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Creator
Hill, Emita Brady
Call number
(S) *MGZMD 500
Physical description
1.31 gigabytes (112 computer files)
Language
English
Preferred Citation
Ballroom dance oral history collection, (S) *MGZMD 500. 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

The Ballroom dance oral history collection contains oral history interviews with 28 professional and amateur dancers from the New York ballroom dance community. Interviewed by Emita Brady Hill, the oral history interviews detail the dancers' experience in the ballroom dance community, their personal and training background, and how they became interested in dance.

Biographical/historical information

Ballrooom dance is a social and competitive style of partnered dance. Evolving from partnered dances enjoyed at social events, modern ballroom dance is competed internationally at the professional and amateur levels.

There are two schools of ballroom dancing; the International School developed in England and the American School developed in the United States and Canada. Boths schools divide dance varieties into two groups: Standard/Smooth and Latin/Rhythm.

Standard/Smooth varieties include waltz, Viennese waltz, tango, foxtrot, and quickstep.

Latin/Rhythm varieties include pasodoble, bolero, samba, rhumba, mambo, cha-cha, and swing.

The Blackpool Dance Festival is the preeminent ballroom dance competition, held annually in Blackpool, England since 1920.

Emita Brady Hill is an author, oral historian, and educator based in New York. She received her doctorate in romance languages and literature from Harvard University, and has taught at Case Western Reserve Univeristy, Columbia University, Lehman College-CUNY, and Indiana Univeristy Kokomo. She was awarded an honorary doctorate from Indiana University in 2019. Hill conducted the interviews in this collection, with members of the New York ballroom dance community, between 2015 and 2018.

Scope and arrangement

The Ballroom dance oral history collection contains 27 interviews with 28 dancers from the New York ballroom dance community. One interview includes two participants.

Dancers profiled include a mix of those at professional and amateur levels. Topics discussed include personal and professional backgrounds of the dancers, where they studied, how they became interested in ballroom dance, accounts of competitions, and other related subjects.

Each oral history subject contains an audio file with the interview recording, text of the interview transcript, and scans of the interview subject's biographical information and signed release form. Some interview subjects contain more than one recording.

Interviews are conducted with the 2014 Blackpool Champions, David Wright and Liva Andrejeva.

All interviews were conducted by Emita Brady Hill.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged in alphabetical order by interview subject's last name.

Administrative information

Source of acquisition

The collection was donated by Emita Brady Hill in 2018.

Processing information

Processed by Christopher Arena in 2021.

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

The interview with Paul Pellicoro is restricted to the public until January 1, 2025.