Research Catalog

Title

Interview with Anna G. Austin [sound recording].

Author

Austin, Anna G.

Publication

1982.

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Additional Authors

Dunn, Patricia, -1990.

Description

5 sound discs (ca. 300 min.) : digital; 4 3/4 in.

Summary

• Disc 1 (ca. 69 min.). [Begins abruptly.] Anna G. Austin speaks about Jack Cole when he was first studying at the Denishawn school in New York City, including his dancing at Lewisohn Stadium; his early interest in choreography, including his work with Alice Dudley and his choreographing of (the musical comedy) Rose Marie for Ruth St. Denis; his marriage; his son; Austin's and Cole's performing at the Rainbow Room; Cole's Japanese spear dance; John Martin's criticism of Cole; Austin's dancing at night clubs while studying at the Denishawn school in New York City; dancing with Florence Lessing in Cole's production of the ballet Afternoon of a faun, at a night club; St. Denis's visualizations, including her tendency to improvise; the Legong dance; St. Denis's and Ted Shawn's study-tour of "Oriental" dance; more on Cole, including personal and professional aspects; performing in Rose Marie, with St. Denis; Austin's marriage [to Jack? Cronopulos, later changed to Crane] and divorce; her economic straits after her divorce; teaching, including at [Eugene] Loring's studio; discusses a poem by St. Denis [short gap followed by discussion of administrative matters].
• Disc 2 , 06/23/06 (ca. 63 min.). Austin speaks about the Denishawn school, including how she became a student there and her living arrangements; her family background; dancing with the Denishawn dancers at the Brooklyn Academy of Music; her teachers, Hazel Kranz and Florence O'Denishawn; her first meeting with St. Denis [Austin and Dunn look at and comment on photographs of Austin and other dancers; Dunn also reads from and comments on a 1927 letter from St. Denis to Austin seeking to engage her for a tour beginning in Dayton, Ohio]; performing with the Denishawn dancers in the Ziegfeld follies [more looking at photographs of Denishawn dancers, programs, and other memorabilia]; Shawn and St. Denis's very different working styles; Shawn as a dancer; Charles Weidman and Doris Humphrey and their relationship with the Denishawn school; Cole's first meeting with St. Denis and his becoming a student at the Denishawn school; Cole as a student, a dancer, and a person, including his relationship with St. Denis [Austin shows and comments on a photograph of Denishawn House]; St. Denis's pet bird, Dada [ends abruptly].
• Disc 3, 06/23/06 (ca. 55 min.). Austin finishes speaking about the bird and begins speaking about Shawn and Fred Beckman [gap followed by unrelated discussion about administrative matters]; Shawn's increasing focus on his group of male dancers, including his creation of Kinetic molpai [gap]; more about Cole's career; more on Florence Lessing; Austin's performance with Lessing of Cole's choreography at the Rainbow Room, including an anecdote about their costumes and St. Denis; more on Shawn; Barton Mumaw; more on Cole's career, including his leaving Jacob's Pillow and studying with Doris Humphrey and Charles Weidman; more on St. Denis, including her economic circumstances after separating from Shawn; more on Cole, including his professional relationship with Shawn and his teaching at Austin's studio in New York City; Cole as a teacher; a performance anecdote; more on Cole's background [ends abruptly].
• Disc 4, 06/24/06 (ca. 62 min.). [Begins abruptly.] Austin and Dunn are looking at and commenting on photographs of Cole, Austin, Lessing, and other dancers [discussion of administrative matters; gap]; Austin speaks about Cole's reasons for choreographing primarily for nightclubs rather than for concert halls, including an anecdote about his production of Afternoon of a faun at a nightclub; Cole's attempts at choreographing modern dance with Alice Dudley; anecdotes about Cole and Dudley performing together; more on Cole's choreography, including his interest in Cuban dance; reminisces about Shawn's classes, including at his studio in Westport, Conn.; touring with the Denishawn dancers and with Cole, including performance anecdotes about Ethel Waters and Judy Garland; performing a quasi-burlesque dance Cole had created, with Lessing at the Rainbow Room [ends abruptly].
• Disc 5, 06/24/06 (ca. 51 min.). Austin continues speaking about Rainbow Room performances; her year teaching Denishawn-style dance in Boston at Miriam Winslow's school; learning St. Denis's [Dance of the] red and gold saree from Shawn and St. Denis; Austin's substituting for St. Denis in the Nautch dance in a performance for Eleanor Roosevelt; St. Denis's personal life [gap]; more on Shawn, including an anecdote about Shawn, Cole, and herself at Jacob's Pillow [Austin looks through programs, with occasional comments, to try to confirm the details of her touring with Shawn and others; from ca. 32 min., the recording is essentially conversation, not always audible, between Austin and Dunn, mainly regarding various personal matters; from ca. 35 min to its conclusion, the recording is severely marred by extraneous noise and very poor sound quality].

Donor/Sponsor

• Gift of Ronald J. Lehrman.
• Oral History Archive.
• New York State Council on the Arts, 2000-2001.

Subject

• Austin, Anna G
• Cole, Jack, 1911-1974
• St. Denis, Ruth, 1880-1968
• Shawn, Ted, 1891-1972
• Denishawn School of Dancing
• Rainbow Room (New York, N.Y.)
• Denishawn House, New York
• Denishawn Dancers

Note

• Interview with Anna G. Austin conducted by Patrica Dunn on June 23 and 24, 1982, at Austin's home, in California. The interview was part of Dunn's research on Jack Cole, with whom Austin had danced. Occasionally Dunn reads from a manuscript Austin wrote about her life and career, suggesting revisions and additions. Dunn and Austin also look at and comment on Austin's collection of photographs, programs, and other memorabilia.
• The sound quality overall is good. Extraneous noise mars parts of disc 3 and disc 5, and there are occasional gaps throughout the recording. The last ca. 15 min. of disc 5 consist mainly of general conversation and is substantially unintelligible.

Funding (note)

• Preservation was funded in part with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, 2000-2001.

Call Number

*MGZTL 4-1806

OCLC

NYPY06-R32

Author

Austin, Anna G. Interviewee

Title

Interview with Anna G. Austin [sound recording].

Imprint

1982.

Funding

Preservation was funded in part with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, 2000-2001.

Local Note

Archive original: *MGZTCO 3-1806 nos. 1-3

Preservation master: *MGZTP 4-1806 nos. 1-5

Dubbing master: *MGZTD 4-1806 nos. 1-5

Local Subject

Musical comedies. Rose Marie.

Audiotapes -- Austin, A.

Added Author

Dunn, Patricia, -1990. Interviewer

Research Call Number

*MGZTL 4-1806 [sound disc]