]> bolm_a Adolf Bolm Papers An inventory of his papers at Syracuse University - &su_name; &su_address; - Michele Rothenberger 11 Oct 2005 English 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) 20 Aug 2024 - two photographs previously unidentified identified and inventory updated (DTF) Overview of the Collection &su_name; &su_address; Bolm, Adolph, 1884-1951. Adolf Bolm Papers 1884-1951 5 linear ft. 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. 148858 English, Russian, French 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.

Other Formats Available

Recordings from the collection have been digitized. Please contact the repository listed above for more information.

Arrangement of the Collection

Alphabetical. Within correspondence, material in individual folders is arranged chronologically.

Subject and Genre Headings Dance and theatre 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. Ballets russes. San Francisco Ballet. Ballet. Ballet companies. Ballet dancers. Ballets -- Photographs. Choreographers. Correspondence. Motion pictures (visual works) Lacquer discs. Photographs. Phonograph records. Scrapbooks. Silent films. Sound recordings. Ballet dancers. Choreographers. 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.

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Adolf Bolm Papers, &su_name;

Inventory Audiovisual material

Recordings from the collection have been digitized. Please contact the repository listed above for more information.

Films Bach Prelude film (dance performance) bolm_01 16mm film; running time 4:18 Danse Macabre bolm_02 16mm film; running time 16:17 Phonograph records Adolf Bolm interviewed by Irving Deakin “What is Russian Ballet”, sides 1 and 3 bolm_04 04/15/1937 Aluminum disc 2 Adolf Bolm interviewed by Irving Deakin “What is Russian Ballet”, sides 2 and 4 bolm_03 04/15/1937 Aluminum disc 2 Bach cycle No. 1: Phoebus and Pan, Secular cantatas, part 9 bolm_06 04/08/1937 Lacquer disc 2 Bach cycle No. 1: Phoebus and Pan, Secular cantatas, parts 1 and 2 bolm_10 04/08/1937 Lacquer disc 2 Bach cycle No. 1: Phoebus and Pan, Secular cantatas, parts 3 and 4 bolm_09 04/08/1937 Lacquer disc 2 Bach cycle No. 1: Phoebus and Pan, Secular cantatas, parts 5 and 6 bolm_08 04/08/1937 Lacquer disc 2 Bach cycle No. 1: Phoebus and Pan, Secular cantatas, parts 7 and 8 bolm_07 04/08/1937 Lacquer disc 2 Bach: Toccata and Fugue in D minor bolm_15 undated Shellac disc 2 Bach: Toccata and Fugue in D minor bolm_16 undated Shellac disc 2 Bach: Toccata and Fugue in D minor bolm_17 undated Shellac disc 2 Behind the scenes at the Russian Ballet, parts 1 and 6 bolm_05 undated radio program for WQYR, Rex Benware, announcer, Kyra Alanova, performer Lacquer disc 2 Behind the scenes at the Russian Ballet, parts 2 and 7 bolm_11 undated Lacquer disc 2 Behind the scenes at the Russian Ballet, parts 3 and 8 bolm_12 undated Swan Lake and Petrushka dramatized narrative Lacquer disc 2 Behind the scenes at the Russian Ballet, parts 4 and 9 bolm_13 undated Petrushka, dramatized narrative Lacquer disc 2 Behind the scenes at the Russian Ballet, parts 5 and 10 bolm_14 undated Lacquer disc 2 Biographical material Correspondence