Scope and arrangement
The Hadassah collection of New Dance Group Studio, Inc. records (1944-1974), assembled and annotated by longtime board and faculty member Hadassah, documents the activities and functions of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of the New Dance Group Studios, Inc. (NDG). Subjects addressed are the day-to-day concerns and decisions involved in the operation of the school, studios, and organization at large. Issues discussed include curricula, publicity, fundraising, faculty, finances, tuition, scholarships, facilities, management, and performance planning. The collection is chiefly composed of meeting minutes, and additionally features memos, financial reports, certificates of incorporation, by-laws, fact sheets, class schedules, and correspondence - all copied and distributed to Board members for their information and reference. Select programs, press releases, brochures, and other distribution materials for the school and NDG performances are also present. A selection of personal correspondence relating to the dance career and outside affiliations of Hadassah - referred to by both her stage name and surname of Epstein - is interspersed throughout.
The earliest records document NDG's official incorporation into the non-profit New Dance Group Studio in 1944, followed by an examination of its relationship to the newly established corporate body New Dance Group Presentations, Inc. in 1953. The remainder of the collection records the deliberations of the Board and Executive Committee from 1962 - around the time of Hadassah's election to the Board of Directors - until 1977, a period marked by increased public outreach, limited public performances, new financial challenges, and considerable change and upheaval within the NDG community. References are made to the reports and meetings of NDG members, faculty, students, volunteers, and education and scholarship committees.
Items within the collection reflecting the Board's constant critical thinking, planning, and evaluation include a reorganization proposal generated in June 1967, resumes of meetings concerning conversion to a profit-making stock corporation in 1969, and a study-report commissioned from the New York State Council on the Arts in 1973. Other significant NDG developments detailed within are the formation of repertory and children's performance companies, curricula targeting the deaf and disabled, and a course for high-school teachers approved by the New York Board of Education, a first for an independent dance school.
Arrangement
This collection is arranged into two groups: Board of Directors Records, organized chronologically, and Distribution Materials.