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Creator
Arova, Sonia
Call number
(S) *MGZMD 507
Physical description
0.84 linear feet (2 boxes, 1 oversize folder)
Language
English
Preferred Citation
Sonia Arova collection, (S) *MGZMD 507. 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 Sonia Arova collection, dating from 1946 to 2013, documents her career as a ballerina and artistic director of the San Diego Ballet and the Alabama Ballet. The collection holds printed matter, photographs, correspondence, audio and video media originals.

Biographical/historical information

Sonia Arova (née Sonia Errio, 1927-2001) was a Bulgarian-born international ballet star and artistic director. Trained in Paris and England, she danced in Ballets Russes, the London Festival Ballet, the Royal Ballet and the American Ballet theatre among others. In 1966, Arova was appointed artistic director and ballerina for the Norwegian Ballet in Oslo, where her American husband Thor Brian Sutowski (1945 -) was a principal. Within four years, she left Europe with her husband for the United States. Their first appointment was as artistic directors of the San Diego Ballet Company. In 1976, an opportunity arose in Birmingham, Alabama for both to teach at the Alabama School of Fine Arts. Concurrently, Arova received the appointment of artistic director of the Alabama Ballet. In 1996, the couple returned to San Diego, where Arova was appointed artistic advisor to the California Ballet.

Arova died on February 4, 2001.

Scope and arrangement

The Sonia Arova collection, dating from 1946 to 2013, documents her career as a ballerina and artistic director. The collection focuses on her career mostly in the United States.

The files include articles about ballet productions; Arova's handwritten notes for classes taught at the Australian Ballet; business letters regarding her work and teaching; and photographs of Arova, ballets and related events. There are also programs featuring her performances in Europe and the United States and her and Sutowski's work with the San Diego Ballet and the Alabama Ballet.

Media originals are cassette tapes and video relating to class rehearsals and ballet performances.

Administrative information

Source of acquisition

Therese Laeger donated the collection in 2019.

Processing information

Processed by Valerie Wingfield in 2019.

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

Inquiries regarding audio and moving image materials in the collection may be directed to the Jerome Robbins Dance Division (dance@nypl.org). Audio and moving image materials will be subject to preservation assessment and migration prior to access.