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Phyllis Lamhut interview : Oral History Interview

Title: Phyllis Lamhut interview : Oral History Interview, 1996 July 23 / produced and interviewed by Barbara Hayley.
Publication: 1996.

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Status	Format	Access	Call Number	Item Location
Request Appointment Available - Can be used on site. Please visit New York Public Library - Performing Arts Research Collections to submit a request in person.	Moving image	Use in library	*MGZIDVD 5-8491	Performing Arts Research Collections - Dance

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Description

1 videodisc (110 min.) : sound, color; 4 3/4 in.

Summary

[Video 1] Phyllis Lamhut discusses her childhood in Brooklyn, N.Y., early aspirations and experiences in dance, she tells an anecdote about her first meeting with Alwin Nikolais, she discusses the transference of the Henry Street Playhouse's dance directorship from Hanya Holm to Nikolais, her developing a commitment to become a professional dancer and her class schedule, she recalls details of Nikolais' classes, teachings, choreography and his continuation of Holm's dance lineage, she discusses Nikolais' approaches as a choreographer, his choice to not dance in his own works, how the school and Nikolais encouraged and facilitated training in composition and improvisation, she discusses her experiences (as a 16 year old dancer) in the Nikolais dance, Extrados (1949). [28:27 screen black to 29:10, begin Video 2], Lamhut briefly discusses her own early dance compositions, their development through classes at the Henry St. School, and their subject matter, her personal life at that time, she speaks about Nikolais' contributions to the performances given by the school's young choreographers, performing in the Nikolais Dance, Masks, props and mobiles (1953), and the use of improvisation, responding to a question about the thrust of Nikolais' work, she discusses his many talents including as a lighting designer, his philosophical vision of a "total theater" and his creation of immediacy through theatrical experiences, she disputed the Doris Hering review (1953) of the company that describes Nikolais' work as dehumanizing, she mentions the opinions of other reviewers including Louis Horst and John Martin, she discusses the early development of the company's reputation, she briefly recalls Nikolais' dances, including Kaleidoscipe (1953) and Tent (1969), how Nikolais utilized his multi-faceted creative talents and developed costume/props for dances such as these, she describes her own movement tendencies and style in comparison to other company dancers at that time, she further discusses Nikolais' choreographic philosophies and her translation of them as a dancer; she speaks about the transition into starting her own company in 1969, and her dance, Extended voices (1970). [57:26 black screen, 57:29 resumes, Begin Video 3], Lamhut continues to discuss her own company's early formation and briefly describes several dances from this time, Field of view (1971) and House (1971), she describes her own choreographic process in determining the movement theme of a work, and the structural choices that follow, she discusses the impact of Nikolais' ideas and teachings on her choreography, she gives a brief overview of her early company career including funding sources and frequency of new works, she describes a shift in approach through her dance, Mirage blanc (1979), and briefly describes the way the dance community, in her opinion misinterpreted her dance, Passing (1980), she briefly describes several dances and her collaborators from the early 1980's including the dances Collapsing spaces and tilting times (1984), For spirits and kings (1983), performed at the Joyce Theatre, N.Y., she names dancers whom have danced in her works, she speaks about her changing economic strategies and the impact of a recent fellowship award, she discusses how aging and maturity currently influence her choreography, and how to stay current as an artist. [1:24;11 black screen, 1:24:18 resumes, Begin Video 4] Lamhut discusses the social subject matter in some of her choreography from 1985-1996, including themes relating to the Weimar period in Germany, the re-election of Ronald Regan, the Cold War, and AIDS, she specifies these themes in her dances Utopia, Collapsing spaces, tilting times, and Man (1989), she tells a brief anecdote about the maturity of Eleo Pomare as a dancer in the dance, Man, she briefly discusses her 20th anniversary as a choreographer and setting her work, Cavatina (1990) on the Jose Limon Dance Company as the beginning of her association with them, she briefly describes the themes in her dance, Cleave (1991) that responds to the fall of the Berlin Wall, she briefly discusses her dance Fantomes (1994) set on the Juilliard dancers, she again discusses her earlier work and themes, including the dance Disclinations (1983) and working with Rob O'Neill, she again discusses the various influences of Nikolais, she recalls the Henry St. Playhouse space prior to renovations, she tells an anecdote about the Nikolais costume designer Helena Lapchuck, [as Lamhut gets emotional, she asks to pause the tape at 1:43:32, resumes 1:43:47], Lamhut continues to discuss her good fortune to have worked with Nikolais and the company, she describes the lower east side, New York, as she remembers it from her early years, changes in the area since, and some of the people she remembers and that influenced her over the years.

Subjects

Genre/Form

Filmed dance.
Filmed performances.
Video.
Dance.

Note

Title from opening video credits.
Oral history of six Alwin Nikolais Dancers, Henry St. Playhouse Dance Company, 1948 to 1960s: Gladys Bailin, Phyllis Lamhut, Murray Louis, Coral Martindale, Beverly Schmidt (Blossom), Dorothy Vislocky.

Credits (note)

Videography by Danis Diamond and Michael P. Hess (Video D Studios); video dubbing, titling and credits by Sheldon Jones and Derek Toten.
Research assistance: Susan Kraft, Monica Moseley, Madeleine Nichols, Charles Perrier, Pat Rader of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Jerome Robbins Dance Division, and Murray Louis and Frank Garcia, the Nikolais Louis Archives.

Funding (note)

This project was made possible, in part, with funding by the Newcomb College Foundation, Tulane University Senate Committee on Research, and Georges Lurcy Charitable and Educational Trust.

System Details (note)

DVD.

Source (note)

Barbara Hayley

Call Number

*MGZIDVD 5-8491

OCLC

983779912

Title

Phyllis Lamhut interview : Oral History Interview, 1996 July 23 / produced and interviewed by Barbara Hayley.

Production

1996.

Country of Producing Entity

U.S.

Type of Content

two-dimensional moving image

Type of Medium

video

computer

Type of Carrier

online resource

System Details

DVD.

Credits

Videography by Danis Diamond and Michael P. Hess (Video D Studios); video dubbing, titling and credits by Sheldon Jones and Derek Toten.

Research assistance: Susan Kraft, Monica Moseley, Madeleine Nichols, Charles Perrier, Pat Rader of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Jerome Robbins Dance Division, and Murray Louis and Frank Garcia, the Nikolais Louis Archives.

Performer

Interviewee, Phyllis Lamhut ; interviewer, Barbara Hayley.

Event

Videotaped during interview at the Henry St. Playhouse, New York, N.Y., 1996 July 23.

Original Version

Original format: 4 videocassettes (BetaSP) ; 1/2 in.

Funding

This project was made possible, in part, with funding by the Newcomb College Foundation, Tulane University Senate Committee on Research, and Georges Lurcy Charitable and Educational Trust.

Added Author

Lamhut, Phyllis, interviewee.

Hayley, Barbara, interviewer.

Hayley, Barbara, producer.

Diamond, Dennis, videographer.

Hesse, Michael P., videographer.

Toten, Derek.

Jones, Sheldon.

Video D Studios, videographer.

Hayley, Barbara, donor.

Research Call Number

*MGZIDVD 5-8491

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