- physdesc
-
{"format"=>"structured", "physdesc_components"=>[{"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"6 linear feet", "unit"=>"linear feet"}, {"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"9 boxes", "unit"=>"containers"}], "supress_display"=>true}
- unitid
-
{"value"=>"*MGZMD 211", "type"=>"local_call"}
{"value"=>"19848", "type"=>"local_mss"}
- unitdate
-
{"value"=>"1944-1974", "type"=>"inclusive", "normal"=>"1944/1974"}
- date_inclusive_start
-
1944
- date_inclusive_end
-
1974
- keydate
-
1944
- unittitle
-
{"value"=>"Merry-Go-Rounders records"}
- repository
-
{"value"=>"<span class=\"corpname\">The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.</span> <span class=\"subarea\">Jerome Robbins Dance Division.</span> <div class=\"address\"><span class=\"addressline\">New York, New York</span></div>"}
- abstract
-
{"value"=>"The Merry-Go-Rounders Records follow the activities of the Merry-Go-Rounders children’s theater group from 1944 to 1974. This collection includes administration files, production materials, music scores, and photographs of the Merry-Go-Rounders. The majority of content consists of materials from the company’s productions. Notable productions are <span class=\"title\">Ballet Charades</span>, <span class=\"title\">Dr. Fasolati’s Dilemma,</span><span class=\"title\">The Goops,</span><span class=\"title\">A Love for Three Oranges,</span> and <span class=\"title\">The Snow Queen.</span>"}
- prefercite
-
{"value"=>"Merry-Go-Rounders records, *MGZMD 211. Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts"}
- origination
-
{"value"=>"Merry-Go-Rounders (Company)", "type"=>"corpname"}
- bioghist
-
{"value"=>"<p> The Merry-Go-Rounders were established in November 1952 as a non-profit children’s dance and theater group to perform educational dance performances. From the beginning they were multicultural, which was reflected in the performances and the audiences. The Merry-Go-Rounders were founded by a number of faculty and teachers at the Children’s Dance Department of the 92nd Street Young Men’s Hebrew Association (YMHA), which sponsored the Merry-Go-Rounders from 1952 - 1961. Doris Humphrey was the artistic director for The Merry-Go-Rounders from the beginning. Choreographers for the Merry-Go-Rounders have included Eva Desca, Geoffrey Holder, Lucas Hoving, Lucy Venable, and John Wilson.</p> <p>The repertoire from 1952 to 1964 included <span class=\"title\">Celestial Elephant</span>, <span class=\"title\">Dr. Fasolati’s Dilemma</span>, <span class=\"title\">The Goops</span>, <span class=\"title\">A Love for Three Oranges</span>, <span class=\"title\">Weather or Not</span>, and <span class=\"title\">1-2-3 Follow Me</span>. According to the administrative records, the performances were 40 to 45 minutes, and were usually kept to three production pieces, with one of the production pieces reserved for new works.</p> <p>The Merry-Go-Rounders operated as an independent dance company from 1961 to 1968. Although they primarily performed in the New York City greater metropolitan area, they also performed in such places as North Carolina, Michigan, and Pennsylvania.</p> <p>In 1967 the Merry-Go-Rounders received the Jennie Heiden Award for Creative Effectiveness. By 1968, their repertoire included new works such as <span class=\"title\">I Can Dance Too!</span>, <span class=\"title\">The Comedians</span>, <span class=\"title\">Harrison Loved His Umbrella,</span><span class=\"title\"> Caribbean Holiday</span>, <span class=\"title\">Dirty Air is Everywhere</span>, and <span class=\"title\">On The Turtle’s Back</span>.</p> <p>From 1968 to about 1974 the Merry-Go-Rounders were operated under the Center for Modern Dance Education (CMDE) with a new cast and administrative crew including Artistic Director Shirley Ubell and Director Irene Poltis. Under CMDE the Merry-Go-Rounders also held dance classes for children. By the early 1970’s <span class=\"title\">Dirty Air is Everywhere</span> had become one of the most popular production pieces and was highly regarded for its educational value. After 1974 the Merry-Go-Rounders were disbanded.</p>"}
- scopecontent
-
{"value"=>"<p> The Merry-Go-Rounders Records follow the Merry-Go-Rounders from 1952, when they were founded and sponsored by the 92nd Street Young Men’s Hebrew Association, until their 1974 performances before they were disbanded.</p> <p>The collection contains primarily administrative files with information on the Merry-Go-Rounders’ finances, publicity, and organizational structure, as well as production materials, arranged by individual production and containing scripts with annotations in many revisions of the same production. There are also production notes detailing choreography movements, as well as costume sketches. The music scores, like the production scripts, also exist in many revisions with annotations. The collection also includes several photographs that follow the Merry-Go-Rounders from 1952 to 1964, and are mostly of the performers on stage, back stage, rehearsing, and of audiences. The oversized photographs contain many contact sheets of the same photographs in the photographs series.</p>"}
