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Creator
Ross, Bertram, 1920-
Call number
(S) *MGZMD 219
Physical description
18 linear feet (46 boxes)
Preferred Citation

Bertram Ross Papers, (S)*MGZMD 219. 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.

Bertram Ross was the principal male dancer of the Martha Graham Dance Company from 1957-1973. His later career was as a choreographer, teacher and singer. Materials include correspondence, photographs and clippings.

Biographical/historical information

Bertram Ross Prensky was born on November 13, 1920 in Brooklyn, New York. He was an accomplished pianist and painter, when he was drafted into the Army. “After military service, he moved from the role of budding visual artist to dancer under the spell of Graham and enrolled at the Graham school. In 1949 he joined the company, and in 1953 first partnered her, as Oedipus in Night Journey”.

In 1966 he was named co-director of the company, first with Robert Cohan (later Director of the London Contemporary Dance Theatre) and with Mary Hinkson, both dancers in the company. Ross and Hinkson have been credited with keeping the company going during Graham’s dark period. But they both resigned after Graham’s return with new director Ronald Protas, a non-dancer. Ross left the company in 1973. The Times, of London described him thusly; “For two decades he was the most vital member of the Graham Company except for its innovative founder and if its work is to continue…this will be in large measure thanks to his contribution”.

Ross had other activities to keep him busy. While with the Graham Company, he also had a touring company (Bertram Ross Dance Company) for which he choreographed. He made side trips into theater, acting in The Tempest. He taught at Juilliard, New York University, and The Mary Anthony Studio. Later, he presented solo dance-theater portraits (Raymond Duncan, Noah). After Graham’s death, he re-created several dances for her company. He starred in several roles in Amy Greenfield’s 1990 film Antigone.

Ross’ debut as a singer was in 1975. In 1984 he created a successful cabaret act with John Wallowitch, a prolific songwriter, pianist and cabaret performer. The two performed throughout the United States and London. He and Wallowitch are the subjects of This Moment, a 1998 documentary, and a CD called Wallowitch and Ross.

Ross suffered for years with Parkinson’s disease but died from pneumonia on April 23, 2003.

John Wallowitch was Ross’ life-partner of thirty-six years and died in Aug. 2007.

Scope and arrangement

The Bertram Ross Papers span the years 1934-2006 and consist of correspondence, personal and professional papers, financial material, photographs, programs, clippings and oversized material.

The collection is important in its documentation of Ross’ career with the Martha Graham Dance Company and his second career as a choreographer, actor and cabaret singer after Martha Graham.

Notebooks and notes, give a good overall view of Ross career and thoughts. Specific material about his time with the Martha Graham organization is limited. There is some personal material that documents his life away from dance.

The Bertram Ross papers are arranged in ten series:

  • Series I: Correspondence
    1953 - 2003

    This series includes both personal and professional. Also included are greeting cards. The majority of the greeting cards are sympathy cards to John Wallowitch, Bertram Ross’ partner, upon his death in 2003. Correspondence from other celebrities include: Alvin Ailey, Dixie Carter, Lillian Gish, Katharine Hepburn, Hal Holbrook and Martha Graham.

  • Series II: Office Files
    1934 - 2006

    This series contains material both of a personal and professional nature. The professional material includes organization memberships, people, conferences, teaching, datebooks and calendars. Also includes is material from Ross’ time with the Martha Graham Dance Company in his role as dancer, choreographer and co-director of the company. The personal material consists of family papers, research about cancer, and travel. Also included is material about John Wallowitch.

  • Series III: Cebabris, Inc.
    1977 - 1993

    This series contains material about Cebabris Inc. also included the Bertram Ross Dance Company. It includes financial and tax material, mailing lists, fundraising, and correspondence.

  • Series IV: Notebooks

    This series contains notes, notebooks, scrapbooks and sketchbooks. The notes and notebooks contain notes used in writing articles, scripts and choreography and draft manuscripts. The scrapbooks contain programs and clippings. The sketchbooks contain pencil, ink, pastel and marker drawings of people, costumes and still life.

  • Series V: Photographs
    1943 - 1998

    This series contains photographs, negatives and slides. The photographs are production stills, head shots, and snapshots. These photographs are from the Martha Graham Dance Co., the Bertram Ross Dance Company, solo works by Ross and publicity stills. The snapshots are from vacations, parties and family gatherings. The slides are production stills used in fundraising events.

  • Series VI: Financial Material
    1960 - 2001

    This series contains Ross’ personal financial material, including retirement accounts, bank accounts, insurance and taxes. Also included is a small amount of material from the Martha Graham Dance Company.

  • Series VII: Programs

    This series contains three major categories of programs. The first is from the Martha Graham Dance Company. The second is from the Bertram Ross Dance Company and his solo work, including a couple of plays and his cabaret act with John Wallowitch. The third is from performances Ross attended, these are dance, theater and music related.

  • Series VIII: Clippings
    1953 - 2003

    This series contains clippings from newspapers and magazines and include information about Martha Graham, the Martha Graham Dance Company, Bertram Ross, and his dance company, and other information about performing arts and artist.

  • Series IX: Music
    1910 - 1990

    This series contains sheet music, both published and un-published used for dances throughout Ross’ career. In addition there is music used in the cabaret act of Wallowitch and Ross.

  • Series X: Oversized Material

    This series contains posters for performances, photographs, and large souvenir programs. Also included is the guest register from Ross’ memorial service and a school paper written by Ross in 1939. In addition is sheet music.

Administrative information

Source of acquisition

The Bertram Ross Papers were donated to the Jerome Robbins Dance Division in 2008 by David Prensky and the Wallowitch family.

Processing information

Processed by Leslie Reyman and Mary Robison; 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.