Research Catalog

Title

Costume designs and artwork [graphic].

Author

Eula, Joe.

Publication

1969-1971.

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Description

• 14 drawings : chiefly watercolor, gouache, graphite, color; 46 x 61 cm. or smaller.
• 7 drawings : graphite, felt pen, b&w or one color ;
• 1 item : watercolor, gouache, color ;

Summary

Costume designs and action drawings for five ballets presented between 1969 and 1971 by New York City Ballet (Dances at a gathering, Four last songs, The Goldberg variations, In the night, Reveries) and a ballet presented by the Joffrey Ballet (Kettentanz). Four sheets contain costume designs for an unidentified ballet or ballets, labeled with names of dancers of New York City Ballet. The collection is alphabetically arranged by ballet title, followed by a section for the unidentified designs.

Subjects

• New York City Ballet
• Villella, Edward, 1936-
• Kettentanz (Choreographic work : Arpino)
• Costume design drawings
• Tschaikovsky suite no. 1 (Choreographic work : Clifford)
• In the night (Choreographic work : Robbins)
• Goldberg variations (Choreographic work : Robbins)
• Dances at a gathering (Choreographic work : Robbins)
• Joffrey Ballet
• Four last songs (Choreographic work : Massine)

Genre/Form

Costume design drawings.

Note

• Includes a color chart in watercolor and gouache, signed and dated Eula 71, probably made for Four last songs.
• Eighteen of the drawings are signed; some are also dated.
• Many drawings include fabric swatches or color patches, as well as notations by the designer.

Biography (note)

• Three of the ballets represented in this collection were choreographed by Jerome Robbins for the New York City Ballet. Dances at a gathering (music, Frédéric Chopin), first performed in 1969, marked Robbins's return to the company after a twelve year absence. In 1970 it was followed by a second ballet to Chopin, In the night. The costume designs for this ballet were revised several times, and at the time of writing appear to have been superseded by designs created by Royal Ballet dancer Anthony Dowell in 1973. The Goldberg variations (music, Johann Sebastian Bach) was first presented at an open working rehearsal in Saratoga Springs, New York, in 1970, before its official premiere in New York City in 1971.
• Four last songs (choreography, Lorca Massine; music, Richard Strauss) was first danced at a workshop performance by the School of American Ballet in 1970, and presented by the New York City Ballet in 1971. The ballet was set in a rehearsal room, and its costumes were theatricalized versions of dancers' practice clothes.
• Reveries (choreography, John Clifford; music, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Suite no. 1 for orchestra) was first presented by the New York City Ballet in 1969. A revised version, danced in practice clothes, was presented in 1971 under the title Tchaikovsky suite no. 1.
• Kettentanz (choreography, Gerald Arpino; music, Johann Strauss, Johann Simon Mayr) was first performed in 1971 by the Joffrey Ballet.
• Joe Eula, 1925-2004, was a noted fashion illustrator. He also designed album covers and posters for musicians, and costumes for television, Broadway, and the New York City Ballet.

