Igor Schwezoff papers

id
9615
origination
Shvetzov, Igorʹ Aleksandrovich, 1904-1982
date statement
1931-1983
key date
1931
identifier (local_mss)
18521
org unit
Jerome Robbins Dance Division
call number
*MGZMD 415
b-number
b20314766
total components
8
total series
0
max depth
1
boost queries
(none)
component layout
Default Layout
Extended MARC Fields
false
Extended Navigation
false
created
2014-10-27 19:11:59 UTC
updated
2026-06-25 15:07:55 UTC
status note
(missing)
Display Aeon link
true

Description data TOP

unitid
{"value"=>"*MGZMD 415", "type"=>"local_call"}
{"value"=>"18521", "type"=>"local_mss"}
{"value"=>"b20314766", "type"=>"local_b"}
unitdate
{"value"=>"1931-1983", "type"=>"inclusive", "normal"=>"1931/1983"}
date_inclusive_start
1931
date_inclusive_end
1983
keydate
1931
unittitle
{"value"=>"Igor Schwezoff papers"}
physdesc
{"format"=>"structured", "physdesc_components"=>[{"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"1.26 linear feet", "unit"=>"linear feet"}, {"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"3 boxes", "unit"=>"containers"}], "supress_display"=>true}
repository
{"id"=>"DAN", "value"=>"Jerome Robbins Dance Division"}
abstract
{"value"=>"Igor Schwezoff was a ballet dancer, teacher, and choreographer. The Igor Schwezoff papers date from 1931 to 1983 and contain correspondence, ballet scenarios, articles, resumes, and contracts. The collection includes material concerning Schwezoff's time in the United States army in 1942 and his work in Rio de Janeiro in the 1940s, where he was artistic director of the Theatro Municipal and founded the Ballet da Juventude. The collection also contains personal memorabilia and official documents such as citizenship papers."}
prefercite
{"value"=>"Igor Schwezoff papers, *MGZMD 415. Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts"}
origination
{"value"=>"Shvetzov, Igorʹ Aleksandrovich, 1904-1982", "type"=>"persname", "role"=>"creator"}
bioghist
{"value"=>"<p>Igor Schwezoff was a ballet dancer, teacher, and choreographer. He was born in Russia in 1904 and trained at the school of the Academic Theater of Opera and Ballet in Lengingrad. He left the Soviet Union in 1930. During the 1930s, he performed in Europe and South America, dancing with Colonel W. de Basil's Original Ballet Russe and other companies. He taught ballet in the Netherlands and in London.</p> <p>In 1935, Schwezoff published his autobiography, Borzoi. He also wrote articles about dance and the arts for publications in the United States and Europe.</p> <p>Schwezoff traveled to the United States in 1940. He was drafted into the United States Army in 1942 and honorably discharged later that same year. In 1945, he was granted American citizenship.</p> <p>He taught ballet in New York through much of the 1940s. He was artistic director at the Theatro Municipal of Rio de Janeiro in 1945, and in 1947 returned to establish a dance company, the Ballet da Juventude. His works as a choreographer included Eternal Struggle, first performed in 1940, and The Red Poppy, performed in 1943.</p> <p>In the 1960s and 1970s, Schwezoff taught at the Tachibana Ballet School in Japan and at the American Ballet Theater in Washington, DC. He continued to teach until his death in New York City in 1982.</p>"}
scopecontent
{"value"=>"<p>The Igor Schwezoff papers document his career as a dancer, teacher, and choreographer from 1931 to 1982. The bulk of the material dates from the 1930s to the 1960s. The collection contains correspondence, writings by Schwezoff, articles, ballet scenarios, contracts, press notices, and Schwezoff's resume. The collection also contains personal memorabilia and official documents such as Schwezoff's citizenship papers and passports.</p> <p>The correspondence mostly concerns Schwezoff's work in the field of dance, though personal subjects are also discussed. His writings include drafts of articles and essays about dance, as well as scenarios for ballets, untitled draft scripts, and handwritten notes. Ballet scenarios written by others are also present. The collection contains one small floor plan for a staging of The Red Poppy at the Nissei Theater.</p> <p>Material documenting Schwezoff's work in Brazil includes travel documents, letters from colleagues, articles about his work with the Theatro Municipal, and documents concerning the establishment of the Ballet da Juventude. Some of the material is in Portuguese.</p> <p>Papers related to Schwezoff's military service include official correspondence and discharge papers, as well as letters sent to the army by Schwezoff's colleagues and friends, suggesting that Schwezoff would be best-suited to morale work. The materials also include a letter Schwezoff sent to the president, in which he proposes that camp entertainments could be used to educate servicemen about art.</p> <p>Personal memorabilia in the collection include Schwezoff's artwork, photographs of unidentified people from Japan, and prize ribbons from dog shows.</p>"}
acqinfo
{"value"=>"<p>Donated by Igor Shwezoff and Helio DeSoto, 1979 and 1987.</p>"}
processinfo
{"type"=>"processing", "value"=>"<p>Compiled by <span class=\"name\">Kit Fluker</span>, <span class=\"date\">2014</span></p>"}
userestrict
{"value"=>"<p>The author/creator retains copyright of materials. For information on obtaining permission to publish, contact the Dance Division at dance@nypl.org.</p>"}
dsc_type
combined
extent_statement
1.26 linear feet (3 boxes)
date_start
1931
date_end
1983

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