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Lillie Ronvo Collection of Dance and Music Materials, 1915-2002, bulk 1952-1991

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Series I: Ballet Memorabilia, 1966-2002

Ballet Memorabilia contains Souvenir programs, playbills, and photographs of Ballet performances and dancers from the former Soviet Union, Cuba, American Ballet Theater, and Joffrey Ballet.

Subseries I.1: Ballet Programs and Clippings, 1978-2002

Ballet Programs and Clippings includes souvenir programs and newspaper clippings from performances of ballet companies in New York. Most of the programs document visits of Soviet Union ballet companies—Kirov, Donetsk, and others—in 1982-1991, year of the Soviet Union's dissolution. More recent materials include Bolshoi Ballet, American Ballet Theater, the Mariinsky Theater Ballet programs, as well as a profile program on Vladimir Vasiliev, former director of the Bolshoi Ballet, from 2000, when he was dismissed from the company.


Box 1 Folder 1 Donetsk Ballet, New York City Center, 1989 February, 1989

Box 1 Folder 2 Moscow Ballet (Gordeyev's Tour), Baltimore and Trenton, 1987 September -November, 1987

Box 1 Othello: American Ballet Theater, United States, 1997

Box 1 Swan Lake: American Ballet Theater, United States, 2001 May, 2001

Box 1 Ballet in Berlin, United States, 1978 July, 1978

Box 1 Ballet du Theatre Kirov de Leningrad, France, 1982 April, 1982

Box 1 Bolshoi Ballet (4), Russia, 1999/2000

(editions 1, 2, 3, 5)

Box 1 The Bolshoi Opera, United States, 1991 July, 1991

Box 1 Don Cossacks, United States, 1990 January, 1990

(Program with Playbill)

Box 1 The Georgian State Dance Company, United States, 1990 October, 1990

(item is in Carson-Brierly Dance Library Souvenir and House Program Collection, University of Denver, Colorado)

Box 1 The Mariinsky Theatre Ballet, United States, 2002

Box 1 Moiseyev Dance Company, United States, 1991 September, 1991

(including Radio City Playbill)

Box 1 The Rustavi Company, United States, 1990 April, 1990

Box 1 Stuttgart Ballet, United States, 1979 June, 1979

(forward written by Clive Barnes (1927-2008), renowned dance and theater critic for NY Times and NY Post)

Box 1 Vladimiar Vasiliev Profile Program, Russia, 2000

(Vasiliev (b. 1940) was director of the Bolshoi until 2000 when he heard of his dismissal on the radio)

Subseries I.2: Photographs, circa 1966-1992

Photographs includes numerous dated and undated photos, mostly of ballet performers from the former Soviet Union. The folders, arranged for the most part by company, include the Bolshoi Ballet, Kirov Ballet (which was later renamed the Mariinky Ballet), and Donetsk Ballet. Many of the photos are autographed by the dancers. Other folders include photos of the Cuban National Ballet from the 1960s and 1970s, Royal Danish Ballet, American Ballet Theater, and the Joffrey Ballet's revival of Nijinsky's choreography to Debussy'sL'Apres-midi d'un Faune,featuring Rudolf Nureyev's as the Faune. Photos were taken by photographers Nina Alovert, Petra Bober, Louis Peres, William Reilly, Susan Richelle, and others.


Box 5 Folder 1 Bolshoi Ballet, 1973-1979 undated, 1973-1979, undated

(including autographed photos)

Box 5 Folder 1 Bessmertnova, Tatiana

Box 5 Folder 1 Koslov, Leonid and wife Valentina

Box 5 Folder 1 Nureyev, Rudolph

Box 5 Folder 1 Vlasova, Ludmila

Box 5 Folder 1 and others

Box 5 Folder 2 Bolshoi Ballet, 1966 1973-1979 undated, 1966, 1973-1979, undated

Box 5 Folder 2 Plisteskaya, May a

Box 5 Folder 2 Vasiliev, Vladimir

Box 5 Folder 2 and others

Box 5 Folder 3 Bolshoi Ballet, 1987-1988 undated, 1987-1988, undated

(including autographed photos)

