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Creator
Bull, Richard
Call number
*MGZMD 147
Physical description
17 linear feet (34 boxes)
Preferred Citation

Richard Bull Papers, (S) *MGZMD 147, Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.

Repository
Jerome Robbins Dance Division
Access to materials
Request an in-person research appointment.Restrictions apply

Papers documenting the professional life of dancer, teacher, choreographer and arts administrator, Richard Niles Bull. Bulk dates, 1964-1998, include his work as teacher and administrator at New York University, the State University of New York at Brockport, and Wesleyan University; his creative work for his companies the New York Chamber Dance Group, Improvisational Dance Ensemble, and the Richard Bull Dance Theatre; and his work as an administrator of the Improvisational Arts Ensembles and producer of performances, classes and workshops at the Warren Street Performance Loft. Included also is a small selection of photos, slides and personal papers.

Biographical/historical information

Richard Niles Bull, a pioneer in the art of performance improvisation in dance, was born on July 3, 1931, in Detroit, Mich. While earning a BA in sociology from Wayne State University, he supported himself as a jazz pianist and, upon moving to New York City in 1952, continued to pursue a musical career. Bull began his dance training at this time with Maxine Munt and Alfred Brooks, and soon joined their company. He later studied with Erick Hawkins, Alwin Nikolais, and Mary Anthony.

Bull's interest in performed dance improvisation began while he was studying and teaching at New York University [NYU], 1963-1970. He received his graduate degree in Dance and Cinematography in 1965, began work towards his doctorate, and formed the New York Chamber Dance Group [NYCDG] at NYU in 1967. His earliest "dance structures" were developed for NYCDG, but it was War Games (1968), a signature piece from this period, which set the course for subsequent work by incorporating structured improvisation in its design. "My own improvisational roots are in jazz," noted Bull in 1969, "and my feeling for spontaneously shaping a dance phrase carries my experience in jazz into a different dimension."

Bull was Chair of the Dance Department at the State University of New York at Brockport from 1970-1978. He taught, expanded the university's dance program, directed and choreographed student and professional productions, began his lifelong collaborations with Cynthia Novack and Peentz Dubble, and continued, as a single father, to raise his daughter. In addition to his ensemble work, Bull staged events both on campus and in public spaces, playing with notions of theatrical time and personnel. Celebration City (1973) and Barn Dance (1974) were two site-specific works from this period and The Longest Dance (1976) unfolded over the course of twelve hours.

Yet Bull resigned his tenured position in 1979 and returned to New York City where he, Novack and Dubble had founded a non-profit arts organization, the Improvisational Arts Ensembles, Inc. [IAE] the previous year. They had also formed the Improvisational Dance Ensemble [IDE] (later renamed the Richard Bull Dance Theatre [RBDT]), and the Warren Street Performance Loft. IDE (and, later, RBDT) were companies-in-residence, performing and teaching at the Loft on a regular schedule, as well as nationwide. Making and Doing (1970), an early work in which the dancers memorize everything they improvise in the first half of the dance and then repeat it without error, remained in the repertoire, and new works, such as Another Serenade (1988), inspired by the ballet of the same name by George Balanchine, were added.

The Loft was as much a home to Bull, Novack and Bull's daughter, Katie, as it was a performance venue. Private family celebrations often filled the dance floor. Publicly, it was known among New York City audiences for its intimate atmosphere and for its mission to promote the work of improvising artists. Among those presented at the Loft from 1978-1998 were: Bill T. Jones and Arnie Zane, Susan Foster, Deborah Hay, Simone Forti with Peter Van Riper, Brenda Bufalino, Elliot Sharp, Jane Ira Bloom, Joel Chadabe, and Jay Clayton.

From 1983-1997, Bull directed the Graduate Studies in Movement and Dance at Wesleyan University. He deepened his exploration of performed improvisation with summer courses such as "Choreographic Improvisation" and considered parallel structures among artistic disciplines in "Analogous Forms" and "The Joyce of Choreography." Bull also oversaw publicity, faculty and curricula for each season, and guided numerous advisees through their scholarly work. He was a beloved mentor, teacher, and colleague, known for his wit, intellect and dedication.

