Research Catalog

Title

Interview with Blondell Cummings [sound recording].

Author

Cummings, Blondell.

Publication

1998.

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Additional Authors

Moseley, Monica.

Description

3 sound cassettes (approx. 4 hours) +

Summary

• Cassette 1. 9/30/98. Ms. Cummings discusses her family background; her first dance lessons; experiences dancing in the company of Tito Sompas; other early dance experiences. She then relates more on her family, her father, her education, and her involvement in music. She describes studying at the Martha Graham school; meeting Meredith Monk; and trying out various techniques and performing opportunities. Cummings then discusses performing in Monk's piece Juice; traveling in Europe and Africa; her feeling of connection to Mali. She describes continuing work with Monk; Monk's choreographies Vessel and Needle-brain Lloyd and the systems kid; Monk's working process; and Monk's piece, Education of the girlchild. Cummings describes her own involvement in women's issues; creating her own work; and her piece, Cycles.
• Cassette 2. 9/30/98 and 10/25/98. Ms. Cummings continues discussion of her piece Cycles; the work that developed out of it; and Cycles' impact on her artistic directions. She describes performing in Hong Kong and the impact of that trip on her life. Cummings then discusses the CETA Dance Project and her work in it; what she believes to be the artist's responsibility in the community; her interest in research; her process in creating a piece; her interest in other cultures; and her series of choreographies, Intimate/Not so intimate [also entitled Relationships: intimate and not so intimate]. Cummings describes her interest in photography and in oral history. She discusses choosing and working with collaborators, working with musicians, and working with Philadelphia Dance Company. She reflects on her mother's death, and her changing perspective on her work.
• Cassette 3. 10/25/98. Ms. Cummings discusses the impact of her trip to China; her experiences in China; making the commitment to be a full-time artist. She reflects on the influence of Asia in her life; the intersection of her life and art; her piece Art of war/Nine situations; and briefly dancing with Bill T. Jones. She concludes by discussing her feelings about herself as an artist and her feelings about inadequate recognition.

Alternative Title

• Dance Oral History Project.
• Dance Audio Archive.

Subjects

• CETA Dance Project
• Relationships: Good and not so good (Choreographic work : Cummings)
• Art of war/Nine situations (Choreographic work : Cummings)
• Vessel (Choreographic work : Monk)
• Cycles (Choreographic work : Cummings)
• 3B49 (Choreographic work : Cummings)
• Juice (Choreographic work : Monk)
• Audiotapes > Cummings, B
• Cummings, Blondell > Interviews
• Monk, Meredith
• Education of the girlchild (Choreographic work : Monk)
• Omadele and Giuseppe (Choreographic work : Cummings)
• Needle-brain Lloyd and the systems kid (Choreographic work : Monk)

Note

• For transcript, see *MGZMT 3-2170.
• Interviewed by Monica Moseley on Sept. 30 and Oct. 25, 1998, at Ms. Cummings' apartment in New York City.

Access (note)

• Transcripts may not be photographed or reproduced without permission.

Call Number

*MGZMT 3-2170

OCLC

NYPY99-R29

Author

Cummings, Blondell. Interviewee

Title

Interview with Blondell Cummings [sound recording].

Imprint

1998.

Local Note

Preservation master cassette: *MGZTCO 3-2170.

Dubbing master: *MGZTD 10-2170.

Archival transcript: *MGZMTO 3-2170.

Partially funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Restricted Access

Transcripts may not be photographed or reproduced without permission.

Local Subject

Audiotapes -- Cummings, B.

Added Author

Moseley, Monica. Interviewer

Research Call Number

*MGZMT 3-2170 [Transcript]

*MGZTC 3-2170 [Cassette]