{"value"=>"<p>The Costas dance photographs collection documents various dance forms from the late 1960s to 2016 with an emphasis on ballet. Over two dozen dance companies were photographed by Costas during his nearly 50 year career.</p> <p>The collection arrived in no discernable order from the creator. The initial collection assessment identified three distinct formats and an order was imposed on the collection to make it accessible to researchers. The three series are photographic prints, negatives, and slides (which make up the majority of the collection). They are arranged alphabetically by dance company, performance, and/or dancer with the exception of the New York City Ballet (NYCB) which precedes all other companies due to its large volume of materials.</p> <p>Costas voraciously documented the New York City Ballet throughout his career and in turn the collection reflects this with nearly 75% of the collection dedicated to the Ballet's repertoire, principal dancers, and choreographers. Key figures throughout the NYCB's history such as co-founders Lincoln Kirstein, Jerome Robbins, and George Balanchine are present within the collection in addition to their many choreographed works. Most often they were photographed candidly while rehearsing with dancers on and off stage. Jerome Robbins' signature works such as <span class=\"title\">Glass Pieces</span>, <span class=\"title\">The Goldberg Variations</span>, and <span class=\"title\">Fancy Free</span> are just a few among the many in the NYCB's repertory. Likewise, Balanchine's earliest works such as <span class=\"title\">La Sonnambula</span>, <span class=\"title\">Bourrée Fantasque</span>, and <span class=\"title\">The Firebird</span> are represented as well as later compositions such as <span class=\"title\">Walpurgisnacht</span> and <span class=\"title\">Ballo della Regina</span>. Additionally, the career of former principal dancer and director Peter Martins' is chronicled throughout NYCB performances and later taking the helm of the company by directing and choreographing. Costas has spent years documenting many of New York City Ballet's most significant and famous works including <span class=\"title\">The Nutcracker</span>, <span class=\"title\">Swan Lake</span>, <span class=\"title\">The Sleeping Beauty</span>, and <span class=\"title\">A Midsummer Night's Dream</span>.</p> <p>In addition to documenting the Company's repertory, Costas focused on photographing many of the iconic star principal dancers including Karin von Aroldingen, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Albert Evans, Suzanne Farrell, Nikolaj Hübbe, Darci Kistler, Maria Kowroski, Kyra Nichols, Patricia McBride, Maria Tallchief, Miranda Weese, and Ethan Stiefel.</p> <p>Costas also travelled widely around the world to photograph both national and international dance companies. Some of the ballet companies well represented within the collection are American Ballet Theatre, Mariinsky (Kirov) Ballet Company, Bolshoi Ballet, Béjart Ballet, Ballet de l'Opéra de Paris, Chicago City Ballet, Joffrey Ballet Company, Royal Danish Ballet, and the Royal Ballet of the United Kingdom. In addition to ballet, he also photographed many New York City based modern dance companies including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Martha Graham Dance Company, and Paul Taylor Dance Company.</p> <p>There is also a small portion of the collection that contains non-ballet photographs, both personal and professional. These photographs include Costas' personal possessions, Metropolitan Opera performances, Japanese Bunraku puppet performances, images of flowers, and various non-dance events such as the annual New York City Halloween parade and the 1988 Galanos Fur fashion show. Most of the non-dance photographs, however, are made up of travel photographs that Costas took during trips around the world and within the United States.</p>"}
{"value"=>"<p class='list-head'>The Costas dance photographs are arranged in four series:</p>\n<ul class='arrangement series-descriptions'>\n<li><div class='series-title'><a href='/dan/24253#c1519837'>Series I: Prints</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1978-1988</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>0.83 linear feet (2 boxes)</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>Series I of the collection consists of a mix of both black and white and color photographic prints spanning the years 1978 to 1988. The majority of the prints are of the New York City Ballet's (NYCB) repertory including some of its most well known works such as <span class=\"title\">Coppèlia</span>, <span class=\"title\">A Midsummer Night's Dream</span>, <span class=\"title\">The Sleeping Beauty</span>, and George Balanchine's <span class=\"title\">The Nutcracker</span>. Important figures in the NYCB's history were also photographed including founder George Balanchine, artistic director Peter Martins, and principal dancers Merrill Ashley, Suzanne Farrell, and Ethan Stiefel.</p> <p>The remainder of the prints are a variety of performances from national and international ballet companies, puppet performances, personal travel photographs, and reference photographs by other photographers. There are also two folders of unidentified prints which were not labeled or identified by the photographer.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/dan/24253#c1519852'>Series II: Negatives</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1972-2005</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>9.8 linear feet (24 boxes)</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>Series II of the collection consists of a mix of black and white and color 35mm negatives spanning the years 1972 to 2005. The series begins with the New York City Ballet, which contains the largest amount of negatives, followed by dance companies and individuals arranged alphabetically.</p> <p>Well-known dance companies such as Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, the Martha Graham Dance Company, and the Joffrey Ballet Company are all represented within the series. Costas dedicated a large portion of his career documenting Russian companies Kirov and Bolshoi during their US tours as well as overseas. He also photographed more niche companies such as the Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, Théâtre du Silence, and the Universal Ballet Company of Korea.</p> <p>There are over three boxes worth of unidentified negatives. These negatives have been identified as dance performances, but were not labeled or identified as to their origin or company by the photographer.</p> <p>There are also negatives of non-ballet subjects such as personal travel photographs, performances from the Metropolitan Opera, various friends and family of Costas, and performing arts such as Kabuki theater and puppetry in the Luxembourg Gardens.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/dan/24253#c1520101'>Series III: Slides</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1966-2003</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>17.51 linear feet (42 boxes)</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>Series III of the collection consists of 35mm slides spanning the years 1966 to 2003. Color slides make up the largest volume of material in the collection. The series begins with the New York City Ballet, which contains the largest amount of slides, followed by dance companies and individuals that are arranged alphabetically.</p> <p>A portion of the series also includes non-ballet subjects such as performances of the Salzburg marionettes, Japanese Bunraku puppets, and a South African performance of <span class=\"title\">Zulu Macbeth</span> at Festival '97 in Lincoln Center. Costas' travels are also documented from trips throughout the United States and Europe.</p> <p>There is one folder worth of unidentified slides. These slides have been identified as dance performances, but were not labeled or identified as to their origin or company by the photographer.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/dan/24253#c1735084'>Series IV: Digital photographs</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1998-2016</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>Series IV contains digital photographs taken by Costas from 1998 through 2016. Beginning in 1998, Costas began primarily shooting photographs with a digital camera, however, there is some overlap with analog materials, such as negatives and slides, until around 2005. The series is arranged alphabetically by dance company, followed by dance events, dance schools, dance world individuals, and finally non-dance photographs.</p> <p>The bulk of the photographs depict the productions of over fifty international dance companies. Some company photographs include images of individual company members and rehearsals.</p> <p>Among the dance events pictured here are special one-off performances, galas, luncheons, competitions, and festivals, many of which are not associated with any one particular dance company.</p> <p>The dance schools photographs largely consist of images from the School of American Ballet (the associate school of the New York City Ballet), but also includes the American Academy of Ballet and the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet.</p> <p>The individual dancers and choreographers photographs are of well-known dancers such as Alicia Alonso, Roberto Bolle, and Felia Doubrovka.</p> <p>The non-dance photographs encompass a range of personal subject matter such as Costas' apartment and personal possessions, trip photographs, flower studies, and events such as the annual New York City Halloween Parade and Kabuki theater performances.</p></div></li></ul>\n", "type"=>"arrangement"}