- physdesc
-
{"format"=>"structured", "physdesc_components"=>[{"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"21.5 linear ft.", "unit"=>"linear feet"}, {"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"41 boxes", "unit"=>"containers"}], "supress_display"=>true}
- unitid
-
{"value"=>"*MGZMD 145", "type"=>"local_call"}
{"value"=>"19789", "type"=>"local_mss"}
- unitdate
-
{"value"=>"1942-1993", "type"=>"inclusive", "normal"=>"1942/1993"}
- date_inclusive_start
-
1942
- date_inclusive_end
-
1993
- keydate
-
1942
- unittitle
-
{"value"=>"Selma Jeanne Cohen papers"}
- repository
-
{"value"=>"<span class=\"corpname\">The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. <span class=\"subarea\">Jerome Robbins Dance Division.</span></span> <div class=\"address\"> <span class=\"addressline\">New York, New York</span></div>"}
- abstract
-
{"value"=>"The Selma Jeanne Cohen papers document the academic life and career of a renowned historian and critic of dance and theater. The papers contain professional correspondence, materials from Cohen’s teaching career, documentation of the many conferences of scholarly groups attended throughout her career as well as research used in writing books and articles on dance and theater."}
- prefercite
-
{"value"=>"Selma Jeanne Cohen papers, *MGZMD 145. Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts"}
- origination
-
{"value"=>"Cohen, Selma Jeanne, 1920-2005", "type"=>"persname"}
- bioghist
-
{"value"=>"<p>Selma Jeanne Cohen was born in Chicago, IL in 1920. She received an A.A. degree from Stephens College and an A.B., M.A., and Ph.D. (in English) from the University of Chicago. Cohen was the only child of Frank and Minnie Cohen. Her interest in dance began early in her life, but her lack of natural talent turned her away from dancing to the study of the history of dance. In the late 1940s, after earning her doctorate in English Literature, she took her first teaching assignment at University of California at Los Angeles. She remained a teacher and lecturer throughout the 1950s and began publishing articles on the history of dance and theater in scholarly journals. Cohen took a position at the High School of the Performing Arts in New York in the 1950s. Cohen co-founded the <span class=\"title\">Dance Perspectives</span> quarterly journal in 1959. One of the first journals dedicated to international dance history, Dance Perspectives became a respected publication with Cohen as its editor from 1966-1976. During these same years Cohen authored her three major books, <span class=\"title\">Modern Dance: Seven Statements of Belief</span> in 1966, <span class=\"title\">Doris Humphrey: An Artist First</span> in 1972 and <span class=\"title\">Dance as a Theater Art</span> in 1974. She also authored articles in numerous publications, journals, encyclopedias, and anthologies. Cohen’s work with her Dance Perspectives Foundation culminated in her editing and compiling the <span class=\"title\">International Dance Encyclopedia</span>, a six volume, 4,000 page compendium published by the Oxford University Press in 1998. Cohen spent much of the 1960s teaching at the Connecticut College Dance Department, eventually becoming Founder-Director of the Connecticut College American Dance Festival Critics' Conferences in 1970-1972. Cohen held positions at Smith College and lectured for the Five College, Incorporated. In the 1970’s, Cohen held graduate seminars at Sarah Lawrence College and University of Chicago on dance history. She was Founder-Director of the University of Chicago Seminars in Dance History (1974-1976), a three-week course which was the first intensive seminar on dance history. Cohen also worked to development a dance history curriculum at University of California Riverside. Among the awards and honors received by Cohen have been a Rockefeller Foundation Research Grant (1969), the Professional Achievement Award, University of Chicago (1974), the American Dance Guild Award (1976), and the Dance Magazine Award (1981). She was a charter member of the Dance Panel of the National Endowment for the Arts (1966-1971).</p>"}
- scopecontent
-
{"value"=>"<p>The Selma Jeanne Cohen papers contain documents from the 1940s to the 1990s, and cover the academic and professional career of the distinguished dance historian and author. The collection is divided into five series: Correspondence, Writings, Teaching Materials, Conference and Travel. The earliest correspondence includes letters to and from Cohen while she was a doctoral student at University of Chicago. Correspondence dealing with Cohen’s journal <span class=\"title\">Dance Perspectives</span> and <span class=\"title\">International Encyclopedia of Dance</span> are also held in this series. Cohen’s affiliation with the Wesleyan University Press, which published her books, <span class=\"title\">Modern Dance</span> and <span class=\"title\"> Doris Humphrey, An Artist First</span> is represented in the correspondence. The writings series includes published and unpublished manuscripts, reviews and small articles by Cohen and others. Research notes and drafts for Cohen’s biography of Doris Humphrey are included in this series. The teaching materials include lecture notes, student work and organizational materials for most of Cohen’s academic positions from the 1960 to 1976. The conference series documents Cohen’s professional activities in various academic fields including the history of aesthetics, theater, dance and literature. The conference series reflects Cohen’s international interests and includes materials from conferences Cohen attended Canada, France, Finland, Germany, Russia and Sweden. Cohen visited with scholars and dance groups around the world and materials from these travels are included in the final series, Travel.</p>"}
