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Creator
Sedgwick, Gabriella
Call number
(S) *MGZMD 345
Physical description
.21 linear feet (1 box)
Preferred Citation

Gabriella Sedgwick collection of Ted Shawn materials, (S) *MGZMD 345. Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library.

Repository
Jerome Robbins Dance Division
Access to materials
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Ted Shawn was a dancer, choreographer, and director of the Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival. He was friends with Gabriella Sedgwick, a modern dance enthusiast. The Gabriella Sedgwick collection of Ted Shawn materials (1939, 1962-1966) contains letters from Shawn discussing his work and personal life; programs from the Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival; and various clippings, images, and notes related to Shawn.

Biographical/historical information

Ted Shawn (1891-1972) was a dancer and choreographer who was a pioneer in men's modern dance. He married dancer Ruth St. Denis, with whom he founded the Denishawn dance company. In 1930, Shawn bought Jacob's Pillow, a farm in Beckett, Massachusetts, to serve as a dance retreat and performance center. In 1941, the Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival was established, with Shawn as director.

Gabriella Sedgwick was a modern dance enthusiast and a close friend of Shawn.

Scope and arrangement

The Gabriella Sedgwick collection of Ted Shawn materials contains letters, programs, clippings, and images dating from 1962 to 1966. Most of the correspondence consists of letters from Shawn to Sedgwick; subjects include the challenges of touring, performing, and managing the Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, as well as personal topics. Programs for the Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival date to 1964 and 1966. Other materials include clippings and images of Shawn, and Shawn's 1964 newsletter. The collection holds notes and a poem whose author is unidentified. A copy of Shawn's “Fundamental Training Exercises,” published 1939, is also present.

Administrative information

Source of acquisition

Donated by Lithgow Osborne, 1997.

Processing information

Compiled by Kit Fluker, 2014

Original order was maintained.

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

Conditions Governing Use

The author/creator retains copyright of materials. For information on obtaining permission to publish, contact the Dance Division at dance@nypl.org.