OHIO Archives

Ohio University Libraries Archives & Special Collections

REBLOG! Deep Costume History: An Unexpected Resource for Unique Research

By Sherri Saines, OHIO Librarian for Social Sciences. View the original post on the Fashion, Textiles, and Costume Librarians ARLIS/NA Special Interest Group Blog, and corresponding Instagram post about Sherri’s visit to the Mahn Center. 

Colored cylinders lie atop a lighting and design chart showing the placement and timing of dancers with hand written notes and drawings.
Panels of illustrations and text of Choreographic Works, MSS181 Alwin Nikolais and Murray Louis Papers

The Ohio University Libraries Archives and Special Collections (Athens, OH) holds the Alwin Nikolais and Murray Louis Dance Collection, a gift of Murray Louis. The libraries’ connection is via principal dancer Gladys Bailin who went on to head the Ohio University School of Dance until 1995. This extensive group of papers, photos, videos, sketches, and even a set of 3d costume models gives us insight into the design and choreography of this influential 20th C dance troupe.

The Nicolais/Lewis Dance Company, (circa 1948-1993), was known for pure movement and intriguing choreography that mixed movement, costume, and setting in new ways. Alwin Nikolais directed the dance school at the Henry Street Playhouse in New York in 1948 and went on to create the music, dance steps, lighting, staging, and costumes for his creations. Murray Louis came on as a dancer but soon was as involved with creation as his partner. Their many years of collaboration resulted in iconic works such as Tensile Involvement, Crucible, and Shadow Dance. (Others are findable on YouTube).

The book The Nikolais/Louis dance technique : a philosophy and method of modern dance / Alwin Nikolais and Murray Louis, 2005, describes their methods and philosophy. The Nikolais/Louis Foundation perpetuates their vision.

“The Nikolais/Louis technique is based on the philosophy that the undertaking of dance training is not a simple or singular event, but a lifelong investment in personal enrichment.” – The Nikolais/Louis Dance Technique

OU libs recently received an NEH grant to plan for the digitization of the media herein. Currently there are a few teaser files in our Digital Collections folders. Over 400 more cubic feet of shelving and boxes wait to be explored.

Brown boxes line a long long library shelf, each with a label about the Nikolais /Lewis collection of OU Libraries.
Boxes from the Alwin Nikolais and Murray Louis collection on shelves

Looking into just the “sketches” folder of the online items yields doodles and color studies and lighting charts that might be the beginnings of costumes. Many research projects could be imagined from these resources: I had to restrain myself from getting lost tracing a costume from the doodle to the design to the model to the lighting charts to the stage. 

Red dancers in many poses sketched on a faded green background with yellow and blue spots.
Costume sketch on green paper, MSS181 Alwin Nikolais and Murray Louis Papers
Blue, red, black, green swirls on white paper, like a doodle.
Design motif O1, MSS181 Alwin Nikolais and Murray Louis Papers
A small wooden 3-d figure wears a red body stocking and is encircled by a white cloth.
Dance costume on wooden figure, MSS181 Alwin Nikolais and Murray Louis Papers.

We invite researchers interested in the history of the evolution of dance and dance costume to contact Greta Suiter, Manuscripts Archivist, for a chance to see these materials in person and build your own story.

Greta Suiter

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