Ballets: U.S.A. records

circa 1956-1962

Leland Hayward was born September 13, 1902, in Nebraska City, Nebraska, and moved with his family to New York at age nine. Hayward became a producer, theatrical agent, and literary agent, representing artists such as Judy Garland, Clark Gable, Fred Astaire, Katharine Hepburn, Henry Fonda, and Ernest Hemmingway. His productions appeared on Broadway, in motion pictures, and on television.

Hayward's long-standing association with Jerome Robbins began with the musical “Call Me Madam” in 1950. His entry into the field of dance was as producer for Robbins Ballets: U.S.A. The company was formed in the Spring of 1958 to appear at the Festival of Two Worlds in Spoleto, Italy and at the Brussels World's Fair. Its debut was supported by the Cather-wood Foundation of Philadelphia and presented in association with the International Cultural Program of the United States, administered by the American National Theatre and Academy (A.N.T.A.).

The name was chosen to identify its source and nationality. Its stated purpose was to give young artists a chance to work and develop. The company itself began with sixteen dancers in 1958 and was enlarged to 24 by 1961. The repertoire, almost entirely comprised of Robbins' works, reflected classical ballet and contemporary jazz techniques. It included Robbins' “Afternoon of a Faun,” “The Concert,” “New York Export: Opus Jazz,” “Moves,” “Interplay,” “The Cage,” “Events,” and Todd Bolender's “Games.”

In 1959 Hayward presented the company both abroad and in domestic tours. The company was inactive during 1960. Under the sponsorship of the Rebekah W. Harkness Foundation, the company of 24 dancers appeared once again at Spoleto in June 1961, followed by a three-month tour including Paris, Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Copenhagen, and London, and a three-week New York season at the A.N.T.A. Theatre in October. The company ceased regular activities in 1962.

Leland Hayward died on March 18, 1971.