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Creator
Reed, Janet, 1916-2000
Call number
(S) *MGZMD 379
Physical description
.21 linear feet (1 box)
Preferred Citation

Janet Reed papers, (S) *MGZMD 379. Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library.

Repository
Jerome Robbins Dance Division
Access to materials
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Janet Reed (1916-2000) was a ballet dancer and teacher. The Janet Reed papers date from 1934 to 1998 and contain correspondence, writings, photographs, and printed material.

Biographical/historical information

Janet Reed (1916-2000) was a ballet dancer and teacher. She danced with San Francisco Ballet from 1937 to 1941, Ballet Theatre from 1942 to 1949, and New York City Ballet from 1949 to 1958. She was part of the original cast of Jerome Robbins' ballet, Fancy Free (1944), and also had a role in the Broadway musical Look, Ma, I'm Dancing! (1948). After retiring from dancing, Reed taught ballet. She was ballet mistress of the New York City Ballet from 1959 to 1964. She died in Seattle.

Scope and arrangement

The Janet Reed papers date from 1934 to 1998 and contain correspondence, writings, photographs, and printed material.

The collection contains a small number of letters from Reed's colleagues and associates, dating from 1974 to 1986, discussing personal and professional matters. These include several letters from Lincoln Kirstein and individual letters from Hugh Laing, Melissa Hayden, and Ann Barzel. Two letters written by Reed to her mother, dated 1939 and 1949, are present. The former discusses Reed's experiences on tour, and the latter was written during a visit to Paris. Reed's writings consist of reminisces about her childhood, touring during World War II, and other topics.

Photographs are mostly promotional images dating to the 1940s and 1950s. Printed material in the collection consists of ballet programs, theater programs, event programs, and clippings. Ballet programs date from 1945 to 1975; only some feature Janet Reed.

Administrative information

Source of acquisition

Donated by Jane Erskine, Janet Reed's daughter, in 2009.

Processing information

Compiled by Kit Fluker, 2014

Key terms

Occupations

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

The author/creator retains copyright of materials. For information on obtaining permission to publish, contact the Dance Division at dance@nypl.org.