{"value"=>"<p class='list-head'>The Merry-Go-Rounders records are arranged in five series:</p>\n<ul class='arrangement series-descriptions'>\n<li><div class='series-title'><a href='/dan/19848#c416988'>Series I: Administration,</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1955 - 1974</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>1 box</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>This series contains administrative documents of the Merry-Go-Rounders Production Company. It includes bookings, lists of company members, costumes, financial statements, meetings, publicity, and sketches with handwritten notes. Publicity makes up the bulk of the series and includes many flyers and news releases of the Merry-Go-Rounders performances.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/dan/19848#c417015'>Series II: Production materials,</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1944 - 1963</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>3 boxes</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>This series contains documents related to the individual production pieces performed by the Merry-Go-Rounders. The bulk of the items include scripts with many revisions, as with <span class=\"title\">Dr. Fasolati’s Dilemma</span>. Other contents of this series include production notes, drawings and costume sketches. In this collection it should also be noted that <span class=\"title\">Dr. Fasolati’s Dilemma</span> and <span class=\"title\">Music Please</span> are the same production piece.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/dan/19848#c417071'>Series III: Music scores</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>undated</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>2 boxes</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>This series contains the music score sheets of several of the productions, with scores by Robert de Cormier, Norman Curtis, Beatrice Rainer, F.J. Hayden, William Mayer, and John Wilson. Choreographers include Eva Desca, and Lucy Venable. There is also a transcription of <span class=\"title\">…ing</span> by Paul Spong. The score sheets are in various stages of the composition process with annotations.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/dan/19848#c417091'>Series IV: Photographs, and</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1952 - 1964</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>2 boxes</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>This series contains photographs of many of the Merry-Go-Rounders productions in performance, rehearsal, as well as audience reactions. Photographers include Albert Fenn, Nat Finkelstein, Lionel Freedman, Eugene Green, Helen Schoenberg, Camall Siskind, Sam Vandivert, and Matthew Wysocki. If cast and production members were identified in the photographs, then their names were also added in the folder note. Most of the photographs are approximately 8 X 10 inch black and white.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/dan/19848#c417127'>Series V: Oversized photographs</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1953 - 1961,</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>1 box</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>This series contains oversized photographs and contact sheets. The contact sheets are of 2 1/4 inch frame negatives, stapled to cardboard with notes detailing the frame image description and frame number. Not all the contact sheets are complete and frequently missing frames. There are also several prints larger than 8 X 10 inches. Production, photographer, and cast credits are listed on the folder note when possible.</p></div></li></ul>\n", "type"=>"arrangement"}
- arrangement
-
{"value"=>"<p> <ul> <li>Series I: Administration files, 1955 - 1974, undated</li> <li>Series II: Production materials, 1944 - 1964, undated</li> <li>Series III: Music scores, 1963, undated</li> <li>Series IV: Photographs, 1952 - 1964, undated</li> <li>Series V: Oversized photographs, 1953 - 1961, undated</li></ul></p>", "supress_display"=>true}
- acqinfo
-
{"value"=>"<p> The Merry-Go-Rounders Records were donated to the Jerome Robbins Dance Division in 1993.</p>"}
- userestrict
-
{"value"=>"<p>For permission to publish, contact the Curator, Jerome Robbins Dance Division.</p>"}
- relatedmaterial
-
{"value"=>"<p>Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts</p>"}
- processinfo
-
{"value"=>"<p>Processed by Roland Clark; Machine-readable finding aid created by Roland Clark.</p>"}
- extent_statement
-
6 linear feet (9 boxes)
- date_start
-
1944
- date_end
-
1974