Scope and arrangement
The papers of Katherine Litz span the years 1901-1979. The bulk of the collection, both in size and importance, consists of correspondence and performance-related material from the period c.1950-1977. Most of the material relates to her professional life, with its continuing search for work and funding as well as ideas for dances.|||Finding and deciphering information can be difficult, as Litz often used the backs of letters, pages in scripts, or envelopes to draft replies to letters, make lists, and write notes or reminders to herself. She could also include several subjects in her jottings on a piece of paper.|||Other types of material included in the Katherine Litz Collection have been separated from the papers and are listed on the Separation List. The listing of music includes valuable information as to the title of the dance for which the music was used, and usually the date of the first performance of the dance.
The Katherine Litz papers are arranged in nine series:
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Series I, Personal Material, contains such documents as a copy of Litz's birth certificate, passport, and identity and membership cards for such organizations as AGMA, Equity, University of Illinois, and the New York Public Library. There are also appointment calendars with notations, and various papers pertaining to her apartment and a dispute between the tenants and the management.
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Series II, Correspondence, includes letters, drafts of letters, postcards, telegrams, invitations, and greeting cards. The series is divided into Personal and Business, with some correspondents appearing in both sections. If there are more than 6 items from an individual, a folder has been established for the correspondent and these folders are listed alphabetically by name. The Outgoing subseries under Business contains letters and drafts of letters by Litz. The remainder of the correspondence is arranged chronologically, with alphabetical indexes for the personal and business correspondents located at the end of the Folder List. In these indexes, if unable to ascertain a surname, the name is given as the letter was signed, i.e. “George,” “bj”. If the signature was illegible, a semblance of the letters is given, with a [?] after the name.
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Series III, Performance-Related Material, is arranged by type of material. It includes notebooks and notes with ideas for and about dances and performances; 36 scripts and 7 music scores (some with brief annotations, stage directions, etc.) of works Litz choreographed, performed, or studied; clippings, drawings, and art reproductions which Litz saved for ideas for dances and costumes; promotional material such as flyers and 14 drawings or sketches by Charles Oscar for possible use for brochures; and box office reports for several performances.
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Series IV, Teaching Material, is arranged by type of material and contains notes for classes, student evaluations, and class rosters and schedules.
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Series V, Grant Applications, is arranged by organization and then chronologically within the folders. It contains correspondence relating to the applications (including responses of those whom Litz asked for letters of recommendation, such as Agnes De Mille, John Martin, Ted Shawn, Paul Taylor, Charles Weidman), drafts of information for the applications and a few copies of actual applications.
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Series VI, Legal/Financial, includes contracts for Litz as a performer and with sponsoring organizations for concerts of her group, and a small amount of income and expense information.
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Series VII, Notes from Courses Taken by Litz, contains her hand-written notes and/or printed notes from the instructors in classes from high school through 1972.
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Series VIII, Transcripts/Copies of Articles, contains primarily articles written by Litz or about her or her performances.
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Series IX, Miscellaneous, is arranged by type of material and contains a proposal for a theater school, food recipes saved by Litz, newspaper clippings she considered of interest, and several books and pamphlets.