{"value"=>"<p class='list-head'>The Selma Jeanne Cohen papers are arranged in five series:</p>\n<ul class='arrangement series-descriptions'>\n<li><div class='series-title'><a href='/dan/19789#c387314'>Series I: Correspondence, 1942 - 1993, and</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>undated</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>22 boxes</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>The correspondence is mostly of a professional nature concerning Cohen’s academic work from the 1960s until the 1980s. It contains correspondence with organizations and individuals. Documents from <span class=\"title\">Dance Perspectives</span> journal, as well as the <span class=\"title\">International Encyclopedia of Dance</span> are also included. Notable people included in the Dance Perspectives correspondence are Pauline Koner, Charles Weidman and Merce Cunningham.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/dan/19789#c387803'>Series II: Writings,, and</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>undated</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>2 boxes</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>The writings span a wide range of themes and dates, and contain articles written both by Cohen and other authors. The series contains original manuscripts as well as printed and published materials from various scholarly journals. Also included are research notes, drafts and other materials used by Cohen in writing her book <span class=\"title\">Doris Humphrey, An Artist First.</span></p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/dan/19789#c387831'>Series III: Teaching Materials</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1949 - 1992</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>6 boxes</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>The teaching materials date from the beginning of Cohen’s teaching career as a doctoral student at University of Chicago to the end of her career as a lecturer and professor in the early 1990s. Her work in developing dance history curriculum at institutions of higher education is well documented. Files such as class lists, lecture notes and student work are also included in this series.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/dan/19789#c387907'>Series IV: Conferences,, and</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>undated</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>10 boxes</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>Conferences played a large role in the work and life of Cohen. As a member of several scholarly associations promoting the academic pursuits of dance, dance history, choreography, theater and literature Cohen attended many conferences. Event programs, academic presentations and correspondence regarding the planning of meetings make up the bulk of this series.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/dan/19789#c388031'>Series V: Travel,, and</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>undated</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>1 box</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>This series includes documents collected from Cohen’s travels of the world and work with international dance groups. Cohen worked with dance groups in Russia and Germany and much of the material comes from her time spent in Uzbekistan and Berlin.</p></div></li></ul>\n", "type"=>"arrangement"}
- arrangement
-
{"value"=>"<p> <ul> <li>Series I: Correspondence,1942-1993, and undated</li> <li>Series II: Writings, 1959-1990, and undated</li> <li>Series III: Teaching Materials, 1949-1990</li> <li>Series IV: Conferences, 1949-1992, and undated</li> <li>Series V: Travel, 1965-1992, and undated</li></ul></p>", "supress_display"=>true}
- acqinfo
-
{"value"=>"<p>Selma Jeanne Cohen Papers were donated to the Jerome Robbins Dance Division in 1994 by Selma Jeanne Cohen.</p>"}
- userestrict
-
{"value"=>"<p>For permission to publish, contact the Curator, Jerome Robbins Dance Division.</p>"}
- relatedmaterial
-
{"value"=>"<p>Related material can be found in the Selma Jeanne Cohen International Encyclopedia of Dance records</p>"}
- langmaterial
-
{"value"=>"English"}
- processinfo
-
{"value"=>"<p>Processed by Thomas Lannon; Machine-readable finding aid created by Thomas Lannon.</p>"}
- extent_statement
-
21.5 linear feet (41 boxes)
- date_start
-
1942
- date_end
-
1993