Collection inventory
Adolf Bolm Papers
An inventory of his papers at Syracuse University
Finding aid created by: -
Date: -
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Revision history:
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| 11 Oct 2005 |
EAD file created (MRR) |
| 1 May 2009 |
Spelling of name corrected (MRC) |
| 12 Jan 2012 |
box number revised (MBD) |
| 15 Apr 2014 |
film rehoused and inventory updated (MBD) |
| 06 Jul 2017 |
audio recordings added and inventory updated (PJM) |
| 28 Nov 2022 |
film descriptions updated (MRC, IRP) |
| 10 Jul 2024 |
audio recordings inventory updated and digitization note added
(IRP)
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| 20 Aug 2024 |
two photographs previously unidentified identified and inventory updated
(DTF)
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Overview of the Collection
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| Creator: |
Bolm, Adolph, 1884-1951. |
| Title: |
Adolf Bolm Papers |
| Dates: |
1884-1951 |
| Quantity: |
5 linear
ft.
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| Abstract: |
Correspondence, some in French and
Russian, telegrams, scrapbooks, photograph albums, costume sketches, and other
materials relating to the San Francisco Ballet, Sergei Diaghilev's Ballet Russe,
and
others. Correspondents include Agnes De Mille, Romola Nijinsky, Ruth Page, Leopold
Stokowski, Igor Stravinsky, and others.
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| Language: |
English, Russian, French |
| Repository: |
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries
222 Waverly Avenue
Syracuse, NY 13244-2010
https://library.syracuse.edu/special-collections-research-center |
Biographical History
Adolf (also spelled Adolph) Bolm was born in 1884 in St. Petersburg, Russia. At the
age of 16 he was accepted by Russia's famed Maryinsky Theatre where he attended
school with Anna Pavlova and organized her first tour outside of Russia, dancing
as
her partner. He danced with the Ballet Russes for several years, working with
Diaghilev and Nijinsky. He met his wife Beatrice (Beate) while on tour in Belgium
and in 1916 the couple moved to the United States. A son, Olaf A. Bolm, was born
on
July 4, 1920. By 1926 he had opened a school in Chicago, and went on to work with
the St. Louis Municipal Opera, the San Francisco Opera Ballet, the Chicago Lyrical
Ballet, and Ballet Theatre in New York, among others. Over the course of his career
Bolm was a dancer, choreographer, director, ballet tour organizer and teacher.
He
also mentored a number of well-known figures in the dance world including Ann
Barzel, Syd (Cyd) Charisse, Janet Collins, Constance Finch, Marcia Gibson, Lester
Horton, David Lober, Ruth Page, Rosalind Shaffer-deMille, and Ruth Syndon-Jenkins.
He was one of five choreographers involved in the founding season for Ballet Theatre
in New York. Bolm died in 1951.
[Some information drawn from the Library of
Congress Information Bulletin "Wandering Dancer," by Cyrus Parker-Jeanette, February
2005.]
Scope and Contents of the Collection
The Adolf Bolm Papers includes correspondence,
photographs, printed material, memorabilia, and writings. Several sound recordings
have been transferred to the Belfer Audio Archives (see Related Material below).
Correspondents include George Balanchine, Nadia Boulanger,
Colette, Carlos Chavez, Agnes deMille, Sol Hurok, Romola Nijinsky, Max Reinhardt,
Leopold Stokowski and Igor Stravinsky. Photographs
include pictures of the Adolf Bolm Ballet, Chicago Civic Opera, Diaghilev Ballet
and
others, as well as some shots of stage sets. Printed
material encompasses dance programs, plays, press releases, radio
interviews, and reviews. Writings are by Bolm and include
some of his own notes. Miscellaneous memorabilia includes
books, a piano roll, and scrapbooks. Audiovisual
materials inlcudes 16mm films and phonograph records.
Arrangement of the Collection
Alphabetical. Within correspondence, material in individual folders is arranged
chronologically.
