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Creator
Willis, John (John A.)
Call number
(S) *MGZMD 217
Physical description
34 linear feet (82 Boxes)
Preferred Citation

John Willis’s Dance World Papers, (S)*MGZMD 217. 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.

John Willis was the editor of Dance World, a yearly publication that chronicled the dance season. The papers contain the material that he used in creating the yearbook.

Biographical/historical information

John Willis was born in Morristown, Tennessee. He attended Morristown High School, from which he graduated in 1934. He attended Milligan College in Tennessee. He later began taking extension classes at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville (1938-41).

In 1944, three young men who loved theater, Daniel Blum, Norman McDonald, and John Willis, created Theatre World a magazine about the theater. In 1966 Willis created Dance World, a reference guide in magazine format that served as the official chronicle of each year's dance season (1971-1972, 1972-1973, etc.) on Broadway, Off-Broadway, as well as additionally covering national touring companies and professional companies from cities, states, universities and other countries. He was its editor until 1979.

Willis was in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He also taught non-consecutively in the New York City public schools system for twenty five-years.

Scope and arrangement

John Willis was the editor of Dance World, a reference guide that served as the official chronicle of each year's dance season. The annual was published from 1966 to 1979. This collection contains reference materials that Willis used to create and run that publication.

Included are such items as press materials sent out by dance companies and dancers, also included are newspaper clippings about performances, playbills and programs (some of them are annotated), photographs, and ticket stubs from attended performances. All correspondence is related to information about the dancer or company. There is no personal material.

The John Willis's Dance World papers are arranged in two series:

  • Series I: Office Files
    1950 - 1984

    This series consists of office files of reference material from Dance World. Included are photographs, press releases and materials, clippings, programs, biographical information about the dancers and ticket stubs. Some playbills have been notated.

    Dates on folders are based upon the dance season that started in one year and finished in the next, and were directly transferred from the previous folders.

  • Series II: Oversized
    1960 - 1980

    This series contains oversized photographs and souvenir programs from selected dance programs and dancers.

Administrative information

Source of acquisition

The John Willis's Dance World Papers were donated to the Jerome Robbins Dance Division by John Willis.

Processing information

Processed by Leslie Reyman; Machine-readable finding aid created by Leslie Reyman.

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.