MenuInventory of the Harper Theater Dance Festival Records, 1962-1982
Abstract
The Harper Theater Dance Festival (1965-1975) presented Chicago audiences with a decade of annual performance seasons from a variety of celebrated touring dance companies. Favorite performers included Merce Cunningham, Alwin Nikolais, and Paul Taylor.
Collection includes photographic prints, negatives, slides, posters, press clippings, tickets, company publicity, and other printed materials.
Descriptive Summary
- Repository
- American Dance Festival Archives Box 90772 Durham, North Carolina, 27708-0772 USA Phone: 919-684-6402 Fax: 919-684-5459 Email: adfarchives@americandancefestival.org
- Creator
- Harper Theater Dance Festival
- Title
- Harper Theater Dance Festival Records, 1962-1982
- Language of Material
- English
- Extent
- 4.76 linear feet, 3 boxes
- Location
- For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the ADF Archives.
Collection Overview
Collection includes photographic prints, negatives, slides, posters, press clippings, tickets, company publicity, and other printed materials.
Administrative Information
Collections are on the move for the renovation of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library. Contact Rubenstein Library staff before visiting. Read More »
Access Restrictions
Patrons must sign the Acknowledgement of Legal Responsibility and Privacy Rights form before using this collection.
Collection is open for research.
In off-site storage; 24 hours advance notice is required for use.
Use Restrictions
Copyright for official American Dance Festival administrative records is held by the American Dance Festival; all other copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.
Contents of the Collection
Browse List of Series
Collapse All
Expand AllIncludes photographic prints, slides, and negatives. The majority of these images are publicity photos supplied by performance companies.
Printed Materials, 1964-1982 and undated
Includes posters, press clippings, tickets, company publicity, and other printed materials.
Historical Note
The Harper Theater Dance Festival (1965-1975) presented Chicago audiences with a decade of annual performance seasons from a variety of celebrated touring dance companies. Judith and Bruce Sagan, local newspaper publishers and dance impresarios, founded the festival in 1965 at the Harper Theater in the South Side of Chicago, Illinois. In 1970 the festival became part of the newly formed Harper Dance Foundation. In 1971 the festival was moved to the larger Civic Theater downtown because of increased audience demand. The final four seasons were hosted by the University of Chicago's Mandel Hall. The festival was sponsored by the Chicago Dance Foundation, a not-for-profit educational foundation, in cooperation with the Illinois Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts. The early seasons featured a diverse array of dance performances, while later years focused more specifically on bringing the country's most contemporary and experimental modern dance to Chicago audiences. Favorite performers included Merce Cunningham, Alwin Nikolais, and Paul Taylor. The festival and foundation became dormant after 1975, although they were briefly revived in 1979 to stage a performance of the Paul Taylor Dancers at Civic Theater.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Harper Theater Dance Festival Records, American Dance Festival Archives.
Provenance
The Harper Theater Dance Festival Records were received by the American Dance Festival as a gift in 1999.
Processing Information
Processed by Rachel Cotterman, July, 2009
Encoded by Dean Jeffrey, July, 2009