Papers on Afro-American social dance

id
4401
origination
Dehn, Mura, 1902-1987
date statement
circa 1869-1987
key date
1869
identifier (local_mss)
19853
org unit
Jerome Robbins Dance Division
call number
*MGZMD 72
b-number
b16805427
total components
315
total series
0
max depth
N/A
boost queries
(none)
component layout
Default Layout
Extended MARC Fields
false
Extended Navigation
false
created
2013-04-01 15:05:02 UTC
updated
2026-06-25 15:07:55 UTC
status note
(missing)
Display Aeon link
true

Description data TOP

physdesc
{"format"=>"structured", "physdesc_components"=>[{"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"24 document boxes 2,533 items in 327 folders", "unit"=>"containers"}], "supress_display"=>true}
unitid
{"value"=>"*MGZMD 72", "type"=>"local_call"}
{"value"=>"19853", "type"=>"local_mss"}
unitdate
{"value"=>"circa 1869-1987", "type"=>"inclusive", "certainty"=>"approximate", "normal"=>"1869/1987"}
unittitle
{"value"=>"Papers on Afro-American social dance"}
repository
{"value"=>"The <span class=\"corpname\">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 <span class=\"persname\">Mura Dehn</span> Collection documents <span class=\"persname\">Mura Dehn's</span> professional life as dancer, choreographer, scholar and filmmaker, and to a lesser degree, her personal life through notebooks, poetry and correspondence. Most important are the research notes and drafts of her many scholarly writings on the development of Afro-American social dance in this country."}
prefercite
{"value"=>"Papers on Afro-American social dance, *MGZMD 72. Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts"}
origination
{"value"=>"Dehn, Mura, 1902-1987", "type"=>"persname"}
bioghist
{"value"=>"<p>Mura Dehn, born in 1902 in Odessa, Russia, is most widely known for her study and documentation of Afro-American social dances in the United States, epitomized by her film “The Spirit Moves”.</p> <p>While studying and performing modern dance in Europe in the 1920's, she was exposed to jazz dance and moved to New York in 1930 to pursue her interest. In New York, she performed, taught and choreographed (often with her partner, Roger Pryor Dodge) and eventually formed a company with James Berry to promote jazz dancing. The Traditional Jazz Dance Company (or Jazz Dance Theatre) toured widely in the United States, and in 1969 was sponsored by the State Department on a tour of Africa. Throughout her career, she wrote and spoke on the development of Afro-American social dance and in her later years was working on a film of breakdancers to supplement “The Spirit Moves”.</p> <p>She was married to the painter Adolf Dehn in 1926 (divorced in 1931), and later to Herman Thomas (“Dutch”), a retired Merchant Marine captain, who died in 1982. Mura Dehn died in New York in February, 1987.</p>"}
scopecontent
{"value"=>"<p>The <span class=\"persname\">Mura Dehn</span> Collection documents <span class=\"persname\">Mura Dehn's</span> professional life as dancer, choreographer, scholar and filmmaker, and to a lesser degree, her personal life through notebooks, poetry and correspondence. Most important are the research notes and drafts of her many scholarly writings on the development of Afro-American social dance in this country.|||In the first series, notes and articles directly related to chapters of an unpublished manuscript (“The Spirit Moves”, Dance Collection classmark *MGZMB-Res. 87-205), are separated from other writings on Afro-American dance which are arranged in historic chronological order. Many items in this sub-series though may easily relate to “The Spirit Moves” manuscript or other uncompleted manuscripts. Another division of this subseries relates to <span class=\"persname\">James Berry</span>, whose close personal and professional relationship with <span class=\"persname\">Mura Dehn</span> is documented repeatedly throughout the Collection.|||Series II and Series III both contain personal writings, possibly the most interesting of which are the many poems written by <span class=\"persname\">Mura Dehn</span>. The many notebooks of Series III combine research notes with personal writings in a haphazard manner, and are largely undated and unsortable by topic.