Scope and arrangement
The Anita Feldman Tap collection, which dates from 1961 to 2017, is divided into two main sections: Media and Papers.
The Media section of the collection primarily consists of video recordings of performances staged around New York City or as part of artist residencies around the country, as well as the Anita Feldman Tap dance company's domestic and international touring performances. Recordings of music that accompany performances, sometimes including the sound of dancers' tapping feet, are also well-represented in this section. A smaller quantity of video and audio recordings of interviews with Feldman and others are included. Audio and video recordings are unavailable pending digitization.
The Papers section of the collection traces the creative and professional life of Anita Feldman as a performer, choreographer, and teacher as well as the activity of her dance company, Anita Feldman Tap. The Performances and Residencies, and the Choreography subsections occupy the greatest share of the Papers section.
Dating from 1977 to 1999, the Performances and Residencies subsection is arranged chronologically. These files are titled by venue, festival name, or name of composer or collaborator and include: programs; fliers; press releases; budgets; guest lists; a few photographs; and correspondence with residency hosts, event organizers, and collaborators.
The Choreography subsection, which dates from 1974 to 1996, illuminates the underlying creative processes that preceeded public performance events. Files include: scores; choreographic charts, diagrams, and sketches; some photographs; and correspondence with collaborators. These files are arranged roughly chronologically and by name of collaborator.
The Writing subsection includes the manuscript, its corrections, and publisher correspondence relating to Inside Tap: Technique and Improvisation for Today's Tap Dancer written by Feldman and published by Princeton Books in 1996. This subsection also contains articles written by Feldman over the years, including a remembrance of her mentor, Robert Ellis Dunn.
The Photographs subsection is organized chronologically and contains portraits and performance images from the 1970s through the 1990s. Several files in this subsection were shot by L.V. Feldman, Anita Feldman's father, who was an accomplished amateur photographer.
The Administrative subsection includes promotional material, resumes, grants, and contracts related to both Anita Feldman Tap dance company and to Anita Feldman as an individual performer.
Another subsection covers Feldman's teaching career mostly at Hofstra University and various workshops throughout the United States. Included in this subsection are files on educational conferences; lecture notes; curricula and sylabbi; student dance concert programs; job applications and letters recommending Feldman for various teaching positions.
The collection also contains smaller subsections on Feldman's student years, dating back to childhood, and her early work; on the Tap Dance Instrument, a percussion instrument designed by Feldman and Daniel Schmidt, to be played by the feet of tap dancers; and published performance reviews.