Scope and arrangement
The Jelko Yuresha papers date from 1938 to 2015 and document Yuresha's dancing, choreography, teaching, and his design of costumes, sets, jewelry, and clothing. The collection contains correspondence, programs, articles, photographs, video recordings, sketches, and designs. Video recordings are unavailable pending digitization, and primarily document performances of works that Yuresha choreographed, such as La Péri in Panama and Bermuda; and performances featuring Richard Marsden and Julia Moon. Lectures and classes led by Yuresha are also prominent in the recordings.
The collection is arranged alphabetically by individual, subject, or format. The extent to which each individual or subject is represented varies, though typically files hold a small amount of correspondence and articles. Yuresha also kept general correspondence files. The letters document his professional and personal relationships, and various dance projects that he worked on.
Among the well represented subjects are dance companies, such as the English National Ballet, the American Ballet Theatre, the Australian Ballet, and the Paris Opera Ballet; and productions choreographed, staged, and designed by Yuresha, chiefly through correspondence outlining production plans and reviews of performances. The American Ballet Theatre's production of Variations for Four is detailed through sheet music, sketches, and correspondence relating to costume design, and stage planning. Productions of La Péri, Cinderella, Giselle, and Pas de Quatre are also documented.
Files relating specifically to Yuresha and Belinda Wright consist of photographs, programs, letters, and reviews of their performances together. Researchers interested in Yuresha and Wright's collection of art and antiques should consult their files in addition to those for Christie's and Sotheby's. Christie's and Sotheby's files also provide insight into Yuresha's fashion and jewelry design through auction catalogs, photographs, and sketches of his work. A file on painter and composer Jean-Jacques Giraud contains original fashion design drawings, correspondence, sheet music, and a photograph of jewelry presumably for a musical.
Photographs in the collection date from the 1950s to 2012, the majority of which are digital prints dating from the 1990s to 2012. They document Jelko Yuresha and Belinda Wright in their home and at performances; costumes and dresses created by Yuresha; and portraits taken by Yuresha of friends and family in casual and posed settings. Original photographs of productions staged by Yuresha, such as the Icelandic National Ballet's Cinderella and Variations for Four at the American Ballet Theatre, are also present.
Drawings and design files contain Yuresha's original watercolor paintings, sketches, drawings, and photographs. Many of the works were used for ballet costume and set design of the 1984 production of Giselle in Peking, China. These items reveal the different stages of Yuresha's creative process. The paintings depict scenic landscapes that the actual set was based on. Some of the paintings consist of several smaller watercolors collaged together to create a scene. Costume drawings and sketches are accompanied by textile swatches and notes on the relevant character, scene, and act. Other drawings can be found in files for Variations for Four.
The majority of this collection is in English, with materials in Spanish, German, Korean, Japanese, Hebrew, and Icelandic.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged alphabetically by individual, subject, or format.