- physdesc
-
{"format"=>"structured", "physdesc_components"=>[{"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"5.71 linear feet", "unit"=>"linear feet"}, {"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"14 boxes", "unit"=>"containers"}], "supress_display"=>true}
- unitid
-
{"value"=>"*MGZMD 264", "type"=>"local_call"}
{"value"=>"18517", "type"=>"local_mss"}
- unitdate
-
{"value"=>"1870-2002", "type"=>"inclusive", "normal"=>"1870/2002"}
{"value"=>"1934-1986", "type"=>"bulk", "normal"=>"1934/1986"}
- date_inclusive_start
-
1870
- date_inclusive_end
-
2002
- keydate
-
1870
- unittitle
-
{"value"=>"Martha Hill research materials"}
- repository
-
{"value"=>"<span class=\"corpname\">The New York Public Library. <span class=\"subarea\">Jerome Robbins Dance Division</span></span> <div class=\"address\"><span class=\"addressline\">New York, New York</span></div>"}
- abstract
-
{"value"=>"Martha Hill (1900-1995) was one of the most influential dance instructors of the 20th century and the first director of the Juilliard Dance Division. Janet Mansfield Soares worked with Martha Hill as a student, colleague, and teacher of dance composition at the Juilliard School. The Martha Hill research materials (1870-1995) contain personal and professional papers created by Martha Hill and compiled by Janet Soares, as well as materials created by Soares in the course of her research for her book on Martha Hill, <span class=\"title\">Martha Hill and the Making of American Dance</span>."}
- prefercite
-
{"value"=>"Martha Hill research materials, *MGZMD 264. Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts"}
- origination
-
{"value"=>"Hill, Martha, 1900-1995", "type"=>"persname"}
- bioghist
-
{"value"=>"<p>Martha Hill (1900-1995) was one of the most influential dance instructors of the 20th century and the first director of the Juilliard Dance Division. She was born in East Palestine, Ohio and attended the Battle Creek Normal School of Physical Education in Battle Creek, Michigan. After her graduation in 1920, she accepted the position of dance instructor there, teaching ballet and Swedish gymnastics. In 1923, she was hired as dance instructor at Kansas State Teachers College, remaining there until her move to New York City in 1926.</p> <p>Hill had traveled to New York to study Dalcroze eurhythmics at the Institute of Musical Art and dance technique with Anna Duncan. While in the city, she attended a Martha Graham concert - spurring Hill to take a position as Assistant Professor of Dance at the University of Oregon in 1927 to earn some money. After two years there, she returned to join Martha Graham's studio.</p> <p>In addition to dancing with the Martha Graham Dance Company, Hill began teaching high school students at the Lincoln School of Teachers College. During this time she was listed in Martha Graham dance programs as \"Martha Todd\" since it was felt her career as a professional dancer would be frowned upon since she had influence over young girls - even though she was a dance teacher.</p> <p>She was hired to teach at New York University in the Physical Education Department of the School of Education in 1930. She was compelled to leave the Martha Graham Dance Company in 1931 because of an increasingly demanding teaching schedule. In 1932, Hill began work at the brand new Bennington College in Bennington, Vermont as chairman of the Dance Department. She held positions at New York University and Bennington College simultaneously until 1951.</p> <p>In the summer of 1934, Hill initiated a summer dance festival on the Bennington College campus - the Bennington School of the Dance, which ran as a summer program until 1942. Doris Humphrey, Martha Graham, Charles Weidman, and Hanya Holm were key faculty members who spent their summers teaching and performing at Bennington. Hill was convinced that dance should be taught - and dance teachers should be taught - not as an extension of physical education departments, but as an art form.</p> <p>Hill received her Masters degree in Dance Education from New York University in 1941. In 1948 she formed a School of the Dance at Connecticut College calling it the \"Connecticut College School of the Dance\". This new summer festival hired many of the same teachers and choreographers from the Bennington School. This festival was a precursor of the American Dance Festival.</p> <p>In 1951 the president of the Juilliard School, William Schuman, hired Hill to be the school's first Director of Dance. Schuman and Hill had a bold new concept of creating a training program for dancers that would be equally split between ballet and modern dance. It was her belief that the two should not be mutually exclusive, but should be studied in tandem to produce well-rounded dancers. Hill married Dr. Thurston Davies in 1952.