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Creator
Gina, Srimathi
Call number
(S)*MGZMD 307; (S) *MGZMD 307
Physical description
1.93 linear feet (5 boxes)
Preferred Citation
Srimathi Gina papers, (S)*MGZMD 307. Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
Repository
Jerome Robbins Dance Division
Access to materials
Request an in-person research appointment.Restrictions apply

The Srimathi Gina papers document Srimathi Gina’s studies, choreography, performances, and teachings in Indian classical dance from approximately 1935 to 1980. One of two women to graduate from St. John’s Law School in New York City in 1929, Jewish-American Gina Blau left her law practice to study Indian classical dance in the 1930s, eventually becoming a master performer and teacher in the United States, performing under the name of Srimathi Gina. Materials include in-depth notes on Indian classical dance and Indian culture; programs; costume and scenic directions; casting notes; professional correspondence; a typed memoir of travels to India; and photographs, prints, and other images.

Biographical/historical information

Srimathi Gina was the performance name of Gina Blau (1906-1998), a Jewish-American dancer who was an early exponent of Indian Classical Dance in the United States. Earlier in her life, Gina had studied modern dance under Pearl Primus, Jean Erdman, and Eleanor King. She was also one of two women to graduate from St. John’s Law School in New York City in 1929, but left her law practice in the 1930s to study Indian Classical Dance with Phupesh Guha. During the 1940s, she performed first with the dance troupe of the American dance ethnologist La Meri, and then with the Indian classical dancer Ragani Devi in New York.

From 1954 to 1955, Gina traveled to India to study Indian Classical Dance as well as the Tamil language. She first studied Bharatya Natyam with Guru Chockalingam Pillai in Madras, and then Kathakali with Guru Ravunni Nair in Malabar.

Gina then toured and performed around the United States as Srimathi Gina, and taught Indian Classical Dance in New York and elsewhere, including at colleges, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, and the Eugene O’Neill National Theater for the Deaf. Gina was given the title of Natyakala Bushanam (Jewel of the Dance) by the Indian Institute of Fine Arts in Madras; she was the first non-Indian to receive the title.

Scope and arrangement

The Srimathi Gina papers consist of materials created and collected by Srimathi Gina during the course of her studies, performances, and teachings of Indian Classical Dance, from approximately 1935 to 1980. Materials include in-depth notes on different styles of Indian classical dance (with illustrations and descriptions of dance movements and rhythms); definitions of Hindu and Buddhist terms; Indian stories and myths; performance and lecture-demonstration notes; programs; costume and scenic directions; casting notes; professional correspondence; a typed memoir of her travels to India; and photographs, prints, and other images.

The collection also contains a reel-to-reel tape labeled "Interview Nala [Najam] with Gina re: Bombay." Inquiries regarding audio materials in the collection may be directed to the Jerome Robbins Dance Division. Audio/visual materials may be subject to preservation evaluation and migration prior to access.

Arrangement

Folders are arranged alphabetically by genre.

Administrative information

Source of acquisition

Donated by Ann Aviles, April 1998.

Revision History

Finding aid was updated by Robyn Hjermstad to reflect folder order and titles. (November 2, 2018)

Processing information

Compiled by Katie Daniels, St. John’s University, 2013, 2013.

At the time of processing there was no significant order to the papers. The documents have been placed into new folders, and then grouped alphabetically by genre. In 1980, Gina Blau donated photographs, programs, scrapbooks, and other materials to the Dance Division, The New York Public Library. These materials are cataloged separately.

Using the collection

Location

Jerome Robbins Dance Division
New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center
40 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY 10023-7498
Third Floor

Conditions Governing Use

Donor retains copyright of materials. Library policy on photocopying will apply. For permission to publish, contact the Curator, Jerome Robbins Dance Division.

Access restrictions

To request materials, 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. Audio/visual materials may be subject to preservation evaluation and migration prior to access.