http://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/kt9q2nf7x6 No online items Finding Aid of the Lewitzky Dance Company records 0203 Sarah Guidas, Rebecca Hirsch, Stacey King and Philip Meyer Collection processing and creation of the finding aid was funded by the generous support of the National Historic Publications and Records Commission. USC Libraries Special Collections 2011 Doheny Memorial Library 206 3550 Trousdale Parkway Los Angeles, California 90089-0189 [email protected] URL: http://libraries.usc.edu/locations/special-collections Finding Aid of the Lewitzky Dance 0203 1 Company records 0203 Language of Material: English Contributing Institution: USC Libraries Special Collections Title: Lewitzky Dance Company records creator: Lewitzky Dance Company creator: Lewitzky, Bella Identifier/Call Number: 0203 Physical Description: 305 Linear Feet Date (inclusive): 1932-2010 Date (bulk): 1966-1997 Abstract: Based in Los Angeles, California, the Lewitzky Dance Company was formed in 1966 by Bella Lewitzky and gave its last performance on May 18, 1997. The archive consists of papers, films, photographs, costumes, programs, posters, stage plots, and sound recordings. It covers the Company's archived and working papers from all offices, including the Manager, Booking and Production offices. Biographical Note Bella Lewitzky was born January 13, 1916, in Los Angeles to Russian immigrants. She spent her early childhood in a utopian socialist community in the Mojave Desert before moving with her family to Los Angeles. In 1934, she joined Lester Horton's modern dance company. She rapidly ascended the ranks of Horton's company from novice dancer to lead dancer. On June 22, 1940, she married fellow Horton dancer and architect Newell Reynolds. In 1946, she and Horton founded the Dance Theater of Los Angeles. In 1955, Lewitzky gave birth to her and Reynolds' only daughter, Nora, who would also dance for the Lewitzky Dance Company (founded in 1966). Over the next 31 years, the Company produced over 50 dances and toured extensively throughout North America and the world. Lewitzky herself danced in many of the company's productions until she stopped dancing professionally in 1978. In 1989, she was awarded the California Governor's Award for Lifetime Acheivement; in 1996, she was named a recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts' National Medal of Arts. Lewitzky was also actively involved in the 1984 Olympic Arts Festival and the efforts to build a venue called The Dance Gallery in downtown Los Angeles. Lewitzky passed away on July 16, 2004 in Pasadena, California. Historical Note The Lewitzky Dance Company was founded in 1966 by Bella Lewitzky and produced more than 50 dance productions over its period of activity. The Company, under the direction of Lewitzky, its Artistic Director, and Larry Attaway, its Music Director, was known for its intellectual approach to dance with a particular emphasis on kinetic movement in space and the relationship between different forms of art. The company toured extensively, visiting 43 U.S. states and 20 foreign countries. In 1990, the Company rejected a $72,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts in protest of a line that requires grantees to promise not to create obscene work. The Company would ultimately receive the grant after Lewitzky sued the agency and had the clause removed. On May 17, 1997, the Lewitzky Dance Company gave its last performance after 31 years of activity. Scope and Content The Lewitzky Dance Company records contains photographs, audio and video recordings, costumes, and documents from the roughly 50-year period of activity of the Lewitzky Dance Company. Sound and video recordings and photographs document the hundreds of performances, rehearsals, and demonstrations. There is also a large collection of programs and posters from the Company's productions, booking contracts, internal documents, financial statements, press clippings, and correspondences. Some parts of the collection relate to Lewitzky's personal life and professional activity outside of the Company, including the Olympic Arts Festival and The Dance Gallery. Also included in this collection are Lewitzky's personal papers and papers produced and/or donated after the dissolution of the company in 1997. Conditions Governing Access COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE. Advance notice required for access. Conditions Governing Use The collection contains published materials; researchers are reminded of the copyright restrictions imposed by publishers on reusing their articles and parts of books. It is the responsibility of researchers to acquire permission from publishers when reusing such materials. The copyright to unpublished materials belongs to the heirs of the writers. Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository and the copyright holder. Preferred Citation Finding Aid of the Lewitzky Dance 0203 2 Company records 0203 [Item/Box/Folder number], Lewitzky Dance Company records, Collection no. 0203, Special Collections, USC Libraries, University of Southern California Processing Information The Lewitzky Dance Company Archive was initially processed by Melinda Hayes upon its acquisition by USC in 1997. In the summer of 2011, it was reprocessed and this finding aid was produced by Rebecca Hirsch (Project Archivist), Sarah Guidas, Stacey King and Philip Meyer. Acquisition Gift of Bella Lewitzky, June 30, 1997. Related Archival Materials Rudy Perez Archive, Collection no. 0309, Special Collections, USC Libraries, University of Southern California Subjects and Indexing Terms Choreographers -- United States -- 20th century -- Archival resources Dance companies -- United States -- History -- 20th century -- Archival resources Dance companies -- United States -- Management -- 20th century -- Archival resources Dancers -- United States -- 20th century -- Archival resources Modern dance -- California -- Los Angeles -- Archival resources Los Angeles (Calif.) -- History -- Archival resources Audiotapes Costumes (character dress) Ephemera Financial records Magnetic tapes Manuscripts Pamphlets Photographs Posters Programs (documents) Slides (photographs) Sound recordings Videotapes Lewitzky Dance Company -- Archives Lewitzky, Bella -- Archives Horton, Lester -- Archives Reynolds, Newell Taylor -- Archives Finding Aid of the Lewitzky Dance 0203 3 Company records 0203 Historical files Bella Lewitzky Activities Historical files Scope and Content This series contains the files considered by the Lewitzky Dance Company to be inactive at the time of its dissolution in 1997. The files and sub-series retain their original titles, and include booking information, correspondence, clippings files, personnel files, contracts, financial records, and subject files on the companies and foundations with which the Lewtizky Company did business. Arrangement This series has been arranged into 12 sub-series: 1.A Bella Lewitzky Activities 1.B Bella Lewitzky Dance Foundation 1.C Brochures 1.D Correspondence 1.E The Dance Gallery 1.F Flyers/Posters 1.G Grants 1.H Olympic Arts Festival 1.I Programs & Schedules 1.J Production 1.K Press Clippings 1.L Public Relations 1.M Sales (i.e. Bookings) Bella Lewitzky Activities Scope and Content Sub-series documents Bella Lewitzky's (BL) activities outside of her dance company. It includes speech and interview transcripts, correspondences, books, brochures, awards, articles, periodical clippings, and various other forms, documents, and texts. Box 157, Folder 1 Affiliations Box 157, Folder 2 Interlochen Arts Academy Box 157, Folder 3 Current Affiliations Box 157, Bella Lewitzky/Affiliations Arts, Education Americans 1979-1985 Folder 4-5 Box 157, Folder 6 Mt. Saint Mary's College Box 157, Folder 7 Bella Lewitzky Speech at Scripps 1978 Box 157, Folder 8 Dance History Lineage Box 157, Folder 9 Agnes de Mille America Dances Box 157, Women in Business Folder 10 Box 157, Correspondence PR for Bella Lewitzky Folder 11 Box 157, Correspondence w/Governor's Office Folder 12 Box 157, Why the Arts Should be Cherished -- Town Hall Speech 1986 Folder 13 Box 157, Performing Arts Network Folder 14 Box 157, Speeches BL Transcripts Chronologically Folder 15 Box 157, BL: Commencement Addresses 1978, 1981 Folder 16 Finding Aid of the Lewitzky Dance 0203 4 Company records 0203 Historical files Bella Lewitzky Activities Box 157, Speech BL Houston Med. Appl. of Dance, Yoga 1982 January 30 Folder 17 Box 157, BL: Address to Docents Council of the LA County Museum of Art Folder 18 Box 157, Speech BL: "Lights Out" 1981 July 18 Folder 19 Box 157, Alliance for Arts Education Partnership Conference, San Francisco. 1982 February Folder 20 8 Box 157, Daniel Nagrin Book on Bella Folder 21 Box 157, Memphis, TN speech 1983 November Folder 22 Box 157, MOCA Speech 1983 November Folder 23 Box 157, Address to National Assembly of Community Arts Agencies, Monterey, CA 1981 Folder 24 May 28 Box 157, Oakwood School 1985 April Folder 25 Box 157, Speech, BL: Orthopaedic Symp. 1979 September 22 Folder 26 Box 157, "Training and Trends" -- Keynote Address, Dance in Canada Conference 1979 June Folder 27 29 Box 157, Speech BL Houston HI 1982 February 1 Folder 28 Box 157, NDA/AAPHER Appearance 1984 March 29 Folder 29 Box 157, Speech BL Board Retreat 1981 May 31 Folder 30 Box 157, Arranged Appearances BL Folder 31 Box 157, Interviews Folder 32 Box 157, Town Hall Speech 1986 January Folder 33 Box 157, California Dance Educators Association Folder 34 Box 157, City of Carson Speech 1985 April Folder 35 Box 157, Dance/USA conference 1984 January Folder