Restrictions
Access Restrictions:
The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite and
require advanced notice for retrieval. Researchers are encouraged to contact us
in
advance concerning the collection material they wish to access for their
research.
Use Restrictions:
Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before
publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.
Related Material
Recordings from the collection have been digitized. Please contact the repository
listed above for more information.
Subject Headings
Persons
Bolm, Adolph, 1884-1951.
De Mille, Agnes.
Deakin, Irving.
Nijinsky, Romola de Pulszky.
Page, Ruth, 1899-1991.
Stokowski, Leopold, 1882-1977.
Stravinsky, Igor, 1882-1971.
Corporate Bodies
Ballets russes.
San Francisco Ballet.
Subjects
Ballet companies.
Ballet dancers.
Ballet.
Ballets -- Photographs.
Choreographers.
Genres and Forms
Correspondence.
Lacquer discs.
Motion pictures (visual works)
Phonograph records.
Photographs.
Scrapbooks.
Silent films.
Sound recordings.
Occupations
Ballet dancers.
Choreographers.
Administrative Information
Preferred Citation
Preferred citation for this material is as follows:
Adolf Bolm Papers,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries
Table of Contents
Audiovisual material
Biographical material
Memorabilia
Photographs
Printed material
Writings
Inventory
Note on alternate formats:
Recordings from the collection have been digitized. Please contact the repository
listed above for more information.
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Audiovisual material |
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Note on alternate formats: Recordings from the collection have been digitized. Please contact the
repository listed above for more information.
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Films |
| Reel |
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Bach Prelude film (dance performance)
(16mm film; running time 4:18)
(ID#: bolm_01)
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| Reel |
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Danse Macabre
(16mm film; running time 16:17)
(ID#: bolm_02)
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Phonograph records |
| Oversize 2 |
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Adolf Bolm interviewed by Irving Deakin “What is Russian Ballet”, sides 1 and 3 04/15/1937
(Aluminum disc)
(ID#: bolm_04)
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| Oversize 2 |
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Adolf Bolm interviewed by Irving Deakin “What is Russian Ballet”, sides 2 and 4 04/15/1937
(Aluminum disc)
(ID#: bolm_03)
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| Oversize 2 |
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Bach cycle No. 1: Phoebus and Pan, Secular cantatas, part 9 04/08/1937
(Lacquer disc)
(ID#: bolm_06)
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| Oversize 2 |
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Bach cycle No. 1: Phoebus and Pan, Secular cantatas, parts 1 and 2 04/08/1937
(Lacquer disc)
(ID#: bolm_10)
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| Oversize 2 |
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Bach cycle No. 1: Phoebus and Pan, Secular cantatas, parts 3 and 4 04/08/1937
(Lacquer disc)
(ID#: bolm_09)
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| Oversize 2 |
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Bach cycle No. 1: Phoebus and Pan, Secular cantatas, parts 5 and 6 04/08/1937
(Lacquer disc)
(ID#: bolm_08)
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| Oversize 2 |
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Bach cycle No. 1: Phoebus and Pan, Secular cantatas, parts 7 and 8 04/08/1937
(Lacquer disc)
(ID#: bolm_07)
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| Oversize 2 |
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Bach: Toccata and Fugue in D minor undated
(Shellac disc)
(ID#: bolm_15)
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| Oversize 2 |
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Bach: Toccata and Fugue in D minor undated
(Shellac disc)
(ID#: bolm_16)
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| Oversize 2 |
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Bach: Toccata and Fugue in D minor undated
(Shellac disc)
(ID#: bolm_17)
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| Oversize 2 |
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Behind the scenes at the Russian Ballet, parts 1 and 6 undated
- radio program for WQYR, Rex Benware, announcer, Kyra Alanova, performer
(Lacquer disc)
(ID#: bolm_05)
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| Oversize 2 |
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Behind the scenes at the Russian Ballet, parts 2 and 7 undated
(Lacquer disc)
(ID#: bolm_11)
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| Oversize 2 |
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Behind the scenes at the Russian Ballet, parts 3 and 8 undated
- Swan Lake and Petrushka dramatized narrative
(Lacquer disc)
(ID#: bolm_12)
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| Oversize 2 |
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Behind the scenes at the Russian Ballet, parts 4 and 9 undated
- Petrushka, dramatized narrative
(Lacquer disc)
(ID#: bolm_13)
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| Oversize 2 |
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Behind the scenes at the Russian Ballet, parts 5 and 10 undated
(Lacquer disc)
(ID#: bolm_14)
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Biographical material |
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Correspondence |
| Box 1 |
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Armitage, Merle |
| Box 1 |
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Balanchine, George |
| Box 1 |
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Beaumont, Cyril W. |
| Box 1 |
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Berman, Eugene |