Box 5 Folder 3 Ananiashvili, Nina

Box 5 Folder 3 Baryshnikov, Mikhail

Box 5 Folder 3 Liepa, Andris

Box 5 Folder 3 Pcholkin, Vladimir


Box 7 Folder 1 Bolshoi Ballet, Color Photos, 1987

Box 7 Folder 1 Baryshnikov, Mikhail

Box 7 Folder 1 Liepa, Andris

Box 7 Folder 1 Vasiliev, Vladimir

Box 7 Folder 1 and others

Box 7 Folder 2 Bolshoi, 1987 July, 1987

Box 7 Folder 2 Khanashvili-Artyushkina, Alla

Box 7 Folder 2 Vetrov, Alexander

Box 7 Folder 2 and others

Box 7 Folder 3 Bolshoi, 1987 July, 1987

Box 7 Folder 3 Bylova, Maria

Box 7 Folder 3 Semizorova, Nina

Box 7 Folder 3 Vasyuchenko, Yuri

Box 7 Folder 3 and others

Box 7 Folder 4 Bolshoi, 1987 July, 1987

Box 7 Folder 4 Ananiashvili, Nina

Box 7 Folder 4 Gordeyev, Vyacheslav

Box 7 Folder 4 Semenyaka, Ludmila

Box 7 Folder 4 Vasiliev, Vladimir

Box 7 Folder 4 and others


Box 5 Folder 4 Kirov Ballet, undated

(including autographed photos)

Box 5 Folder 4 Asylmuratova, Altynai

Box 5 Folder 4 Ruzimatov, Farukh

Box 5 Folder 4 Zaklinsky, Konstantin

Box 5 Folder 5 Kirov Ballet, 1988-1989 undated, 1988-1989, undated

(including autographed photos)

Box 5 Folder 5 Asylmuratova, Altynai

Box 5 Folder 5 Korneev, Dmitri

Box 5 Folder 5 Makarova, Natalia

Box 5 Folder 5 Ruzimatov, Farukh

Box 5 Folder 5 Zaklinsky, Konstantin

Box 5 Folder 6 Kirov Ballet, 1987 undated

(including autographed photos)

Box 5 Folder 6 Asylmuratova, Altynai

Box 5 Folder 6 Ruzimatov, Farukh

Box 5 Folder 6 Terekhova, Tatiana

Box 5 Folder 6 Zaklinsky, Konstantin

Box 5 Folder 7 Kirov Ballet, undated

Box 5 Folder 7 Ivanova, Veronika

Box 5 Folder 7 Pankova, Elena


Box 7 Folder 5 Kirov Ballet, circa 1989 1992 undated, circa 1989, 1992 undated

Box 7 Folder 5 Asylmuratova, Altynai

Box 7 Folder 5 Korneev, Dmitri

Box 7 Folder 5 Ruzimatov, Farukh

Box 7 Folder 5 Zaklinsky, Konstantin

Box 7 Folder 5 Zelensky, Igor

Box 7 Folder 5 and others

Box 7 Folder 6 Korneev, Dmitri, 1989 undated

(including photo of son Nikita at age 2)

Box 7 Folder 7 Farukh Ruzimatov and Altynai Asylmuratova, 1988 July, 1988

(guests with ABT inLa Bayadere)

Box 7 Folder 8 Kirov Ballet, undated

Box 7 Folder 8 Asylmuratova, Altynai

Box 7 Folder 8 Korneev, Dmitri

Box 7 Folder 9 Donetsk Ballet, City Center, 1989 February, 1989

Box 7 Folder 9 Dorofeyevna, Inna

Box 7 Folder 9 Skirmantas, Petras

Box 7 Folder 9 and others


Box 5 Folder 8 Cuban Ballet, 1966 undated

Box 5 Folder 8 Alvarez, Cristina

Box 5 Folder 8 Araujo, Loipa

Box 5 Folder 8 Carreño, Lazaro

Box 5 Folder 8 Suarez, Rosario

Box 5 Folder 8 Williams, Andres

Box 5 Folder 8 and others

Box 5 Folder 9 Cuban Ballet, 1976 1978 undated, 1976, 1978 undated

Box 5 Folder 9 Alonso, Alicia

Box 5 Folder 9 Salgado, Orlando

Box 5 Folder 9 Suarez, Rosario

Box 5 Folder 9 and others


Box 7 Folder 12 Royal Danish Ballet, 1982

Box 7 Folder 13 Gala--Paris Opera Ballet, 1988

(including handwritten note with contents)