Following the illness and death of his wife and collaborator, Cynthia Novack, in 1996, Bull continued creating work for the junior company of the RBDT. Bull was diagnosed with advanced lung cancer in 1997 and died in New York on July 4, 1998. The work of the Improvisational Arts Ensembles, Inc. is being carried on by Katie Bull Pritchett and former RBDT members.

Scope and arrangement

The Richard Bull Papers range in date from 1926-2003 and primarily document Bull's professional life as a choreographer, improviser, teacher, academic administrator and founder of an arts organization and performance space from the 1960s through the late 1990s. Included are: correspondence, rehearsal notes and logs, scenarios, programs, lighting plots, audition forms, teaching logs and journals, class lists, syllabi, registration forms, ticket reservation books, financial information, published and unpublished writings, and photographs. Also included are papers and photos related to Cynthia Novack, as well as personal papers and professional and personal photographs.

The art of improvisation in performance was a fundamental inspiration for Bull's creative, pedagogical and administrative work and is represented in several series of the collection. His pioneering use of choreographic structured improvisation is most literally documented in the Dance Structures series, where some of the raw material of his creative process is held. Bull's pursuit of a career in academia is recorded in administrative correspondence with various universities. Folders for courses taught at New York University [NYU], State University of New York College at Brockport [SUNY Brockport], and Wesleyan University's Graduate Movement Studies Program reflect the development of Bull's theories, convey his pleasure in intellectual exploration and his dedicated mentoring of students. The founding and activities of the Improvisational Arts Ensembles [IAE], the Warren Street Performance Loft [WSPL] and the Improvisational Dance Ensemble [IDE] are represented in separate, yet interdependent, series. IAE folders document the performances and some of the guest artists the organization sponsored, as do WSPL folders. The Richard Bull Dance Theatre papers also hold material that may pertain to IAE and WSPL series, along with folders for company residencies nation-wide. Graphic materials contain photographs and slides documenting individual works and places where Bull taught and performed.

The Richard Bull Papers are arranged in sixteen series:

  • Series I: Correspondence
    1968-1998
    114 folders

    This series contains correspondence from individuals and organizations. Among the authors are seminal figures in the fields of both music and dance improvisation as well as dance critics to whom Bull had written, questioning their reviews of his work. Copies of Richard Bull's replies to many of the correspondents are included in this and in all other Correspondence folders

  • Series II: Dance Structures
    1965-1996
    101 folders

    This series holds folders for 102 of Bull's "structures" for performance improvisation, spanning his career in dance. The choreographic notes, rehearsal notes, programs, publicity, production information and reviews offer considerable insight into Bull's creative process.

  • Series III: New York University
    1964-1970 and undated
    15 folders

    The bulk of this small series consists of programs and announcements for student dance concerts and presentations at NYU's School of Education in which Bull participated, first as a student, and later, as a faculty member. Some material concerns the New York University Modern Dance Workshop for High School Students, which Bull directed.

  • Series IV: New York Chamber Dance Group [NYCDG]
    1967-1978
    7 folders

    Bull's first dance company is represented here by programs, publicity, correspondence, journals and rehearsal logs. The logs and journals are of particular note as they contain Bull's detailed accounts of his work process and the challenges of establishing a modern dance company in New York City.

  • Series V: State University of New York at Brockport
    1969-1980
    18 folders

    This series holds material related to Bull's years as Chair and faculty member of the dance department at SUNY Brockport. It is comprised largely of folders for courses Bull taught, which contain syllabi, class lists, teaching notes and logs. Correspondence, programs, publications, etc. complete the series and record Bull's site specific work and his early collaborations with Cynthia Novack.

  • Series VI: Improvisational Arts Ensembles [I.A.E.]
    1979-200 and undated
    80 folders

    The strength of this series lies in material concerning concerts produced at Warren Street Performance Loft. Folders for Guest Artists sponsored by I.A.E. contain correspondence, contracts, press materials, programs and photographs. Performance series folders, arranged chronologically, provide financial information, reviews, mailing lists, survey forms, etc. Material concerning applications to granting organizations form the final part of this series.

