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Creator
Duddy, Joan
Call number
(S) *MGZMD 492
Physical description
6.25 linear feet (16 containers)
Language
English
Preferred Citation
Joan Duddy collection, (S) *MGZMD 492. 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.Restrictions apply

Joan Duddy (1937-2015) was an American dance administrator and curator who was influential in the New York City downtown dance scene from the 1980s through the 2000s. The Joan Duddy collection documents the later portion of her career, primarily dating from about 1980 to 2014, through project plans; published reviews; meeting notes; publicity items; contracts; correspondence; research materials; and video recordings of performances.

Biographical/historical information

Joan Duddy was born January 26, 1937 in Waltham, Massachusetts. She trained as a dancer and performed with several companies before eventually becoming a dance producer, curator, and administrator.

Duddy was influential in the New York City downtown dance scene from the 1980s through the 2000s. She founded the dance program at Dia Center for the Arts and served as its director in the 1980s and 1990s. She continued on as director when it became the Joyce Soho in 1996, until its closure in 2004. Through her positions at Dia and Joyce Soho, Duddy launched or greatly bolstered the careers of choreographers and dancers such as Laura Dean, Eva Dean, Molissa Fenley, and Ralph Lemon. After the closure of Joyce Soho, Duddy continued her active involvement in the production of several dance festivals, including DanceNOW, the Fringe Festival, and Dance Across Borders over the next decade. Duddy also served on the boards of several dance companies, including those of Christopher Caines and Eva Dean. Duddy received a Bessie award in 1993.

From 1981 until his death in February 2015, Duddy was married to Ike Schambelan, longtime director of Theater Breaking Through Barriers, a theater company that casts disabled actors. Duddy died November 7, 2015.

Scope and arrangement

The collection, which dates from about 1980 to 2014, documents the last decades of Joan Duddy's career. It is arranged alphabetically by person, topic, or location. Files generally contain a wide mix of document types, often holding together in a single file printed email correspondence and letters, research materials, meeting notes, project plans, published reviews, publicity items, mailing lists, schedules, performance programs, and contracts relating to the person, topic, or location listed on the folder title.

Dancers and choreographers who figure prominently in the files include: Eva Dean, Laura Dean, Christopher Caines, Molissa Fenley, Satoshi Haga, Ralph Lemon, Judith Ren-Lay, and Nancy Zendora. Duddy's involvement in DanceNOW, the Fringe Festival, and Dance Across Borders are well-represented over numerous years. A few notebooks, dating from 2007 to 2013, mostly contain meeting notes and colleagues' contact information.

The collection also includes 51 videotapes of performances, auditions, and rehearsals, many by Dia or Joyce Soho choreographers, dancers, and performance artists. The video recordings date from about 1984 to about 2002 and are all unavailable pending digitization.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged alphabetically by person, topic, or location.

Administrative information

Custodial history

The collection was held by the choreographer Eva Dean between Duddy's death and acquisition by New York Public Library.

Source of acquisition

The collection was donated by David Duddy, Joan Duddy's brother, in 2018.

Processing information

Processed by Heather Halliday, 2018.

Separated material

Three monographs have been transferred to the reference collection at the Library for the Performing Arts.

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

Access restrictions

Video recordings are unavailable pending digitization.