Box 7 Folder 13 Nureyev, Rudolf

Box 7 Folder 13 and others


Box 5 Folder 10 American Ballet Theater, 1971-1980 undated, 1971-1980, undated

(includes a newspaper clipping)

Box 5 Folder 10 Baryshnikov, Mikhail

Box 5 Folder 10 Bortoluzzi, Paolo

Box 5 Folder 10 Bruhn, Erik

Box 5 Folder 10 Bujones, Fernando

Box 5 Folder 10 Cragun, Richard

Box 5 Folder 10 D'Antuono, Eleanor

Box 5 Folder 10 Fracci, Carla

Box 5 Folder 10 Gregory, Cynthia

Box 5 Folder 10 Haydee, Marcia

Box 5 Folder 10 Kirkland, Gelsey

Box 5 Folder 10 Makarova, Natalia and husband Edward Karkar

Box 5 Folder 10 Morishita, Yoko

Box 5 Folder 10 Nagy, Ivan

Box 5 Folder 10 Nureyev, Rudolph

Box 5 Folder 10 Paredes, Marcos and wife Martha

Box 5 Folder 10 and others

Box 5 Folder 11 American Ballet Theater, undated

Box 5 Folder 11 Gregory, Cynthia

Box 5 Folder 11 and others

Box 5 Folder 12 American Ballet Theater, 1967 1975-1979 undated, 1967, 1975-1979, undated

(includes greeting cards with dancers' images and a newspaper clipping)

Box 5 Folder 12 Baryshnikov, Mikhail

Box 5 Folder 12 Gregory, Cynthia

Box 5 Folder 12 Nureyev, Rudolf


Box 7 Folder 10 American Ballet Theater, "Bayadera," 1978-1985 undated, 1978-1985, undated

(including newspaper clippings)

Box 7 Folder 10 Makarova, Natalia

Box 7 Folder 10 Plisetskaya, May a

Box 7 Folder 10 and others

Box 7 Folder 11 Gelvan--American Ballet Theater, Berlin Ballet, 1975-1980 undated, 1975-1980, undated

Box 7 Folder 11 Evdomikova, Eva

Box 7 Folder 11 Gelvan, Vladimir

Box 7 Folder 11 Hamel, Martine van

Box 7 Folder 11 Nureyev, Rudolf

Box 7 Folder 11 Panov, Valery and Galena

Box 7 Folder 11 Vasiliev, Vladimir

Box 7 Folder 11 and others


Box 5 Folder 13 Nureyev, Rudolf, 1973-1979 undated, 1973-1979, undated

(Homage to Diaghelev, Miscellaneous--head shots, etc. candid street shots, ABT, etc., Ballet News)

Box 5 Folder 13 Gehm, Charlene

Box 5 Folder 13 Nureyev, Rudolf

Box 5 Folder 13 and others

Box 5 Folder 14 Nureyev, "Faune", 1979

(Joffrey Ballet)

Box 5 Folder 14 Gehm, Charlene

Box 5 Folder 14 Nureyev, Rudolf

Box 5 Folder 14 and others

Box 5 Folder 15 Nureyev, "Faune," 1975-1980 undated, 1975-1980, undated

(Joffrey Ballet)

Box 5 Folder 15 Baryshnikov, Mikhail

Box 5 Folder 15 Gehm, Charlene

Box 5 Folder 15 Godunov, Alexander

Box 5 Folder 15 Nureyev, Rudolf

Box 5 Folder 15 and others

Box 5 Nureyev, Rudolf, 1979


Box 7 Folder 14 Extra pictures: Nureyev (Diaghelev), Cuban Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet, 1979 1984 undated, 1979, 1984 undated

(including newspaper clipping on Amparo Brito)

