Scope and arrangement
The Weidman collection dates from the late 1800s to 1975, with the bulk of materials from the 1940s to the 1960s. There are some materials from his early career at the Bennington and Denishawn schools of dance. The bulk of materials are from Weidman's work in the Expression of Two Arts Theatre. He created new collaborative theatre pieces with artist Mikhail Santaro and restaged his early choreography with dancers in the group.
The collection consists primarily of black and white photographic prints, some negatives, and some paper materials, including illustrations and writing. The majority of photographic material are prints and contains one scrapbook, five rolled 35mm film strips, 120 film strips, and some 8x10 negatives. The non-photographic materials are all related to Mikhail Santaro and include programs from performances, illustrations, correspondence, and writing.
The 8x10 prints in the collection feature restaging and new productions created in the 1960s and 1970s of Weidman's work with the Expressions of Two Arts Theatre. Many of the production titles have been noted, but several photographs of productions have not been identified. The photographs feature imagery of the set, costume, and movement decisions that created his work. The choreography and pieces in this collection seem to complement and fill in the gaps of the material described in the Charles Weidman papers, the Charles Weidman papers, Additions, and the Charles Weidman School of Modern Dance Inc. records. Negatives from the 1961 performance of To Make A Form- To Give It Life are noteworthy examples of Weidman and Mikhail Santaro in the early 1960s and demonstrates the sense of collaborative and avant-garde work they were creating.
The earlier materials include documentation of some productions at the Denishawn School, including photographs of Weidman in a show Boston Fancy with fellow dancers Geordie Graham (Martha Graham's sister) and Doris Humphrey. A scrapbook from this period documents a farmhouse in New Jersey that Weidman shared with choreographers Doris Humphrey and José Limón; however, most photographs feature the interior without any people. Photographs of the Bennington School of Dance include candid photographs of students, productions, and a scrapbook of photographs and clippings.
The Mikhail Santaro materials contain a brief biography and some sketches and illustrations created in collaboration with productions created for the Expression of Two Arts Theatre. The materials are from a very abbreviated period of time and were all created in collaboration with Weidman or during his time working at the Expression of Two Arts Theatre.
The collection is arranged into two series, Charles Weidman Photographs and Mikhail Santaro papers.
The Charles Weidman collection is arranged in two series:
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1800s-1975
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1960s-1970s