Research Catalog

Title

Interview with Karel Shook. May 19, 1971, 1971.

Author

Shook, Karel

Publication

1971

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Additional Authors

Gruen, John

Description

2 sound discs (approximately one hour and five minutes.): digital; 4 3/4 in.

Summary

• Disc 1, approximately 44 minutes. Karel Shook speaks with John Gruen about Dance Theatre of Harlem's recent performance with New York City Ballet; how he first began studying ballet, at the Cornish School [of Allied Arts in Seattle, Washington]; his career as a dancer, including as a member of the Ballet russe [de Monte Carlo] and New York City Ballet; his decision to become a teacher, joining Syvilla Fort at the Katherine Dunham School, where he taught Arthur Mitchell; an anecdote about the June Taylor School [of Dance] illustrating racial bias; leaving the United States for the National Ballet [Nationale Ballet], in the Hague including several anecdotes about his life in the Netherlands; his reasons for returning to the United States; reasons he and Arthur Mitchell wanted to create the Dance Theatre of Harlem and school; his lack of discomfort with respect to being a white person in an environment where almost everyone else is black; his approach to teaching; the classes and some of the teachers including Tanaquil Le Clercq; the relationship between the company and the school; plans to tour in Europe.
• Disc 2, approximately 21 minutes. Karel Shook continues to speak with John Gruen about Dance Theatre of Harlem's recent performance with New York City Ballet; the racial composition of the company and school including his preference for focusing on artistic value rather than the questions of integration and segregation; authentic dance from Africa compared to so-called African dance; admission standards and scholarships at the school; the plans for their new building; more on the structure of the company; other possible venues for the company's performances; Arthur Mitchell as a choreographer; briefly, plans for the school and the company's upcoming repertory.

Donor/Sponsor

Gift of John Gruen, April 1974

Alternative Title

Dance Audio Archive.

Subject

• Shook, Karel
• Mitchell, Arthur, 1934-
• Dance Theatre of Harlem
• Dance and race
• Audiotapes > Shook, K

Note

• Interview with Karel Shook conducted by John Gruen on May 19, 1971, in New York City, as research for an article about Dance Theatre of Harlem for The New York Times. It sounds as if there is an additional person at the interview, an unidentified female, but she does not contribute significantly to the discussion.
• For (condensed) transcript of interview, see: *MGZMT 3-191.
• Sound quality is fair. The recording is marred by occasional extraneous noise but the speakers' voices are easily audible.

Funding (note)

• The conservation and cataloging of this recording was made possible in part by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. The support of the National Endowment for the Arts is also gratefully acknowledged.

Call Number

*MGZTL 4-191

OCLC

80089397

Author

Shook, Karel, interviewee.

Title

Interview with Karel Shook. May 19, 1971, 1971.

Production

1971

Type of Content

spoken word

Type of Medium

audio

Type of Carrier

audio disc

Event

Recorded by John Gruen 1971, May 19, New York, N.Y.

Funding

The conservation and cataloging of this recording was made possible in part by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. The support of the National Endowment for the Arts is also gratefully acknowledged.

Original Version

Original format: one sound cassette (approximately one hour and five minutes); 1 7/8 ips. originally recorded on May 19, 1971; transferred to wav file and compact disc formats in 2013.

Local Note

Former classmark: *MGZTC 3-191

Added Author

Gruen, John, interviewer.

Gruen, John, donor

Research Call Number

*MGZTL 4-191