|||The correspondence of Series IV includes letters documenting the acclaim given to her film “The Spirit Moves”, and many letters from her brother, <span class=\"persname\">Boris Tsiperovich</span>. Her father, <span class=\"persname\">David Tsiperovich</span> is represented in the fifth series by family documents dating to his career as an engineer in Russia, c.1869.|||Of the remaining series, notable elements include scenarios for dances (Series VI), proposals for a film on Israeli dancing (Series VII), an article by <span class=\"persname\">Roger Pryor Dodge</span> on jazz dance (Series XII), and the strangely compelling writings of an unidentified person describing dreams and insanity (Series XII).|||Separated from the Collection are many clippings, programs and photographs documenting <span class=\"persname\">Mura Dehn's</span> career and that of her company, the Traditional Jazz Dance Company.</p>"}
{"value"=>"<p class='list-head'>The Papers on Afro-American social dance is arranged in eighteen series:</p>\n<ul class='arrangement series-descriptions'>\n<li><div class='series-title'><a href='/dan/19853#c418622'>I. Scholarly Writings</a></div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>In the first series, notes and articles directly related to chapters of an unpublished manuscript (“The Spirit Moves”, Dance Collection classmark *MGZMB-Res. 87-205), are separated from other writings on Afro-American dance which are arranged in historic chronological order. Many items in this sub-series though may easily relate to <span class=\"title\">“The Spirit Moves”</span>manuscript or other uncompleted manuscripts. Another division of this subseries relates to <span class=\"persname\">James Berry</span>, whose close personal and professional relationship with <span class=\"persname\">Mura Dehn</span> is documented repeatedly throughout the Collection.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/dan/19853#c418767'>II. Personal Writings</a></div>\n<div class='series-extent'>126 items, 8 folders</div>\n</li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/dan/19853#c418773'>III. Notebooks</a></div>\n<div class='series-extent'>132 items, 11 boxes</div>\n</li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/dan/19853#c418776'>IV. Correspondence</a></div>\n</li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/dan/19853#c418831'>V. Biographical Materials</a></div>\n</li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/dan/19853#c418846'>VI. Choreography and Teaching Materials</a></div>\n</li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/dan/19853#c418858'>VII. Proposals</a></div>\n</li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/dan/19853#c418862'>VIII. Company Business</a></div>\n</li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/dan/19853#c418867'>IX. Press and Promotional Materials</a></div>\n</li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/dan/19853#c418872'>X. Materials related to The Spirit Moves (film)</a></div>\n</li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/dan/19853#c418876'>XI. Grant Applications</a></div>\n<div class='series-extent'>18 Items</div>\n</li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/dan/19853#c418877'>XII. Writings by others</a></div>\n</li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/dan/19853#c418886'>XIII. Artwork</a></div>\n</li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/dan/19853#c418891'>XIV. Memorabilia</a></div>\n</li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/dan/19853#c418898'>XV. Miscellany</a></div>\n</li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/dan/19853#c418906'>XVI. Clippings</a></div>\n<div class='series-extent'>5 Items</div>\n</li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/dan/19853#c418907'>XVII. Programs</a></div>\n</li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/dan/19853#c418917'>XVIII. Photographs</a></div>\n</li></ul>\n", "type"=>"arrangement"}
arrangement
