Scope and arrangement
The Hurok Attractions, Inc. records (1906-1974; bulk: 1959-1964) contain publicity, press, and ephemera materials for the 1961 and 1964 tours of the Leningrad Kirov Ballet; photographic materials from Kirov and other dance company tours between 1949 and 1967; and candid and publicity photographs depicting Sol Hurok and his friends, family, associates, audiences, and clients.
The bulk of the collection documents the 1961 and 1964 tours of the Leningrad Kirov Ballet. Correspondence between the Hurok Attractions publicity director Martin Feinstein and members of the press, including advance copies of articles, are interspersed throughout the Kirov materials. The publicity files contain press releases, internal memos, specification forms for local promoters and venues, itineraries, press lists, ticket order forms, ad sales correspondence, and cast and crew lists. Performer biography and program note drafts, including an extensive history of the Kirov Ballet by Vera Krasovskaya, are annotated. A 1974 press release announces the restructuring of company personnel following Hurok’s death. The press clippings contain American, French, and British newspaper and magazine coverage of the 1961 and 1964 Kirov international tours. The ephemera files feature programs, flyers, postcards, commemorative booklets and souvenirs from Kirov performances and tours in the United States, England, and the Soviet Union.
The dance company photographic materials primarily showcase the Kirov ballet tour. Works depicted include Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, Raymonda, Cinderella, and Giselle, with featured dancers Natalia Makarov, Vladilen Semenov, and Irina Kolpakova. Many of the master prints, slides, and negatives are captioned, or can be identified using an accompanying index. Other companies featured are the Bolshoi Ballet, Massed Pipers and Regimental Band of the Scots Guards, and the Royal Ballet.
The general publicity photographs are portraits, publicity stills, and candid shots of Sol Hurok traveling around the world, accepting awards, attending parties and special events, and posing with associates, friends and family. Hurok does not appear in some images, which showcase prominent figures and large audiences in attendance of Hurok Attractions events. An extensive file of portraits of the Orchestra National Francais musical director Jean Martinon also appears. Many photographs are captioned with subject, photographer, and date; some have correspondence attached.
Materials are in English and Russian.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged into three groups: Leningrad Kirov Ballet tours, Dance Company Publicity Photographs, and General Publicity Photographs.