Research Catalog

Title

Conversation with Edwin Denby and Don McDonagh, Arlene Croce, and George Dorris [sound recording].

Author

Denby, Edwin, 1903-1983.

Publication

1969.

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Additional Authors

• Croce, Arlene.
• McDonagh, Don.
• Dorris, George E.
• Joseph and Ida Liskin Foundation. fnd

Description

2 sound discs (ca. 104 min.): digital; 4 3/4 in.

Summary

• Disc 1 (ca. 62 min.). Edwin Denby speaks with Don McDonagh, Arlene Croce, and George Dorris about John Prinz and Jacques d'Amboise; George Balanchine's ballet Prodigal son, including Francisco Moncion in the role of the son and Balanchine in the role of the father, and the dance of the servants; they discuss a performance of works choreographed by Yvonne Rainer and Deborah Hay; Denby's thoughts on viewing art, in particular the tension between the old and the new; the critical as compared to the creative point of view; the difficulty in formulating principles of dance criticism [short gap]; the problems inherent in taping an interview; John Clifford's new ballet [Fantasies] including his choice of score and use of the pas de deux form; Balanchine's work Pas de deux: La source and its second version, La source; discussion of the apparent ability of some dancers to project a presence, e.g., Alexandra Danilova [ends abruptly].
• Disc 2 (ca. 42 min.). Edwin Denby speaks with Don McDonagh, Arlene Croce, and George Dorris about Balanchine's use of the so-called magic circle in his choreography; [Stéphane] Mallarmé's approach to looking at ballet; the convention of white costumes for the corps de ballet and of dream sequences in certain classic ballets; the manner of entrance of the Shades [in La bayadère], the Wilis [in Giselle], and the swans [in Swan lake]; the radical nature of Balanchine's Swan lake; why Denby likes the Royal Ballet's production of [K.M.] Sergeev's Swan lake [short gap; interview ends. From ca. 3:50 on track 6 is an unrelated recording of questions and answers regarding an advertisement for Crest toothpaste.].

Donor/Sponsor

Oral history archive.

Subjects

• New York City Ballet
• Dance critics
• Fantasies (Choreographic work : Clifford)
• Denby, Edwin, 1903-1983
• Source (Choreographic work : Balanchine)
• Dance criticism
• Pas de deux: La source (Choreographic work : Balanchine)
• Audiotapes > Denby, E
• Prodigal son (Choreographic work : Balanchine)

Note

• Open as of August 22, 2012.
• Sound quality ranges from good to poor. The voices of all of the speakers are slightly distorted, and the voice of Edwin Denby is so soft as to be unintelligible at times. In addition, the recording is marred by occasional extraneous noise.
• Conversation with Edwin Denby and Don McDonagh, Arlene Croce, and George Dorris on Feb. 9, 1969, in New York City.

Funding (note)

• Preservation was funded by a gift from the Joseph and Ida Liskin Foundation.

Source (note)

• Don McDonagh.

Call Number

*MGZTL 4-2517

OCLC

302277468

Author

Denby, Edwin, 1903-1983. Interviewee

Title

Conversation with Edwin Denby and Don McDonagh, Arlene Croce, and George Dorris [sound recording].

Imprint

1969.

Funding

Preservation was funded by a gift from the Joseph and Ida Liskin Foundation.

Local Note

The recordings were made by Don McDonagh and form in part the basis of an article entitled A conversation with Edwin Denby: parts 1 and 2, in Ballet review, v. 2, no 5, 1969, p. 3-19 and v. 2 no 6, 1969, p. 32-45. A related recording is cataloged as *MGZTL 4-2516 nos. 1-5.

Dubbing master: *MGZTD 4-2517 nos. 1-2

Archive original: *MGZTCO 3-2517 nos. 1-2

Source

Gift; Don McDonagh. 2007. NN-PD

Local Subject

Audiotapes -- Denby, E.

Added Author

Croce, Arlene. Interviewer

McDonagh, Don. Interviewer

Dorris, George E. Speaker

McDonagh, Don. Donor

Joseph and Ida Liskin Foundation. Funder

Research Call Number

*MGZTL 4-2517 [sound disc]