Inventory of the Joe Nash Collection, 1946-1999

Abstract

Joe Nash (1919-2005) was a self-taught dancer and prominent historian of African-American dance history. Collection includes photographic prints, programs, clippings, fliers, 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: Nash, Joe.
Title: Joe Nash Collection, 1946-1999
Language of Material: English
Extent: .21 linear feet, 1 box
Location: For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the American Dance Festival Archives.

Series Quick Links

Printed Materials, 1946-1999 and undated

Collection Overview

Collection includes photographic prints, programs, clippings, fliers, 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

Expand All

Printed Materials, 1946-1999 and undated

Printed materials about Joe Nash, 1988-1999

Pioneers in Negro Concert Dance by Joe Nash in Dance Women/Living Legends

Dancing Many Drums by Joe Nash in National Scene Magazine Supplement, Sept./Oct. 1976

Joe Nash resumes

Theater Grottesco and Rennie Harris Puremovement at The New Victory Theater program, 1999

Ruth Page Awards and Benefit program, 1998

Ruth St. Denis with Ted Shawn program

Pearl Primus and Group program, 1946

Donald McKayle and Company program, 1956

Jacob's Pillow Festival program, 1954

Barton Mumaw publicity

Martha Graham publicity

Valerie Bettis photograph

Diane McIntyre photograph, 1979

100 Poster Masterpieces auction catalog, 1981

Historical Note

Joe Nash (1919-2005) was a self-taught dancer and prominent historian of African-American dance history. Growing up in New York City during the Harlem Renaissance, Nash was inspired by the black arts movement. After returning from his World War II military service, he immersed himself in a self-directed study of dance literature and photography. In the late 1940s and '50s, Nash performed on Broadway and toured with influential modern dance artists such as Pearl Primus and Donald McKayle. He also began teaching and lecturing on dance history in Philadelphia and New York. Nash was a consultant and lecturer at the American Dance Festival from the 1990s until his death in 2005. He was widely considered one of the leading experts on the role of African-Americans in the development of modern dance. During his life, Nash donated materials from his vast archival collection to the New York Public Library, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem, The Arthur Hall Collection in Philadelphia, Florida A&M University, the American Dance Festival, and the National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center in Ohio.