</p> <p>Hill remained the director of dance at Juilliard until 1985, training dozens of students. Some of these included Paul Taylor, Martha Clarke, Susan Marshall, Jenny Coogan, Robert Garland, and Stanley Love. She was named Artistic Director Emeritus in 1985, but continued to teach senior seminars at Juilliard for several years. She died at the age of 94 on November 19, 1995.</p> <p>Janet Mansfield Soares, is a dancer, choreographer, and author of <span class=\"title\">Martha Hill and the Making of American Dance</span>. She was a student, colleague, and teacher of dance composition with Martha Hill at the Juilliard School Dance Division. She is a professor emerita of dance at Barnard College, Columbia University, and lives in Tucson, Arizona, and Lyme, Connecticut.</p>"}
- scopecontent
-
{"value"=>"<p>The Martha Hill research materials (1870-1995) contain personal and professional papers created by Martha Hill and compiled by Janet Soares, as well as materials created by Soares in the course of her research for her book on Martha Hill, <span class=\"title\">Martha Hill and the Making of American Dance</span>. The Martha Hill series holds documents relating to her time as head of the Juilliard Dance Division, as well as her work with the Bennington School of the Dance. Correspondence, photographs, and subject files are also included. The Janet Soares series contains notes, correspondence, and research materials. The correspondence primarily relates to the Martha Hill Dance Fund and her research into the Davies family.</p>"}
{"value"=>"<p class='list-head'>The Martha Hill research materials are arranged in two series:</p>\n<ul class='arrangement series-descriptions'>\n<li><div class='series-title'><a href='/dan/18517#c8666'>Series I: Hill, Martha</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1870-1995</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>The Martha Hill series contains correspondence, subject files, photographs, and materials from the Bennington School of the Dance and the Juilliard Dance Division. This series is arranged into five subseries: The Bennington School of the Dance, Correspondence, Juilliard Dance Department, Photographs, and Subject Files.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/dan/18517#c8742'>Series II: Soares, Janet</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1995-2002</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>The Janet Soares series is composed of notes, correspondence, interview transcripts, and research materials. The correspondence primarily relates to the Martha Hill Dance Fund and Soares' research into the Davies family. Research materials contain photocopies of programs, articles and documents that were not included in Martha Hill's personal papers. For example, Soares had copies made of dance programs from Kansas State Teacher's College and articles from the East Palestine newspaper. Arrangement is alphabetical by subject.</p> <p>This series also contains interviews conducted by Soares for the Martha Hill book. Interviewees include Ethel Winter, Florence Sloan, Martha Hill, Sylvia and Blake Brown, Beth Mitchell, Hortense Zera, Ben Belitt, Jan Erdman, and Carl Wolz.</p> <p>Inquiries regarding audio materials in the collection may be directed to the Jerome Robbins Dance Division (dance@nypl.org). Audio/visual materials may be subject to preservation evaluation and migration prior to access.</p></div></li></ul>\n", "type"=>"arrangement"}
- arrangement
-
{"value"=>"<p>The Martha Hill research materials are organized in the following series:</p> <ul> <li>Series I: Hill, Martha, 1870-1995</li> <li>Series II: Soares, Janet, 1995-2002</li></ul>", "supress_display"=>true}
- acqinfo
-
{"value"=>"<p>Donated by Janet Soares, 2011</p>"}
- processinfo
-
{"value"=>"<p>Compiled by Lea Jordan.</p>"}
{"value"=>"<p>Collection sorted, arranged, and foldered. The collection was assembled and used for research by Janet Soares.</p>"}
- accessrestrict
-
{"value"=>"<p>To request materials, please contact the Jerome Robbins Dance Division (dance@nypl.org) in advance. Inquiries regarding audio materials in the collection may be directed to the Jerome Robbins Dance Division (dance@nypl.org). Audio/visual materials may be subject to preservation evaluation and migration prior to access.</p>"}
- userestrict
-
{"value"=>"<p>Donor retains copyright of materials. Library policy on photocopying will apply. For permission to publish, contact the Curator, Jerome Robbins Dance Division.</p>"}
- relatedmaterial
-
{"value"=>"<span class=\"archref\">Martha Hill papers, 1951-1985. Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library.</span>"}
- extent_statement
-
5.71 linear feet (14 boxes)
- date_start
-
1870
- date_end
-
2002
- date_bulk_start
-
1934
- date_bulk_end
-
1986