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Creator
From the horse's mouth (Choreographic work : Croll and Cunningham)
Call number
*MGZMD 572
Physical description
2.08 linear feet (5 boxes). 26.1 megabytes (4 computer files). 2 audio recordings. 82 moving image recordings
Language
English
Preferred Citation
From the Horse's Mouth records, *MGZMD 572. 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

From the Horse's Mouth was founded by Tina Croll and Jamie Cunningham in 1998, and is a performance series that features improvisational dance and storytelling. The collection holds press, correspondence, and recordings of shows between 1998 and 2022. In addition to planning documents, press kits, and correspondence, the company also created documentaries and interviews with dancers for promotional purposes.

Biographical/historical information

From the Horse's Mouth is an ongoing production that chronicles the history of dance through movement and storytelling. Choreographers Tina Croll and Jamie Cunningham created the series, which premiered in 1998 at Joyce SoHo in New York City and continues to run.

Each staging of From the Horse's Mouth is different, with a new cast curated around a local community of dancers. Performers tell personal stories about dance and improvise movements onstage. Since its founding, From the Horse's Mouth has been performed throughout the United States, exploring various dance styles and forms. Some locations include Lincoln Center, Jacob's Pillow, the American Dance Festival, and the Danspace Project.

Tina Croll (1943–) is a dancer, choreographer, and co-founder of From the Horse's Mouth. After graduating from Bennington College, Croll studied with Merce Cunningham, Erick Hawkins, Nina Fonaroff, Louis Horst, and Anna Sokolow. In addition to dancing solo, Croll founded New York-based Tina Croll + Company and performs and tours with the group.

Jamie Cunningham is an actor, dancer, director, choreographer, and writer. In addition to co-founding From the Horse's Mouth, Cunningham creates and directs multidisciplinary performances held in various locations that mix acting, movement, and music.

Scope and arrangement

The From the Horse's Mouth records date from the first iteration of the performance in 1998 through 2022. Notable contributors include Remy Charlip, the cast of The Men Dancers, Rajika Puri, and Gus Solomons Jr. Materials include letters and stories from fans and dancers, photographs, press, organizational materials related to performances, and recordings of shows.

Several From the Horse's Mouth dancers and audience members wrote the company with reflections on the series. Fan letters express their delight with a performance. Some dancers wrote down the story they would read during their particular From the Horse's Mouth performance and sent it to the company for feedback.

Photographs hold prints depicting promotional images of the founding members, Tina Croll and Jamie Cunningham. There are also some photographs of dancers during performances.

Press files contain news pieces about From the Horse's Mouth, promotional flyers about the project, short biographies of participants, and clippings of reviews.

Performance files are the organizational and planning materials related to individual performances of From the Horse's Mouth. Schedules, correspondence, press releases, and promotional materials are also present.

The recordings held in the collection are arranged into interviews and performances, both of which are ordered chronologically. Of note is a recording of the first From the Horse's Mouth performance in 1998, interviews with dancers about the new project, as well as a 2019 Deborah Jowitt performance. There are also recordings of a larger project, The Horse's Mouth Greets the New Millennium, where several days of performances and interviews with dancers were filmed in 2000.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged into fan letters and correspondence; photographs and press; performances; and recordings.

Administrative information

Source of acquisition

Gift of Tina Croll in 2023.

Processing information

Processed by Emily P. Dunne in 2025.

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.