Loading...
Creator
Brock, Nancy
Call number
(S) *MGZMD 514
Physical description
0.42 linear feet (1 box)
Language
Multiple languages; English, German
Preferred Citation
Nancy Brock collection on Mary Wigman, (S) *MGZMD 514. 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.

Mary Wigman (1886-1973) was a German dancer, dance instructor, and choreographer notable for her work in expressionist dance. Her many students included Yvonne Georgi, Hanya Holm, Harald Kreutzberg, Gret Palucca, Margarethe Wallmann, Inge Weiss, and Meta Vidmar. Nancy Brock was also a student of Wigman's from 1953 to 1954, and they maintained a correspondence until Wigman's death. This collection documents the relationship between Wigman and Brock through their personal correspondence, photographs, articles that Brock and others wrote about Wigman, and preparations for "Mary Wigman Day" in 1958 as well as Wigman's 80th birthday celebration. It also contains some of Brock's correspondence with others in the dance field, including Lincoln Kirstein, John Martin, Charles Weidman, and Louis Horst, as well as Brock's lecture notes from her time as a student.

Biographical/historical information

Mary Wigman (born Karoline Sophie Marie Wiegmann, 1886-1973) was a German dancer, dance instructor, and choreographer notable for her work in expressionist dance. Throughout her career her students and collaborators included Yvonne Georgi, Hanya Holm, Harald Kreutzberg, Gret Palucca, Margarethe Wallmann, Inge Weiss, and Meta Vidmar. Though she last performed as a dancer in 1953, she continued to teach at her school in West Berlin until her death.

Nancy Brock studied at the Mary Wigman Studio in West Berlin from 1953 to 1954. She was a solo dancer in a 1954 production of Saul by Handel which Wigman staged and they remained in correspondence throughout the years. In addition to her work with Wigman, Brock was a student of Western Reserve University, Bennington School of the Dance, and Hanya Holm School of the Dance. She was Assistant Professor of Physical Education for Women at Purdue University and a dance instructor at various institutions. She was also an early member of the Dance Notation Bureau.

Scope and arrangement

The Nancy Brock collection on Mary Wigman (1920s-1990s) documents the relationship between Brock and Wigman, as well as Wigman's career. The collection holds correspondence between Brock and Wigman; photographs; correspondence between Brock and others; and advertisements and programs for Wigman's studio and other dancers. The majority of photographs in the collection, taken in Germany during the 1950s, hold a copyright by Adolf Falk, Heinz Bieler, or Orgel-Köhne.

Arrangement

Recieved order is maintained. Original folders are maintained, with the exception of the final folder which is composed of loose materials that are related to Nancy Brock.

Administrative information

Processing information

Processed by Stacey Ference in 2020.

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