Artistic Series

Summary: The Artistic series is arranged by artist. The Alwin Nikolais sub series includes: Choroscript, Illustrations, Production Papers and Writings. The Murray Louis sub series includes: Publication Manuscripts, and Scripts & Transcripts. The artistic series is described at the folder level in the finding aid. Shipments of the artistic series began in March of 2001 and has continued through 2005.

The Alwin Nikolais sub series consists of Choroscript, Illustrations, Production Papers Writings, and an audio tape of a lecture/demonstration. The Choroscript files include original manuscripts from the text, Choroscript: Movement Analysis Notation, lesson plans, photographs, and articles. The Illustrations files contain 204 illustrations of choreographic works, costumes and set designs. The Production Papers include lighting plots, theater designs, cue books, descriptions of costumes, and slide projection negatives. The Writings sub sub series consists of manuscripts and notes on pedagogy, autobiographical writings, lectures, and notes on touring.

The Murray Louis sub series includes: Publications and Scripts & Transcripts. The Publications files contain manuscripts and notes from the books, Inside Dance and Murray Louis on Dance, as well as manuscripts from the magazine article series, "On Then and Now." The Scripts & Transcripts include scripts from dance plays, scripts from the video series "Dance as an Art Form" and interview transcripts. The Dance Plays were written (or adapted) and directed by Murray Louis and performed by the Young People's Theater Workshop in the 1950s and 1960s. The 5 part video series "Dance as an Art Form" was produced in 1972 and includes narration logs, scripts and correspondence. Transcripts of interviews and speeches are also included in this sub series.

In November 2004 the final draft of The Nikolais/Louis Technique: a philosophy and method of modern dance including the unique gesture was received. The Alwin Nikolais and Murray Louis subseries consists of edited copies of the Nikolais/Louis Technique manual. Alwin Nikolais wrote an autobiography as well as many manuscripts about philosophy and pedagogy of dance. He called his unpublished book the "Unique Gesture". Murray Louis also has written many works about dance. Using both his own writings as well as earlier manuscripts of Alwin Nikolais, Murray Louis has written and/or edited a new version of Alwin Nikolais' Unique Gesture. This sub series consists of several editorial versions of this book.