- unitid
-
{"value"=>"186341", "type"=>"local_mss"}
{"value"=>"*MGZMD 571", "type"=>"local_call"}
{"value"=>"b23714098", "type"=>"local_b"}
- unitdate
-
{"value"=>"1930-2015", "type"=>"inclusive", "normal"=>"1930/2015"}
- unittitle
-
{"value"=>"Dorothy Bird papers"}
- physdesc
-
{"format"=>"structured", "physdesc_components"=>[{"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"9 boxes", "unit"=>"containers"}, {"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"3.58 linear feet", "unit"=>"linear_feet"}]}
{"format"=>"structured", "physdesc_components"=>[{"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"63 audio recordings", "unit"=>"audio_recordings"}]}
{"format"=>"structured", "physdesc_components"=>[{"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"1 moving image recording", "unit"=>"moving_image_recordings"}]}
- repository
-
{"value"=>"<span class=\"corpname\">Jerome Robbins Dance Division</span>"}
- abstract
-
{"value"=>"Dorothy Bird (1913–1996) was a dancer with the Martha Graham Dance Company, a performer on Broadway, and a teacher of the Graham technique. Her papers provide a record of her career, containing audio recordings, an autobiography manuscript and notes, memorabilia, and correspondence."}
- langmaterial
-
{"value"=>"English"}
- origination
-
{"value"=>"Bird, Dorothy, 1912-1996", "type"=>"persname"}
- bioghist
-
{"value"=>"<p>Dorothy Bird, born in 1913 on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, was an early member of the fledgling Martha Graham Dance Company, Broadway dancer, and notable teacher of modern dance and the Graham technique.</p> <p>In 1930, Bird enrolled in the Cornish School in Seattle to study dance under Martha Graham. The next year, Bird moved to New York to dance with Graham's company and study at the Neighborhood Playhouse. Bird debuted in Graham's <span class=\"title\">Primitive Mysteries</span> and was also featured in dances such as <span class=\"title\">Panorama</span> and <span class=\"title\">Chronicles</span>. After spending six years with the group, Bird parted ways from Graham in 1937 to pursue a career on Broadway. For a decade, Bird performed in musicals, including <span class=\"title\">Lady in the Dark</span>, and provided entertainment at summer resorts with the Limón Trio until the late 1940s.</p> <p>Bird was also an accomplished teacher for twenty-five years. She taught modern dance and the Graham technique at Neighborhood Playhouse, the School of American Ballet, 92nd Street Y, and New York University. Bird died in 1996 in New Hampshire at the age of 84.</p>"}
- scopecontent
-
{"value"=>"<p>The Dorothy Bird papers, spanning from 1930 to 2015, represent the professional and personal life of the modern dancer and teacher. The collection holds a range of materials, such as audio recordings, correspondence, handwritten notes, and publications.</p> <p>Many of the audio recordings in the collection served as the basis for Bird's autobiography <span class=\"title\">Bird's Eye View: Dancing with Martha Graham and on Broadway</span>. These recordings cover topics such as Martha Graham's techniques and dance company, as well as modern dance in the 1930s, and various artists and choreographers. The collection also contains recordings of interviews, lectures, and workshops.</p> <p>The correspondence, dating from the 1930s to 1994, includes letters from dance world figures such as Ruthanna Boris, Arlene Croce, Agnes de Mille, Martha Graham, Pauline Limón, Doris Humphrey, John Martin, Herbert Ross, and Anna Sokolow.</p> <p>Bird's extensive handwritten notes detail her childhood, her studies at the Cornish School and the Neighborhood Playhouse, and her time with the Martha Graham Dance Company. These notes also describe early Graham exercises, dances, costumes, dancers, and the influence of Louis Horst.</p> <p>The collection also houses printed materials, including original programs, handbills, newspaper and magazine clippings, reviews, and articles about Bird's work with Martha Graham, the Limón Trio, on Broadway, and her summers spent performing at Green Mansions and Tamiment.</p> <p>In addition to documentation of her performance career, there are also contracts, agreements, and course descriptions of Bird's classes.</p> <p>The collection further includes personal writings, publications, press releases, and resumes.</p>"}
- arrangement
-
{"value"=>"<p>Arranged alphabetically by subject.</p>"}
- acqinfo
-
{"value"=>"<p>Donated by Joyce Greenberg in 2022.</p>"}
- processinfo
-
{"value"=>"<p>Processed by <span class=\"name\">Tara D. Strongosky</span> in 2025.</p>"}
- accessrestrict
-
{"value"=>"<p>Inquiries regarding audio and moving image materials in the collection may be directed to the Jerome Robbins Dance Division (dance@nypl.org). Audio and moving image materials will be subject to preservation assessment and migration prior to access.</p>"}
- relatedmaterial
-
{"value"=>"<p>Interview with Dorothy Bird, *MGZTC 3-953, Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.</p>"}
- date_start
-
1930
- keydate
-
1930
- date_end
-
2015
- date_inclusive_start
-
1930
- date_inclusive_end
-
2015
- extent_statement
-
3.58 linear feet (9 boxes). 63 audio recordings. 1 moving image recording
- prefercite
-
{"value"=>"Dorothy Bird papers, *MGZMD 571. Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts"}