| Box 1 |
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Bolm family |
| Box 1 |
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Bolm, Adolf
- telegrams
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| Box 1 |
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Boulanger, Nadia |
| Box 1 |
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Calder, Alexander 24 Nov 1939 |
| Box 1 |
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Cate, Curtis |
| Box 1 |
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Chase, Lucia |
| Box 1 |
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Chavez, Carlos |
| Box 1 |
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Colette |
| Box 1 |
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Deakin, Irving |
| Box 1 |
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DeMille, Agnes |
| Box 1 |
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Denham, Sergei Ivanovich |
| Box 1 |
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Escudero, Vicente |
| Box 1 |
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'47, the Magazine of the Year
(Clifton Fadiman)
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| Box 1 |
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Hurok, Sol |
| Box 1 |
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Library of Congress |
| Box 1 |
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Livingston, D.D. |
| Box 1 |
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National Association of Dance and Affiliated Artists,
Inc.
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| Box 1 |
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Nijinsky, Romola |
| Box 1 |
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Page, Ruth and Tom Fisher |
| Box 1 |
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Reinhardt, Max |
| Box 1 |
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San Francisco Museum of Art |
| Box 1 |
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Stokowski, Leopold |
| Box 1 |
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Stravinsky, Igor |
| Box 1 |
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Sweden, Consulate |
| Box 1 |
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Walter, Bruno |
| Box 1 |
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"Lottie" |
| Box 1 |
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Letter of Condolence 1951 |
| Box 1 |
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Postcards and greetings cards 1951 |
| Box 1 |
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Telegrams |
| Box 1 |
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Unidentified miscellanea |
| Box 1 |
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Correspondence, outgoing |
| Box 1 |
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Correspondence, business |
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Legal / business |
| Box 1 |
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Contracts 1932-1949, undated |
| Box 1 |
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Miscellaneous 1933-1950, undated |
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Memorabilia |
| Box 2 |
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Address books |
| Box 6 |
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Books
(11 items)
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| Box 2 |
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Engagement calendar 1954 |
| Box 2 |
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Newspaper mats, card case, bank book |
| Box 2 |
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Painting |
| Box 6 |
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Scheherezade Ballet (cast) 1935 |
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Scrapbooks |
| Oversize 1 |
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1 : Miscellaneous |
| Oversize 1 |
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2 : Theater reviews, programs |
| Oversize 1 |
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3 : Clippings |
| Oversize 1 |
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4 : Music |
| Oversize 1 |
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5 : Oversize photographs |
| Box 6 |
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"White Peacock" (piano roll) 1935
- played by Charles Griffes for A.B., 10 Jun 1920 (notes: OK on
Steinway Concert Grand, OK on Weber with concert grand
adjustment)
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Photographs |
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Adolf Bolm Ballet |
| Box 2 |
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"Ballet McCarnigul" |
| Box 2 |
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"Russian peasant dance" |
| Box 2 |
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"Scheherezade" |
| Box 2 |
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"Spring dance" |
| Box 2 |
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"Spring dance" |
| Box 2 |
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"Streuss valse" |
| Box 2 |
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"Bal de Marionettes" |
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Ballet Intime |
| Box 2 |
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Group portraits 1911 |
| Box 2 |
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"Apollon musagetes" |
| Box 2 |
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"Assyrian Dance" |
| Box 2 |
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"Caucasian mountain dance" |
| Box 2 |
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"Greek dance" |
| Box 2 |
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"Harlequinade" |
| Box 2 |
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"Javanese dance" |
| Box 2 |
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"Legend" |
| Box 2 |
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"Mazurka" |
| Box 2 |
