Research Catalog

Title

Interviews with Barton Mumaw, Sr., Ted Shawn, and Barton Mumaw, Jr., 1969?

Author

Mumaw, Barton, 1912-2001

Publication

[1969?]

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Additional Authors

• Dougherty, John, 1910-1988
• Mumaw, Sr., Barton
• Shawn, Ted, 1891-1972
• Sedgwick, Gabriella.

Description

3 sound discs (approximately one hour and 55 minutes.) : digital; 4 3/4 in.

Summary

• Disc 1, track 1 (approximately 2:30 minutes), 1969[?]. Following introductory remarks by John Dougherty, Barton Mumaw, Sr. reminisces about Ted Shawn's founding of his company Ted Shawn and His Men Dancers and efforts to build a theater in Eustis, Florida.
• Disc 1, tracks 2-3 (approximately seven minuets), March 14, 1969 (approximately seven minutes). Following introductory remarks by John Dougherty, Ted Shawn speaks about his long friendship with Dougherty and their work together on the research and writing of Shawn's memoir including the cataloging of Shawn's costume collection.
• Disc 2, track 1, first 3:15 minutes, 1969[?]. Following introductory remarks by John Dougherty, Barton Mumaw, Sr. reminisces about his and his son, Barton Mumaw, Jr.'s first meeting with Ted Shawn and Shawn's plans to build a theater in Eustis, Florida.
• Disc 2, from approximately 3:17 minutes into track 1 - 15 (approximately one hour and nine minutes). Barton Mumaw, Jr. speaks with John Dougherty about seeing Ted Shawn dance for the first time, in particular how this influenced his decision to become a dancer; his family's background in the arts; being hired by Shawn; Shawn's production of [Ninette de Valois's work] Job; touring with Shawn's company, which included women at the time; [Dougherty introduces Gabriella Sedgwick]; Shawn's forming of an all-male company, Ted Shawn and His Men Dancers including how this related to his work with students at Springfield College; Mumaw's dancing in Shawn's work Gnossienne, no 1; Mumaw's first choreography, for himself in the Olympiad section of Shawn's work O libertad!; Shawn's dance Fetish; Mumaw's contribution to a group of dances choreographed by Shawn to the music of Johann Sebastian Bach [ultimately comprising 26 dances collectively entitled The dome]; Shawn's work Kinetic molpai; the choreographic process including Ruth St. Denis' affinity for Indian dance; Shawn's work Mongolian archer; more on Kinetic molpai; Shawn's solo Divine idiot; Shawn's work John Brown sees the glory; more on Kinetic molpai including its revival at Jacob's Pillow, led by Norman Walker; Mumaw, Jr. comments on photographs of performances by Shawn and his dancers; Eva Sikelianos, in particular her reproducing of ancient Greek cloth; costumes of the male dancers in the early days.
• Disc 3 (approximately 32 minutes). Barton Mumaw, Jr. speaks with John Dougherty about choreographing including the limitations of working with an all-male company and working with students at Jacob's Pillow; tells an anecdote about Jess Meeker; dancing with injuries due to lack of substitutes; [in response to Gabriella Sedgwick's questions] Mumaw speaks about a photograph where the company members all seem to be in the air at once; Ted Shawn and his contributions to the field of teaching dance; a typical day at Jacob's Pillow; the importance of performing regularly; his time in the United States Army including his impressions of Biloxi, Missouri and his dance-related work; Barton Mumaw, Sr. speaks about the audience response to his son's dancing.

Subject

• Mumaw, Barton, 1912-2001 > Interviews
• Shawn, Ted, 1891-1972 > Interviews
• Mumaw, Barton, Senior
• Sedgwick, Gabriella
• Jacob's Pillow
• Ted Shawn and His Men Dancers
• Kinetic molpai (Choreographic work : Shawn)
• O, libertad! (Choreographic work : Shawn)
• Audiotapes > Shawn, T
• Audiotapes > Mumaw, Barton, Sr
• Audiotapes > Mumaw, Barton, Jr
• Audiotapes > Sedgwick, G

Note

• Interviews conducted by John Dougherty with Barton Mumaw, Sr., with Ted Shawn, and with Barton Mumaw Jr. The interviews with the Mumaws were conducted at Barton Mumaw Sr.'s home, in Eustis, Florida; the date is not specified but is probably in 1969. The interview with Shawn was conducted at Shawn's home, near Eustis, Florida, on March 14, 1969. Barton Mumaw, Sr. and Gabriella Sedgwick are present at the interviews with Barton Mumaw, Jr. and contribute occasional comments and questions.
• Sound quality is fair to good. The recording is marred by "tape hiss," but for the most part, the speakers' voices are easily intelligible except for Gabriella Sedgwick. The volume on disc 3 is lower than on discs 1 and 2.

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 4-2964

OCLC

882249948

Author

Mumaw, Barton, 1912-2001, interviewee.

Title

Interviews with Barton Mumaw, Sr., Ted Shawn, and Barton Mumaw, Jr., 1969?

Production

[1969?]

Type of Content

spoken word

Type of Medium

audio

Type of Carrier

audio disc

Event

Recorded byJohn Dougherty 1969? Eustis, Florida.

Original Version

Original format: one sound reel (approximately one hour and 55 minutes); 1 7/8 ips.;7"; quarter track; originally recorded in 1969?; transferred to wav file and compact disc formats in 2013.

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.

Added Author

Dougherty, John, 1910-1988, interviewer.

Mumaw, Sr., Barton, interviewee.

Shawn, Ted, 1891-1972, interviewee.

Sedgwick, Gabriella.

Research Call Number

*MGZTL 4-2964