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Creator
Yarborough, Lavinia Williams
Call number
Sc MG 659
Physical description
0.21 linear feet (1 box)
Language
English
Preferred Citation
[Item], Lavinia Williams collection, Sc MG 659, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division, The New York Public Library
Repository
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division
Access to materials
Request an in-person research appointment.

Lavinia Williams (1916-1989) was an African-American dancer, choreographer, and teacher. This collection contains materials such as dance instruction (class) notes, personal correspondence, and professional correspondence, the last of which pertains to Ballets d'Haiti performances and dance education. Included are two booklets written by Williams.

Biographical/historical information

Lavinia Williams (1916-1989) was an African American dancer, choreographer, and teacher. Williams was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and later resided in Brooklyn, New York, and Port-au-Prince, Haiti. She danced with Katherine Dunham's company and appeared in various Broadway musicals such as Showboat and Cabin in the Sky. In 1953, Williams was invited by the Haitian government to establish a dance school in Haiti. She went on to found the Haitian Institute of Classic and Folklore Dance of which she was the director.

Williams also founded the Ballets d'Haiti dance company. She would later divide her time between Haiti and the United States. During the latter years of her life (in the 1980s), she taught at New York University and the Alvin Ailey Dance School. Like many African American dancers of her generation, Williams had begun to receive recognition from the younger generation of dancers, scholars, and the general public. The dance tradition continued through Sara Yarborough, Williams's daughter, who was a member of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.

Scope and arrangement

This collection contains materials such as dance instruction (class) notes, personal correspondence from her daughter, Sara Yarborough, and general and professional correspondence pertaining to Ballets d'Haiti performances and dance education. Included are two booklets written by Williams. One booklet, entitled Haitian Dance, focuses on cultural dance while the other commemorates the 20th anniversary of Ballets d'Haiti. This collection also includes a program from a dance performance and other material related to Williams's involvement in dance education.

The Lavinia Williams collection is arranged in two series:

Administrative information

Source of acquisition

Purchased from Willy Nicolas (dealer), April 1999.

Processing information

Accessioned by L.J. Sewell, June 1999.

Using the collection

Location

Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division
515 Malcolm X Boulevard, New York, NY 10037-1801
Second Floor