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Creator
Fisher, Nellie, 1920-1994
Call number
*MGZEB 22-0012
Physical description
0.83 linear feet (2 boxes)
Language
English
Preferred Citation
Nellie Fisher photographs, *MGZEB 22-0012. 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.

Nellie Fisher was a dancer and choreographer who worked in theatre, television, and served as director of the Memphis Ballet. Her collection contains photographs depicting her dance performances and images of the works she choreographed.

Biographical/historical information

Nellie Fisher was born in Berkeley, California in 1920, and grew up in Seattle, Washington, where she was trained in ballet and modern dance.

Fisher moved to New York City in the 1930s, where she danced with the Martha Graham Dance Company until 1940. Fisher began working on her own choreography, while appearing in a number of Broadway musicals such as One Touch of Venus (1943-1944), On the Town (1944), and The Golden Apple (1954). Fisher also choreographed and danced for several television shows including Up in Central Park (1948), America Song (1947) Your Show of Shows (1950-1952), and Captain Kangaroo (1958).

During the 1960s and 1970s, Fisher directed the Memphis Civic Ballet, and choreographed The Littlest Circus, a touring production for children. Fisher returned to Seattle in the 1980s, where she worked with her sister, Dorothy Fisher, who was also a dance teacher and choreographer.

Nellie Fisher died in Edmonds, Washington in 1994.

Scope and arrangement

The collection dates from 1939 to 1980, and consists of photographs depicting Fisher's career as a dancer and choreographer. The photographs are arranged alphabetically by title, dancer name, or company, and primarily depict performances by Fisher or productions she choreographed. Productions featuring Fisher include Dance of Caprice, Four Comments, The Golden Apple, On The Town, One Touch of Venus, Promised Valley, Up In Central Park, and Your Show of Shows. Performances choreographed by Fisher include Anything Goes, Brigadoon, Dance Panels, The Entertainers, Firebird, Guys and Dolls, Hello World, Kiss Me Kate, Littlest Circus, Masquerade, Peter and the Wolf, Songs Along the River, and South Pacific. There is also an assortment of headshots from individuals with whom Fisher collaborated. Many of those photographs include inscriptions to Fisher.

Administrative information

Source of acquisition

Donated by Nellie Fisher in 1991.

Processing information

Processed by Heather Lember in 2022.

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