Armitage, Merle 1 Balanchine, George 1 Beaumont, Cyril W. 1 Berman, Eugene 1 Bolm family 1 Bolm, Adolf telegrams 1 Boulanger, Nadia 1 Calder, Alexander 24 Nov 1939 1 Cate, Curtis 1 Chase, Lucia 1 Chavez, Carlos 1 Colette 1 Deakin, Irving 1 DeMille, Agnes 1 Denham, Sergei Ivanovich 1 Escudero, Vicente 1 '47, the Magazine of the Year (Clifton Fadiman) 1 Hurok, Sol 1 Library of Congress 1 Livingston, D.D. 1 National Association of Dance and Affiliated Artists, Inc. 1 Nijinsky, Romola 1 Page, Ruth and Tom Fisher 1 Reinhardt, Max 1 San Francisco Museum of Art 1 Stokowski, Leopold 1 Stravinsky, Igor 1 Sweden, Consulate 1 Walter, Bruno 1 "Lottie" 1 Letter of Condolence 1951 1 Postcards and greetings cards 1951 1 Telegrams 1 Unidentified miscellanea 1 Correspondence, outgoing 1 Correspondence, business 1 Legal / business Contracts 1932-1949, undated 1 Miscellaneous 1933-1950, undated 1 Memorabilia Address books 2 Books 11 items 6 Engagement calendar 1954 2 Newspaper mats, card case, bank book 2 Painting 2 Scheherezade Ballet (cast) 1935 6 Scrapbooks 1 : Miscellaneous 1 2 : Theater reviews, programs 1 3 : Clippings 1 4 : Music 1 5 : Oversize photographs 1 "White Peacock" (piano roll) played by Charles Griffes for A.B., 10 Jun 1920 (notes: OK on Steinway Concert Grand, OK on Weber with concert grand adjustment) 1935 6 Photographs Adolf Bolm Ballet "Ballet McCarnigul" 2 "Russian peasant dance" 2 "Scheherezade" 2 "Spring dance" 2 "Spring dance" 2 "Streuss valse" 2 "Bal de Marionettes" 2 Ballet Intime Group portraits 1911 2 "Apollon musagetes" 2 "Assyrian Dance" 2 "Caucasian mountain dance" 2 "Greek dance" 2 "Harlequinade" 2 "Javanese dance" 2 "Legend" 2 "Mazurka" 2 "Mexican episode" 2 "Nymph and Fawn" 2 "Roman dance" 2 "Spanish rhythm" 2 Suggestions diabolique" 2 "Tragedy of the cello" 2 "Visions fugitives" 2 Bolm, Adolf (portraits) 2 Bolm dancers at the Hollywood Bowl 2 Bolm dancers at the Hollywood Bowl - "Reverie" 2 Barrère, Georges 3 Chaliapin, Feodor 3 Chicago Civic Opera Julia Barashkura 3 "Lakme" (Bolmas Siva) 3 Chicago Grand Opera Company "Birthday of the Infanta" 3 Cornish School, Seattle 1921 Diaghilev Ballet "Carnival" 3 "Firebird" 3 "Le Pavillon d'Armide" 3 "Le Spectre de La Rose" 3 "Petrouchka" 3 "Les Sylphides" 3 "Tamar" 3 "Hunchback of Notre Dame" 3 Inscribed photographs (to A.B.) 3 Karsavina, Thamar 3 "Mechanical ballet" 3 Metropolitan Grand Opera Co. "Coq d'Or" 3 "Coq d'Or" (glassplate) 3 Misc - family Misc - negatives 3 Misc - individuals, unidentified 3 Misc - group portraits, unidentified 3 Misc - glassplate, costume 3 Modern Composer's Group - "Krazy Kat" 3 "Mozart" 3 Page, Ruth 3 "Parnassian Chicagoans" A.D. 2000 3 "Petrouchka, Mandragore" 3 "Prince Igor" 3 "Russian dance" 3 "Samson" 3 San Francisco Opera Co. "Coq d'Or" 3 Stage sets 4 Ziegfeld, "Falling Leaves" 4 Printed material Adolf Bolm School of Dance 4 Art exhibitions 4 About A.B. 3 folders 4 By A.B. 2 folders 4 Book (Japanese) 4 Choreography 4 Dance programs 2 folders 4 Misc dance 5 Misc dance people 5 Hollywood Civil Ballet Company 5 Itineraries 5 Music 3 folders 5 Musical events 5 Plays 5 Press releases 5 Radio interviews 5 Writings By Bolm 5 By Bolm, notes 5 Author unidentified 5