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Creator
Dehn, Mura, 1902-1987
Call number
(S) *MGZMD 72
Physical description
24 document boxes 2,533 items in 327 folders
Language
Some letters and documents in Russian; English
Preferred Citation

Mura Dehn Papers on Afro-American Social Dance, ca. 1869-1987., (S) *MGZMD 72, 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.

The Mura Dehn Collection documents Mura Dehn's professional life as dancer, choreographer, scholar and filmmaker, and to a lesser degree, her personal life through notebooks, poetry and correspondence. Most important are the research notes and drafts of her many scholarly writings on the development of Afro-American social dance in this country.

Biographical/historical information

Mura Dehn, born in 1902 in Odessa, Russia, is most widely known for her study and documentation of Afro-American social dances in the United States, epitomized by her film “The Spirit Moves”.

While studying and performing modern dance in Europe in the 1920's, she was exposed to jazz dance and moved to New York in 1930 to pursue her interest. In New York, she performed, taught and choreographed (often with her partner, Roger Pryor Dodge) and eventually formed a company with James Berry to promote jazz dancing. The Traditional Jazz Dance Company (or Jazz Dance Theatre) toured widely in the United States, and in 1969 was sponsored by the State Department on a tour of Africa. Throughout her career, she wrote and spoke on the development of Afro-American social dance and in her later years was working on a film of breakdancers to supplement “The Spirit Moves”.

She was married to the painter Adolf Dehn in 1926 (divorced in 1931), and later to Herman Thomas (“Dutch”), a retired Merchant Marine captain, who died in 1982. Mura Dehn died in New York in February, 1987.

Scope and arrangement

The Mura Dehn Collection documents Mura Dehn's professional life as dancer, choreographer, scholar and filmmaker, and to a lesser degree, her personal life through notebooks, poetry and correspondence. Most important are the research notes and drafts of her many scholarly writings on the development of Afro-American social dance in this country.|||In the first series, notes and articles directly related to chapters of an unpublished manuscript (“The Spirit Moves”, Dance Collection classmark (S) *MGZMB-Res. 87-205), are separated from other writings on Afro-American dance which are arranged in historic chronological order. Many items in this sub-series though may easily relate to “The Spirit Moves” manuscript or other uncompleted manuscripts. Another division of this subseries relates to James Berry, whose close personal and professional relationship with Mura Dehn is documented repeatedly throughout the Collection.|||Series II and Series III both contain personal writings, possibly the most interesting of which are the many poems written by Mura Dehn. The many notebooks of Series III combine research notes with personal writings in a haphazard manner, and are largely undated and unsortable by topic.|||The correspondence of Series IV includes letters documenting the acclaim given to her film “The Spirit Moves”, and many letters from her brother, Boris Tsiperovich. Her father, David Tsiperovich is represented in the fifth series by family documents dating to his career as an engineer in Russia, c.1869.|||Of the remaining series, notable elements include scenarios for dances (Series VI), proposals for a film on Israeli dancing (Series VII), an article by Roger Pryor Dodge on jazz dance (Series XII), and the strangely compelling writings of an unidentified person describing dreams and insanity (Series XII).|||Separated from the Collection are many clippings, programs and photographs documenting Mura Dehn's career and that of her company, the Traditional Jazz Dance Company.

The Papers on Afro-American social dance is arranged in eighteen series:

Administrative information

Source of acquisition

Gift. Estate of Mura Dehn. Received: August 1987.

Processing information

Processed by Sally Bomer, with Mary Jane.

Separated material

The following items were received with the original gift but have been separated from the manuscript collection. The current location of these items (as of May 30, 1991) is indicated.

  • Color poster for Jazz Dance Theater, in French - Location: in uncataloged poster collection
  • B/w poster for Jazz Dance Theater, possibly Aramaic - Location: in uncataloged poster collection
  • Two scrapbooks - Location: *MGZRS 91-9612, vols. 1,2
  • YM-YWHA Course Bulletin, 1951-52 - Location: *MGZB
  • Reel-to-reel audio cassette, Mura Dehn interviewing two musicians - Location: in process
  • Programs - Location: *MGZB (in process)
  • Clippings - Location: *MGZR (in process)
  • Photographs - Location: *MGZE/MGZEA (in process)

The following items have been given to the Music Division:

  • Jazz Record,February, 1947, no.52, “A Few Words About Dancing”, Mura Dehn (xeroxed article in Mura Dehn Collection)
  • Jazz Monthly,May, 1956, vol.2, no.3, “Tallahassee Market Woman”, Mura Dehn (xeroxed article in Mura Dehn Collection)
  • Jazz Hot,Octobre 1952, no.70, “Introduction au `Gospel Singing' ”, Mura Dehn (xeroxed article in Mura Dehn Collection)
  • Jazz Hot,Novembre 1978, 44e annee, no 355, “Harlem Jazz Dance”, Mura Dehn with James Berry (xeroxed article in Mura Dehn Collection)

The following items have been given to the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture:

  • Large box of duplicate items

The following items are duplicates of items already in the Dance Collection:

  • von Delius, Rudolf, Mary Wigman.Dresden, Carl Reissner, 1925. Duplicate of *MGYB (Wigman)
  • The Record Changer,vol.14, no.3, “Jazz: Its Rise and Decline,” Roger Pryor Dodge. Duplicate in *MGZR (Dodge)
  • Dance Scope,Fall/Winter, 1976/77, vol.11, no.1, four copies, “Jazz Profound” by James Berry. Duplicate in *ZAN-*MD10 Dance Scope

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