Box 7 Folder 14 Brito, Amparo

Box 7 Folder 14 Godunov, Alexander

Box 7 Folder 14 Nureyev, Rudolf

Box 7 Folder 14 Suarez, Rosario

Box 7 Folder 14 Vlasova, Ludmila

Box 7 Folder 14 and others

Box 7 Folder 15 Choice Pictures, 1979-1980 undated, 1979-1980, undated

Box 7 Folder 15 Godunov, Alexander

Box 7 Folder 15 Nureyev, Rudolf

Box 7 Folder 15 and others

Box 7 Folder 16 New Pictures--Unsorted, 1975-1981 undated, 1975-1981, undated

Box 7 Folder 16 Baryshnikov, Mikhail

Box 7 Folder 16 Godunov, Alexander and Naomi

Box 7 Folder 16 Jaffe, Susan

Box 7 Folder 16 Kirkland, Gelsey

Box 7 Folder 16 Nureyev, Rudolf

Box 7 Folder 16 and others


Box 8 Folder 1 Miscellaneous Photos, 1979 undated

Box 8 Folder 1 Gordeyev, Vyacheslav

Box 8 Folder 1 Nureyev, Rudolf

Box 8 Folder 1 Pavlova, Nadia

Series II: Japanese Art--Kabuki Books and Memorabilia, Ukiyo-e Books, 1978-1987

This series contains collection materials related to Japanese art.

Subseries II.1: Kabuki Books, 1978-1987

This subseries includes, for the most part, Kabuki plays translated to English and photo books of Kabuki actors. Several of the books focus on Tamasaburo Bando (b. 1950), a celebrated onnagata (the term for male Kabuki actors who specialize in depicting women).


Box 1 Leiter, Samuel L. The Art of Kabuki: Famous Plays in Performance, 1979


Box 6 Bando, Tamasaburo, undated

(all Japanese text)

Box 6 Gunji, Masakatsu Kabuki, 1985

(reissue of earlier book)

Box 6 The Kabuki , 1987

Box 6 Usui, Kenzo,Ebizo Kara Danjuro E , 1985 (2 copies), 1985

(text is in Japanese)


Box 7 Brandon, James R. Kabuki: Five Classic Plays, 1975


Box 8 Tamasaburo Bando , 1978

(photography by Kishin Shinoyama)

Box 8 Portfolio of Tamasaburo Bando, 1983

(2 copies, photography by Shunji Okura)

Box 8 Kabuki: Eighteen Traditional Dramas , 1985

Box 8 Kabuki , 1979

(photography by Chiaki Yoshida; text entirely in Japanese)

Box 8 Gunji, Masakatsu Kabuki, 1980

(later reissue also in collection)

Box 8 Kawatake, Toshio Kabuki: Danjuro's Lucky Eighteen, 1984

(photography by Iwata Akira)

Box 8 Okura, Shunji Tamasaburo Bando, Onnagata,, 1983

Subseries II.2: Kabuki Programs and Magazines, 1981-1982

Kabuki Programs and Magazines includes souvenir programs from The Grand Kabuki of Japan's performances in the U.S in 1982, and a 1981 magazine copy containing mostly photos of Kabuki performances. The souvenir program of the Grand Kabuki's 1982 North American tour contains autographs of seven members of the group, including celebrated actor Ichikawa Ebizo.

Box 8 Grand Kabuki of Japan--North American Tour Program, 1982

(includes autographs of seven members of the group: Utaemon, Tomiijuro, Tamaschuro Ebizo, Nakamara Utaemon, Nakamara Kanzeburro, Ichikawa Ebizo, and Kiyomoto Shizutayu)

Box 8 Grand Kabuki Playbill, 1982 July, 1982

(Metropolitan Opera, New York City)

Box 8 Double Page, Volume 13, 1981

Subseries II.3: Ukiyo-e Books, 1982

This subseries includes two books on the Japanese art of wood carving.

Box 8 Kobayashi, Tadashi Ukiyo-e, 1982

(part of seriesGreat Japanese Art)

Box 8 Oka, Isaburo Hiroshige, 1982

(part of seriesGreat Japanese Art)

Series III: Musical Scores, 1915-2000

Piano arrangements of ballets and opera arias, song books of Jewish folk music, and single-leaf piano scores of folk and pop songs from Italy and Israel.

Subseries III.1: Ballet Piano Arrangements, circa 1949-2000

This subseries includes scores of complete ballets as well as excerpts and collections, arranged alphabetically by composer name. There is a 1959 score of the Pas de Deux from Minkus'Don Quixotethat includes a cover photo of Claire Motte (1937-1986), ballet mistress and leading ballerina of the Paris Opera Ballet.