{"value"=>"<ul> <li>I. Scholarly Writings <ul> <li>A. Annoted copies of drafts of chapters from <span class=\"title\">The Spirit Moves</span></li> <li>B. Articles and research notes on Afro-American dance</li> <li>C. Other articles and research notes</li></ul></li> <li>II. Personal Writings</li> <li>III. Notebooks</li> <li>IV. Correspondence <ul> <li>A. Outgoing Business</li> <li>B. Incoming Business</li> <li>C. Outgoing Personal</li> <li>D. Incoming Personal</li> <li>E. Outgoing Holiday Cards</li> <li>F. Incoming Holiday Cards</li> <li>G. Other Correspondence</li> <li>H. Addresses, Business Cards</li> <li>I. Empty Envelopes</li></ul></li> <li>V. Biographical Materials <ul> <li>A. Family Documents</li> <li>B. Vitae</li> <li>C. Interview Transcripts</li> <li>D. Draft of Will</li></ul></li> <li>VI. Choreography and Teaching Material <ul> <li>A. Dance Scenarios</li> <li>B. Course and Lecture/Demonstration Descriptions</li> <li>C. Lecture Notes</li> <li>D. Performance Notes</li></ul></li> <li>VII. Proposals</li> <li>VIII. Company Business</li> <li>IX. Press and Promotional Materials</li> <li>X. Material related to the <span class=\"title\">The Spirit Moves</span></li> <li>XI. Grant Applications</li> <li>XII. Writings by Others</li> <li>XIII. Artwork</li> <li>XIV. Memorabilia</li> <li>XV. Miscellany</li> <li>XVI. Clippings</li> <li>XVII. Programs</li> <li>XVIII. <ul> <li>A. Xeroxes of Photographs</li> <li>B. Mura Dehn - Personal</li> <li>C. Mura Dehn - Professional</li></ul></li></ul>", "supress_display"=>true}
acqinfo
{"value"=>"<p>Gift. Estate of Mura Dehn. Received: August 1987.</p>"}
separatedmaterial
{"value"=>"<p>The following items were received with the original gift but have been separated from the manuscript collection. The current location of these items (as of May 30, 1991) is indicated.</p> <ul> <li>Color poster for Jazz Dance Theater, in French - Location: in uncataloged poster collection</li> <li>B/w poster for Jazz Dance Theater, possibly Aramaic - Location: in uncataloged poster collection</li> <li>Two scrapbooks - Location: *MGZRS 91-9612, vols. 1,2</li> <li>YM-YWHA Course Bulletin, 1951-52 - Location: *MGZB</li> <li>Reel-to-reel audio cassette, Mura Dehn interviewing two musicians - Location: in process</li> <li>Programs - Location: *MGZB (in process)</li> <li>Clippings - Location: *MGZR (in process)</li> <li>Photographs - Location: *MGZE/MGZEA (in process)</li></ul> <p>The following items have been given to the Music Division:</p> <ul> <li> <span class=\"title\">Jazz Record,</span>February, 1947, no.52, “A Few Words About Dancing”, Mura Dehn (xeroxed article in Mura Dehn Collection)</li> <li> <span class=\"title\">Jazz Monthly,</span>May, 1956, vol.2, no.3, “Tallahassee Market Woman”, Mura Dehn (xeroxed article in Mura Dehn Collection)</li> <li> <span class=\"title\">Jazz Hot,</span>Octobre 1952, no.70, “Introduction au `Gospel Singing' ”, Mura Dehn (xeroxed article in Mura Dehn Collection)</li> <li> <span class=\"title\">Jazz Hot,</span>Novembre 1978, 44e annee, no 355, “Harlem Jazz Dance”, Mura Dehn with James Berry (xeroxed article in Mura Dehn Collection)</li></ul> <p>The following items have been given to the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture:</p> <ul> <li> Large box of duplicate items</li></ul> <p>The following items are duplicates of items already in the Dance Collection:</p> <ul> <li> von Delius, Rudolf, <span class=\"title\">Mary Wigman.</span>Dresden, Carl Reissner, 1925. Duplicate of *MGYB (Wigman)</li> <li> <span class=\"title\">The Record Changer,</span>vol.14, no.3, “Jazz: Its Rise and Decline,” Roger Pryor Dodge. Duplicate in *MGZR (Dodge)</li> <li> <span class=\"title\">Dance Scope,</span>Fall/Winter, 1976/77, vol.11, no.1, four copies, “Jazz Profound” by James Berry. Duplicate in *ZAN-*MD10 <span class=\"title\">Dance Scope</span></li></ul>"}
date_inclusive_start
1869
date_inclusive_end
1987
langmaterial_code
rus
eng
keydate
1869
langmaterial
{"value"=>"Some letters and documents in Russian"}
{"value"=>"English"}
processinfo
{"value"=>"<p>Processed by Sally Bomer, with Mary Jane.</p>"}
extent_statement
24 document boxes 2,533 items in 327 folders
date_start
1869
date_end
1987

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