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Creator
Bird, Dorothy, 1912-1996
Call number
*MGZMD 571
Physical description
3.58 linear feet (9 boxes). 63 audio recordings. 1 moving image recording
Language
English
Preferred Citation
Dorothy Bird papers, *MGZMD 571. 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

Dorothy Bird (1913–1996) was a dancer with the Martha Graham Dance Company, a performer on Broadway, and a teacher of the Graham technique. Her papers provide a record of her career, containing audio recordings, an autobiography manuscript and notes, memorabilia, and correspondence.

Biographical/historical information

Dorothy Bird, born in 1913 on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, was an early member of the fledgling Martha Graham Dance Company, Broadway dancer, and notable teacher of modern dance and the Graham technique.

In 1930, Bird enrolled in the Cornish School in Seattle to study dance under Martha Graham. The next year, Bird moved to New York to dance with Graham's company and study at the Neighborhood Playhouse. Bird debuted in Graham's Primitive Mysteries and was also featured in dances such as Panorama and Chronicles. After spending six years with the group, Bird parted ways from Graham in 1937 to pursue a career on Broadway. For a decade, Bird performed in musicals, including Lady in the Dark, and provided entertainment at summer resorts with the Limón Trio until the late 1940s.

Bird was also an accomplished teacher for twenty-five years. She taught modern dance and the Graham technique at Neighborhood Playhouse, the School of American Ballet, 92nd Street Y, and New York University. Bird died in 1996 in New Hampshire at the age of 84.

Scope and arrangement

The Dorothy Bird papers, spanning from 1930 to 2015, represent the professional and personal life of the modern dancer and teacher. The collection holds a range of materials, such as audio recordings, correspondence, handwritten notes, and publications.

Many of the audio recordings in the collection served as the basis for Bird's autobiography Bird's Eye View: Dancing with Martha Graham and on Broadway. These recordings cover topics such as Martha Graham's techniques and dance company, as well as modern dance in the 1930s, and various artists and choreographers. The collection also contains recordings of interviews, lectures, and workshops.

The correspondence, dating from the 1930s to 1994, includes letters from dance world figures such as Ruthanna Boris, Arlene Croce, Agnes de Mille, Martha Graham, Pauline Limón, Doris Humphrey, John Martin, Herbert Ross, and Anna Sokolow.

Bird's extensive handwritten notes detail her childhood, her studies at the Cornish School and the Neighborhood Playhouse, and her time with the Martha Graham Dance Company. These notes also describe early Graham exercises, dances, costumes, dancers, and the influence of Louis Horst.

The collection also houses printed materials, including original programs, handbills, newspaper and magazine clippings, reviews, and articles about Bird's work with Martha Graham, the Limón Trio, on Broadway, and her summers spent performing at Green Mansions and Tamiment.

In addition to documentation of her performance career, there are also contracts, agreements, and course descriptions of Bird's classes.

The collection further includes personal writings, publications, press releases, and resumes.

Arrangement

Arranged alphabetically by subject.

Administrative information

Source of acquisition

Donated by Joyce Greenberg in 2022.

Processing information

Processed by Tara D. Strongosky in 2025.

Related Material

Interview with Dorothy Bird, *MGZTC 3-953, Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.

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

Access restrictions

Inquiries regarding audio and moving image materials in the collection may be directed to the Jerome Robbins Dance Division (dance@nypl.org). Audio and moving image materials will be subject to preservation assessment and migration prior to access.