Scope and arrangement
The Kirk Peterson papers hold awards, correspondence, ballet company and theater files, and workshop files documenting his career as a dancer, choreographer, and teacher. There are also family papers detailing Peterson's early dance training and the career of his aunt, Honey Wagner.
The bulk of the files are company files which document his work with individual ballet organizations. These files may hold legal documents, rehearsal schedules, cast lists, annotated scores, rehearsal notes, programs, flyers, and photographs of Peterson or his works in performance. The American Ballet Theatre file also holds the scripts for various skit nights which include song parodies about ballet life or individual staff members.
Theater files hold scripts, annotated music, and programs for Peterson's collaborations with Michael Smuin on Anything Goes and Shogun. The Anything Goes material exclusively documents Peterson's supervision of the restaging of the show in London and Australia.
Correspondence is both personal and professional, and holds letters from various dance companies requesting Peterson's appearance as a guest artist or choreographer, and Christmas cards from dancers and other company staff. A frequent correspondent is Bobbie Willard, the daughter of his ballet teacher Lelia Haller.
Family records include photographs of Peterson and Wagner's relatives, Wagner School of Dance recital programs, and photographs of Dottie and Holly Wagner in costume. A scrapbook (1940) created by Douglas Booth depicts a young Holly Wagner practicing her acrobatics outside. The files also contain Lelia Haller's annotated score for Coppélia.
Awards hold notifications of nominations or award ceremonies. Workshops files hold class schedules and itineraries from various guest lecture positions. Writings are compositions on composer John Lanchbery (after his death) and Lupe Serrano. There is also a copy of Peterson's 2003 interview with Serrano for Ballet Review.
Peterson also collected ballet history files such as photographs, correspondence, and other documents. Items include a letter to Igor Youskevitch from Sol Hurok with an accompanying photograph, as well as original photographs of Tatiana Grantzeva, Irina Baronova, Leonide Massine, Alicia Markova, Erik Bruhn, and Jolinda Menendez.
Arrangement
Alphabetical by file type.