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Creator
Mumaw, Barton, 1912-2001
Call number
*MGZEB 21-0019
Physical description
0.96 linear feet (4 boxes)
Language
English
Preferred Citation
Barton Mumaw photographs, *MGZEB 21-0019. 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.

Barton Mumaw (1912-2001) was an American dancer and choreographer known for his work in modern dance, musical theatre, and his collaboration with Ted Shawn. The collection contains photographs of dancers and dance performances, as well as a scrapbook of images from Mumaw's life and dance career.

Biographical/historical information

Barton Mumaw (1912-2001) was an American dancer and choreographer best known for his work with Ted Shawn. Mumaw began studying ballet as a teenager in Florida, and travelled to New York in 1930 for a summer course at the Denishawn School, which was run by Shawn and his wife, Ruth St. Denis. Mumaw returned to Florida after the course, and briefly enrolled in a music program at Rollins College, which he left in 1931 to work full-time for Shawn in exchange for tuition at Denishawn.

When Denishawn, as well as Shawn's relationship with St. Denis dissolved in 1932, Mumaw continued his artistic collaboration with Shawn, joining him on his farm in Becket, Massachusetts, which would ultimately become the site of the Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival. Mumaw was both a dancer and choreographer in Shawn's all-male touring group, Ted Shawn and His Men Dancers. The dance troupe disbanded with the start of World War II, and Mumaw embarked on a solo recital tour before serving in the military from 1942 to 1946 as an Entertainment Specialist.

After the war, Mumaw worked in musical theater, where he performed on Broadway and in touring productions of Annie Get Your Gun (1947), Oklahoma (1950), The Golden Apple (1954), and My Fair Lady (1956–1962). He also taught at the Jacob's Pillow summer dance camp, and revived a number of Shawn's works, including Kinetic Molpai for the Alvin Ailey Dance Company in 1973.

In 1986, Mumaw published his biography, Barton Mumaw, Dancer: From Denishawn to Jacob's Pillow and Beyond, in which he revealed his romantic relationship with Shawn. In subsequent years he worked on many revivals of Shawn's work including at the 1991 centennial program entitled Jacob's Pillow's Men Dancers. Mumaw moved back to Florida and died in Clearwater on June 18, 2001.

Scope and arrangement

The collection dates from the 1920s to 1960s and contains photographs of dancers affiliated with Barton Mumaw. Most of the images focus on his collaboration and career with Ted Shawn, and includes photographs from the Jacob's Pillow festival, the Denishawn School, Ted Shawn and His Men Dancers, and Ruth St. Denis. Many of the photographs have handwritten descriptions on the back, but most do not include a date. There are images of Mumaw present as well, most of which are found in his scrapbook. The photographs in the scrapbook are organized chronologically, but most do not include captions.

Administrative information

Source of acquisition

The source of acquisition is unknown.

Processing information

Processed by Heather Lember in 2021.

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