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[Identification of item], American Dance Festival Reference Collection, University Archives, Duke University.
The American Dance Festival Reference Collection was compiled by University Archives staff from a variety of sources.
Collected and arranged by University Archives staff.
Encoded by Jill Katte, February 2005
Updated by Molly Bragg
This finding aid is NCEAD compliant.
The American Dance Festival (ADF) is committed to serving the needs of dance, dancers, choreographers and professionals in dance-related fields. Remaining true to the goals of its founding artists, ADF's programs are developed based on its mission to: encourage and support the creation of new modern dance work by both established and emerging choreographers; preserve our modern dance heritage through continued presentation of classic works, as well as through archival efforts; build wider national and international audiences for modern dance; enhance public understanding and appreciation of the art form and its cultural and historical significance; provide a sound scientific/aesthetic base for professional education and training of young dancers and a forum for integrating and disseminating information on dance education.
In July 1934, the small town of Bennington, Vermont became the site of the Bennington School of Dance -- the precursor of the American Dance Festival. It was the laboratory in which four of the great modern dance second-generation pioneers (Martha Graham, Hanya Holm, Doris Humphrey, and Charles Weidman) could experiment, train students, and create the early works that made modern dance one of the great cultural triumphs of the twentieth century.
The Festival, directed by Martha Hill and Mary Josephine Shelly, remained in Bennington until 1942 (with a one-year sojourn to Mills College, California, in 1939). Despite the onset of World War II, Martha Graham spent the summers of 1943-1945 in residence in Bennington, and in 1946 Jos Limn brought his first company to Bennington. In 1947, Martha Hill initiated a pilot program at Connecticut College in New London, Connecticut, for dance teachers, college dance groups, and young dancers. Due to the success of that pilot program, the Connecticut College School of Dance/American Dance Festival opened officially in 1948. For the 1969 season the name became simply the American Dance Festival, and has been directed by Charles L. Reinhart ever since. In 1978, the ADF took over the sprawling green lawns, studios, offices, and dormitories of Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.
[Historical note adapted from the American Dance Festival web site.]
The American Dance Festival Reference Collection includes clippings, announcements, programs, and other materials pertaining to ADF performances and events held on the Duke University campus. This materials was collected from a variety of sources by the University Archives for use in reference and research.
Please note that the official repository for information about ADF is the American Dance Festival Archives.
These and related materials may be accessed under the following subject headings in the Duke University Libraries online catalog.