atm711 Posted August 12, 2002 Share Posted August 12, 2002 I have been trying without any luck (NYPL website) to locate a book about Dorothie and Catherine Littlefield's Company. Either my search is wrong, or there aren't any books about them---which I find hard to believe. I seem to recall a book entitled "The Littlefields of Philadelphia". I have located a book on the Christensens which I expect soon. Link to comment
Alexandra Posted August 12, 2002 Share Posted August 12, 2002 I thought there was one as well, atm. Have you tried alibris? (www.alibris.com) I'm sorry, I don't know a title or a year. I just have a vague recollection of reading about its existence. Whether it was a memoir by one of them or not, I can't say -- sorry! Maybe someone else will know, though. Thanks for raising the question. There SHOULD be a book. Link to comment
atm711 Posted August 13, 2002 Author Share Posted August 13, 2002 Thanks Alexandra, I will try Alibris, although I haven't given up yet on NYPL. Lately I have been watching tapes of 'Serenade' and realizing that this work was not created for 'Balanchine dancers" or anyone familiar with his style. Balanchine did work with accomplished dancers when he arrived in America, and although I have a smattering of information about that period, I would like to delve more deeply into it. Link to comment
Lolly Posted August 13, 2002 Share Posted August 13, 2002 I found this site, http://www.uog.edu/research/ with this presentation title listed; " Making Ballet American: Catherine Littlefield¹s Choreography for the Philadelphia Ballet, 1937-1938." 2000 Feet. World Dance Congress. Philadelphia, PA. April 1999 There is an email link to the author, Nancy Brooks Schmitz, she might know if there is a book as she has written a paper on the topic? Link to comment
Alexandra Posted August 13, 2002 Share Posted August 13, 2002 Thanks for finding that for us, Lolly! atm, I think you're onto something. The early history of Serenade is fascinating (the little I know of it). It was a very different ballet then, not only because of the costumes, and the fact that the chunkier, more athletic bodies we see in photos MUST have looked different dancing those steps, but because most (each?) dancer had a tiny solo. But it didn't have that pretty, pretty "jeune fille" look, I think. I used to love Dance Theatre of Harlem's version because they danced it with such power. Link to comment
atm711 Posted August 14, 2002 Author Share Posted August 14, 2002 Thanks so much Lolly, I have sent the e-mail. It's a long way to Philadelphia via England and Guam! Link to comment
Lolly Posted August 14, 2002 Share Posted August 14, 2002 I don't even know where Guam is!! I hope you get a reply, it is quite exciting! Link to comment
atm711 Posted August 28, 2002 Author Share Posted August 28, 2002 Lolly and Alexandra---I did get a reply from Dr. Schmitz. She said she found no books on the Littlefields, but got her information mainly from 1930's articles in Dance Magazine, and also parts of old books. I found out pretty much the same on the NYPL site with the Ann Barzel Collection. But there is something very intriguing about the Barzel Video collection. Loads of excerpts that were originally on 16mm on Video tape---from the 30's 40's and 50's. I told Dr. Schmitz about BalletAlert, so maybe we will be hearing from her. Link to comment
Alexandra Posted August 28, 2002 Share Posted August 28, 2002 Thank you, atm -- I hope we do hear from her. The Ann Barzel collection is legendary -- I've never seen it, but I've heard about it as long as I've been interested in ballet. She apparently filmed everything. Absolutely everything. Well, everything that came to Chicago! Silent, grain, old films, but if it's there. I believe some of the films are in the Dance Collection -- but I write that on hearsay, without checking. (tsk tsk, yes, I know) Link to comment
Leigh Witchel Posted August 28, 2002 Share Posted August 28, 2002 They definitely are. A film she took of Agon performed at Ravinia figured in the research I did a few years ago. Link to comment
Mme. Hermine Posted August 29, 2002 Share Posted August 29, 2002 ann barzel is strill alive in chicago. i talked to her about a month ago. she used to bring her films to the ruth page school to show to the students, i recall one such presentation where she brought only 'giselle', but the same moments from different casts over a period of 30 years! (markova and dolin etc.) . it was wonderful! Link to comment
carterstephen Posted May 14, 2020 Share Posted May 14, 2020 On 8/12/2002 at 2:52 PM, atm711 said: I have been trying without any luck (NYPL website) to locate a book about Dorothie and Catherine Littlefield's Company. Either my search is wrong, or there aren't any books about them---which I find hard to believe. I seem to recall a book entitled "The Littlefields of Philadelphia". I have located a book on the Christensens which I expect soon. My biography of Catherine Littlefield, entitled Catherine Littlefield: A Life in Dance, was just published by Oxford University Press. https://www.amazon.com/Catherine-Littlefield-Dance-Sharon-Skeel/dp/0190654546 Link to comment
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