Box 2 Auber, Daniel, Pas Classique, 1959

Box 2 Bizet, Georges, Jeux d'Enfants

(no date)

Chopin, Frederic

Box 2 Les Sylphides , 1976

Box 2 Les Sylphides , undated

Box 2 Drigo, Riccardo Le Corsaire, 1975

Minkus, Ludwig

Box 2 Paquita, Pas de Trois, 1957

Box 2 Paquita, Grand Pas, 1976

Box 2 Don Quixote, Pas de Deux, 1959

(cover photo of Claire Motte (1937-1986), ballet mistress and leading ballerina of the Paris Opera Ballet)

Box 2 Don Quixote , 1974

Box 2 Don Quixote , undated

Box 2 La Bayadere , 1975

Box 2 La Bayadere , 1983

Box 2 Offenbach, Jacques La Gaite Parisienne,, 1952

Pugni, Cesare

Box 2 Pas de Deux from Esmeralda, 1958

Box 2 Pas de Quatre , 1973

Box 2 Pas de Quatre , 1973

(in Etude de la Danse collection)

Box 2 Rossini, Gioachino La Boutique Fantastique Suite, undated

Box 2 Strauss, Johann Graduation Ball, 1991

Tchaikovsky, P. I

Box 2 The Nutcracker Suite , 1949

Box 2 Le Lac des Cygnes , 1949

Box 2 Swan Lake: The Ballet Told in Words and Music, 1950

Box 2 "Le Cygne Noir,"Lac des Cygnes, 1975

Box 2 La Belle au Bois Dormant , 1950

Box 2 Casse Noisette , 1976


Box 3 Adam, Adolphe

Box 3 Giselle , 1974

(excerpt)

Box 3 Giselle , 1978

Delibes, Leo

Box 3 Coppelia , 1974

Box 3 Sylvia , 2000

Box 3 Glazunov, Alexander Raymonda, undated

Box 3 Helsted, Edvard, La Fete des Fleurs a Genzano, 1973

Box 3 Khachaturian, Aram Spartacus Moscow,, 1975

(hard cover edition)

McDermott, William

Box 3 Ballet Classics: Six Famous Pas de Deux, 1974

Box 3 Ballet Classics: Five Famous Pas de Deux, 1985

Prokofiev, Sergei

Box 3 Ten Pieces from the Ballet Cinderella,, 1967

Box 3 Cinderella, Moscow, 1981

(hard cover edition)

Box 3 Romeo and Juliet , 1967

Box 3 Stravinsky, Igor Firebird Suite, 1984

Box 3 Weber, Carl Maria von Invitation to the Dance, undated

Box 3 Zeller, Robert, Grands Pas de Deux Selected from Famous Ballets,, 1961

Subseries III.2: Italian Song, 1915-1984

This subseries includes voice and piano arrangements of folk and popular songs as well as opera arias. Scores are arranged in folders according to publishing company.


Box 4 Folder 1 Sheet Music: Italian Song, Edizioni and related companies, Milan/Naples,, 1943-1957

(43 items)

Box 4 Folder 2 Sheet Music: Italian Song, Casa Editrice F. Bideri, Naples, 1920-1957

(21 items)

Box 4 Folder 3 Sheet Music: Italian Song, Italian Book Company, New York City/Naples, 1915-1957

(10 items)

Box 4 Folder 4 Sheet Music: Italian Song, Ricordi and related companies, Milan,, 1944-1984

(14 items)

Box 4 Folder 5 Sheet Music: Italian Song, additional publishing companies, 1905-1957

(17 items)

Subseries III.3: Jewish and Israeli Song, 1930-1983

This subseries includes piano and voice arrangements as well as songbooks of Jewish folk songs and a few Hebrew translations of popular songs from film published by Negen Press. There are 3 booklets including melodies and Hebrew lyrics for national folk songs published in the first years of the State of Israel's founding.

Box 4 Folder 6 Sheet Music: Israel/Negen Press Songs, Tel Aviv, 1951-1960

(15 items)

Box 4 2 Bennett, Elsie Hebrew and Jewish Songs and Dances, 1954

(volumes 1 and 2)

Box 4 Easy to Play Jewish Nostalgia , undated

Box 4 Kramer, Isa, Album of Jewish Folk-Songs, 1930

Box 4 Sa-Ron , 1949

Box 4 Silverman, Jerry The Yiddish Song Book, 1983

Box 4 Songs of Land and Labor , 1955

Box 4 World Charts Presents the Jewish Songbook , undated

Box 4 The World's Most Famous Jewish Song Hits , 1956

Box 4 Zemer Ve Machol , 1955

Subseries III.4: Other Songs, 1967

Box 4 Bentley, Eric, The Brecht-Eisler Song Book, 1967