  • Series VII: Warren Street Performance Loft [WSPL]
    1978-1998
    32 folders

    This series primarily documents performances, classes and workshops sponsored by Improvisational Arts Ensembles [I.A.E.], which took place at WSPL from 1978-1997. Press releases, publicity, programs, lighting plots, reservation books, etc. convey the liveliness and longevity of the performance activity at the loft, while student registration forms, teaching notes, and course announcements demonstrate I.A.E.'s ongoing commitment to the workshop process. The daily affairs of the space, as both a professional studio and a home, are recorded in the numerous telephone message books.

  • Series VIII: Improvisational Dance Ensemble [I.D.E.]
    1978-1983
    10 folders

    The activities of I.D.E., Bull's collaborative performing group with Cynthia Novack and Peentz Dubble, are documented by thirteen Scrapbook folders containing programs, press releases, contracts and announcements. Other artists with whom Bull or I.D.E. were affiliated during this period are also represented in this series, as is the 1980 American Dance Guild conference "Dance as Sport," for which Bull was Program Coordinator.

  • Series IX: Richard Bull Dance Theatre [RBDT]
    1983-1998
    35 folders

    For sixteen years, the Richard Bull Dance Theatre advanced the art of dance improvisation in performance. Material related to the company's professional efforts are gathered in this series and include programs, press releases, mailing lists, conference announcements, reviews, etc. Residency folders record some of the company's touring activities while a notebook of scenarios provides insight into the rehearsal process. Material related to the RBDT may also be found in Series VI and VII.

  • Series X: Wesleyan University - Graduate Liberal Arts Program
    1980-1997
    230 folders

    This ample series includes Bull's work in Wesleyan University's Graduate Liberal Studies Program, as professor and Director of the Graduate Studies in Movement and Dance. The many individual student folders include both correspondence and course work. Bull's thoughtful administrative interventions are recorded in his correspondence to students as is his vigorous encouragement of students' scholarly efforts. Administrative folders reflect the range of program-related activities for which Bull was responsible. Course folders generally hold class lists, teaching notes and teacher evaluations. Of particular note are folders related to the course The Joyce of Choreography, for which Bull devised a theoretical framework to integrate his passion for the writing of James Joyce with that of creating choreographic structures.

  • Series XI: Writings
    1952-2003
    10 folders

    In this series are collected both unpublished and published articles, writings, prose and poetry by Bull and others. "Three Place Once," Bull's 1968 Master's thesis, is found here, as are articles written about Bull and an interview conducted in 1992 by Kelly Donovan. Professional notebooks from 1963-1997 reflect the development of Bull's thinking as both teacher and artist.

  • Series XII: Music
    1962-1982
    5 folders

    This small series includes one score and a folder of arrangements by Bull along with scores by others.

  • Series XIII: Office files
    1970-1998
    21 folders

    Folders reflecting assorted activities and interests are included in this series. Vitae folders with resumes and reference letters from 1970-1998 span much of Bull's career, as do Programs and Publicity folders. The devoted care of Bull's Cancer Support Group is documented here as is the Memorial held for him after his death.

  • Series XIV: Personal
    1977-1998
    31 folders

    Correspondence, notebooks, address books, medical and financial information comprise the bulk of this series. Some material also concerns Cynthia Novack (aka Cynthia Jean Cohen Bull).

  • Series XV: Cynthia Novack
    1974-1997
    11 folders

    Novack's writing forms the major part of this series. Also included are correspondence, programs, material related to her performance piece entitled "Transformations", an interview, and a transcript of a roundtable regarding improvisation held at SUNY Purchase.

  • Series XVI: Graphic materials
    1972-1998 and undated
    69 folders

    This series contains photographs, slides, contact sheets, posters and drawings related to student and professional productions which Richard Bull directed or on which he collaborated. Posters for the Improvisational Arts Ensembles performance series, as well as productions directed by Cynthia Novack and Gideon Foli Alorwoyie are included. Slides projected during the memorial services for Cynthia Novack and Richard Bull are held in this series, as are family snapshots.

Administrative information

Source of acquisition

The Richard Bull Papers were donated to the Jerome Robbins Dance Division in 2001 by Katie Bull Prichett.

Processing information

Processed by Louise Sunshine and Charles Perrier; Machine-readable finding aid created by Charles Perrier.

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

For permission to publish, contact the Curator, Jerome Robbins Dance Division.

Access restrictions

Stored OFFSITE.