 1994 and 1998.
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1978-1992
Christena Schlundt, noted dance scholar and modern dance teacher, was a founder of the dance program at University of California, Riverside, where she was a professor from 1953 through 1991. She was also the unofficial archivist of the Society of Dance History Scholars, and kept her own files on the Society. Arranged by year, they contain correspondence concerning Society business, notes and writings, and mailings from the Society's many events. Of particular interest are Schlundt's conference proposals and correspondence detailing the workings of the Society.