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"Mexican episode" |
| Box 2 |
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"Nymph and Fawn" |
| Box 2 |
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"Roman dance" |
| Box 2 |
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"Spanish rhythm" |
| Box 2 |
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Suggestions diabolique" |
| Box 2 |
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"Tragedy of the cello" |
| Box 2 |
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"Visions fugitives" |
| Box 2 |
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Bolm, Adolf (portraits) |
| Box 2 |
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Bolm dancers at the Hollywood Bowl |
| Box 2 |
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Bolm dancers at the Hollywood Bowl - "Reverie" |
| Box 3 |
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Barrère, Georges |
| Box 3 |
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Chaliapin, Feodor |
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Chicago Civic Opera |
| Box 3 |
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Julia Barashkura |
| Box 3 |
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"Lakme" (Bolmas Siva) |
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Chicago Grand Opera Company |
| Box 3 |
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"Birthday of the Infanta" |
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Cornish School, Seattle 1921 |
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Diaghilev Ballet |
| Box 3 |
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"Carnival" |
| Box 3 |
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"Firebird" |
| Box 3 |
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"Le Pavillon d'Armide" |
| Box 3 |
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"Le Spectre de La Rose" |
| Box 3 |
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"Petrouchka" |
| Box 3 |
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"Les Sylphides" |
| Box 3 |
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"Tamar" |
| Box 3 |
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"Hunchback of Notre Dame" |
| Box 3 |
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Inscribed photographs (to A.B.) |
| Box 3 |
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Karsavina, Thamar |
| Box 3 |
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"Mechanical ballet" |
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Metropolitan Grand Opera Co. |
| Box 3 |
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"Coq d'Or" |
| Box 3 |
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"Coq d'Or" (glassplate) |
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Misc - family |
| Box 3 |
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Misc - negatives |
| Box 3 |
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Misc - individuals, unidentified |
| Box 3 |
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Misc - group portraits, unidentified |
| Box 3 |
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Misc - glassplate, costume |
| Box 3 |
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Modern Composer's Group - "Krazy Kat" |
| Box 3 |
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"Mozart" |
| Box 3 |
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Page, Ruth |
| Box 3 |
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"Parnassian Chicagoans" A.D. 2000 |
| Box 3 |
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"Petrouchka, Mandragore" |
| Box 3 |
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"Prince Igor" |
| Box 3 |
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"Russian dance" |
| Box 3 |
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"Samson" |
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San Francisco Opera Co. |
| Box 3 |
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"Coq d'Or" |
| Box 4 |
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Stage sets |
| Box 4 |
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Ziegfeld, "Falling Leaves" |
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Printed material |
| Box 4 |
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Adolf Bolm School of Dance |
| Box 4 |
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Art exhibitions |
| Box 4 |
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About A.B.
(3 folders)
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| Box 4 |
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By A.B.
(2 folders)
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| Box 4 |
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Book (Japanese) |
| Box 4 |
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Choreography |
| Box 4 |
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Dance programs
(2 folders)
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| Box 5 |
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Misc dance |
| Box 5 |
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Misc dance people |
| Box 5 |
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Hollywood Civil Ballet Company |
| Box 5 |
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Itineraries |
| Box 5 |
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Music
(3 folders)
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| Box 5 |
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Musical events |
| Box 5 |
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Plays |
| Box 5 |
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Press releases |
| Box 5 |
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Radio interviews |
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Writings |
| Box 5 |
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By Bolm |
| Box 5 |
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By Bolm, notes |
| Box 5 |
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Author unidentified |