Contents

• Dances at a gathering (no. 1) (1 sheet, signed and dated Eula [19]69): action drawing of Edward Villella.
• Four last songs (nos. 2-4) (2 sheets and a color chart, signed and dated Eula [19]71): one drawing depicts costumes for three women; one drawing depicts costumes for six women and three men. The drawings are labeled with the dancers' names: Susan Pilarre, Lisa de Ribere, Bonnie Moore, Johnna Kirkland, Deborah Koolish, Bonita Borne, Robert Maiorano, Earle Sieveling, and Bryan Pitts. Eight of these names, plus that of Nolan T'Sani, appear on the color chart.
• The Goldberg variations (nos. 5-10) (6 sheets, all signed Eula, five dated [19]71): one drawing, labeled "Phase I," depicts a woman and a man, plus a color chart labeled with dancers' names. Two sheets depict men's costumes, showing a three-part progression from present-day practice clothes to eighteenth-century garb. A smaller sheet depicts two men, one in shirt and breeches, and the other in eighteenth-century costume. One sheet contains the women's costumes in a similar three-part progression. A b&w drawing of six figures brings together the three-part progression for both men and women.
• In the night (nos. 11-12) (2 sheets, both signed and dated Eula [19]70): One drawing depicts three women's costumes, each with a different bodice. In a drawing of two men and two women, the identification of which has not been confirmed, one man wears an eighteenth-century style jacket, while the other is dressed in military attire. The two women wear different dresses. Three dancers' names appear: Frank [Francisco Moncion?], [Patricia] McBride [?], and [Kay] Mazzo, all of whom were in the 1970 cast. According to reviews, the costumes for this ballet were revised several times during its first year in the repertory, and at some performances the dancers wore costumes from Dances at a gathering, which Eula had also designed.
• Reveries (nos. 13-15) (3 sheets, all signed Eula): one drawing, dated [19]69, depicts two women, labeled as Gelsie [Gelsey] and Johanna [Johnna] Kirkland, who are sisters. A b&w drawing of two women, with pink fabric swatches attached, is dated [19]70. A b&w drawing of a woman and a man, with pastel fabric swatches attached, may be linked with this ballet on the basis of its notations, which include the name of the choreographer John Clifford and the words "NYC Ballet, Tchsy [Tchaikovsky?] #6, Dec 8 69."
• Kettentanz (nos. 16-18) (3 sheets, all signed Eula): one drawing depicts eight women dressed in different colors. One drawing contains nine male figures, but the two at top center appear to be front and back views of the same costume. An action drawing dated [19]71 appears to portray a single female dancer in eight consecutive movements.
• Unidentified ballets (nos. 19-22) (4 sheets, none of which are signed or dated): one drawing depicts costume designs for Allegra Kent and Earle Sieveling; both designs bare the dancers' midriffs. Two sheets depict costumes for four male dancers (Bryan Pitts, Robert Maiorano, Conrad Ludlow, Bruce Wells) characterized by visible stitching, elaborate arrangements of buckles and fastenings, and ornately strapped boots. A drawing of costumes for four women (two labeled Milessa [Melissa Hayden?] and Dian) appears to be designed in a similar style. These designs may have been made for a ballet or ballets that were not produced, or they may have been early versions of designs that were replaced by others.

Call Number

*MGZGV 12-2320

OCLC

820353166

Author

Eula, Joe.

Title

Costume designs and artwork [graphic].

Imprint

1969-1971.

Biography

Three of the ballets represented in this collection were choreographed by Jerome Robbins for the New York City Ballet. Dances at a gathering (music, Frédéric Chopin), first performed in 1969, marked Robbins's return to the company after a twelve year absence. In 1970 it was followed by a second ballet to Chopin, In the night. The costume designs for this ballet were revised several times, and at the time of writing appear to have been superseded by designs created by Royal Ballet dancer Anthony Dowell in 1973. The Goldberg variations (music, Johann Sebastian Bach) was first presented at an open working rehearsal in Saratoga Springs, New York, in 1970, before its official premiere in New York City in 1971.

Four last songs (choreography, Lorca Massine; music, Richard Strauss) was first danced at a workshop performance by the School of American Ballet in 1970, and presented by the New York City Ballet in 1971. The ballet was set in a rehearsal room, and its costumes were theatricalized versions of dancers' practice clothes.

Reveries (choreography, John Clifford; music, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Suite no. 1 for orchestra) was first presented by the New York City Ballet in 1969. A revised version, danced in practice clothes, was presented in 1971 under the title Tchaikovsky suite no. 1.

Kettentanz (choreography, Gerald Arpino; music, Johann Strauss, Johann Simon Mayr) was first performed in 1971 by the Joffrey Ballet.

Joe Eula, 1925-2004, was a noted fashion illustrator. He also designed album covers and posters for musicians, and costumes for television, Broadway, and the New York City Ballet.

Local Note

For Eula's costume designs for Dances at a gathering, and a color chart for the men's costumes in Kettentanz, see: *MGZGV 12-2319.

Cataloging funds provided by Friends of Jerome Robbins Dance Division.

Research Call Number

*MGZGV 12-2320