Two folders in this collection are restricted: Box 14, Folder 4 "Student Essays" (restricted until 2084) and Box 24, Folder 6 "Letter of Recommendation" (restricted until 2104).
This collection is located on-site.
Audiovisual and digital media is not fully processed. If you would like to use these materials, please contact the library in advance of your visit to discuss access options.
The records in this collection are arranged into 8 series, derived primarily from Johnson's own curriculum vitae found in the collection. In this document he separates his work into categories based on his role in productions that have been in turn used to create the collection series: Ballet, Choreography, Director, Performer, Teaching and Consulting, Professional Materials, Personal Materials, and Audio/Visual Materials. The Ballet, Choreography, Director, and Performer series are organized primarily by production title. The Teaching and Consulting series is organized by educational institution and, where applicable, production title. There is some overlap between these Series as some of the versions of productions for which Johnson served as director or choreographer were also performed by one of said educational institutions. The Professional Materials series covers the Louis Johnson Dance Theatre Ensemble, and non-production-specific materials. The material in these series range from the 1950s, when Johnson primarily worked as a performer in Broadway and musical theater, to 2003 when he retired from his role at Henry Street Settlement.
The Personal Materials series includes material in the collection not immediately connected to Johnson's work and includes materials from the 1940s when Johnson lived with his family in Washington D.C. to the late 2010s after his retirement. The Audio/Visual series contains a mixture of professional and personal recordings. The bulk of the professional A/V material comes from the 1970s to the 2000s whereas the personal A/V material is largely from the 1990s and 2000s.
This series contains notes, photographs, posters, and programs related to ballets that Johnson choreographed and/or performed in. These include productions attributed to his early company the Louis Johnson Dance Company, as well as Alvin Ailey Dance Company, Dance Theater of Harlem, the D.C. Repertory Theatre, and others.
Series II: Choreography, 1960-2004
This series contains notes, photographs, posters, programs, scripts and scores related to non-ballet works that Johnson choreographed. The majority of these productions are New York based, though there are some international touring productions included in this series.
Series III: Director, 1971-2004
This series collects notes, notebooks, photographs, posters, programs, scripts, and scores related to works of musical theater and opera that Johnson directed. This also includes original productions written by Johnson, such as Deep Ellum Blues (1986), Frederick Douglass (1991), Niggers (1976), and Tid Bits (1990). In addition to work with New York-based organizations such as The Orchestra of the City of New York and Johnson's own companies, this series contains work Johnson did with Howard University in Washington D.C., theater organizations in Houston, TX, the New Jersey State Opera, and the Michigan Opera Theatre. Also found in this series is material related to the production Miss Truth, written by Glory Van Scott, Johnson's longtime friend and collaborator who cared for him in his later life and donated this collection.
Series IV: Performer, 1952-1967
This series contains photographs, posters, and programs related to Johnson's work as a performer in ballet productions that he did not choreograph himself, such as Jerome Robbins' Ballade (1952), and Broadway productions including Damn Yankees (1955) and House of Flowers (1955). Additionally there are materials from Johnson's one commercial film appearance in the Hollywood version of Damn Yankees (1958).
Series V: Teaching and Consulting, 1960-2011
This series contains administrative documents, notes, notebooks, photographs, posters, programs, and scores related to educational positions that Johnson held throughout his career. The majority of the series pertains to his work as Director of the Dance Department at Henry Street Settlement from 1985-2003. Works for specific productions from Henry Street have been collected under production title as applicable. This series also contains material from Johnson's teaching at Harlem Youth Opportunities Unlimited (Har-You), the D.C. Repertory Theatre, and Howard University where Johnson helped to found the Dance Department.
Series VI: Professional Materials, 1950-2010
This series contains administrative documents, autobiographical and biographical writing, contracts, CVs and resumes, headshots, notebooks, photographs, photo negatives, posters, programs, and research materials from the later period of Johnson's career.
Series VII: Personal Materials, 1950-2020
This series contains address books, awards, cards, letters, periodicals, photographs, pornography, printed books, programs, and unprinted manuscripts.
Series VIII: Audio/Visual Material, 1960-2010
This series contains cassette tapes, CDs, DVDS, ¼ inch open reel audiotape, ½ inch video tape, U-matic tapes, and VHS tapes.
This collection is arranged in 8 series. Each Series is arranged alphabetically by title.
You will need to make an appointment in advance to use this collection material in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room. You can schedule an appointment once you've submitted your request through your Special Collections Research Account.
Two folders in this collection are restricted: Box 14, Folder 4 "Student Essays" (restricted until 2084) and Box 24, Folder 6 "Letter of Recommendation" (restricted until 2104).
This collection is located on-site.
Audiovisual and digital media is not fully processed. If you would like to use these materials, please contact the library in advance of your visit to discuss access options.
Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. The RBML maintains ownership of the physical material only. Copyright remains with the creator and his/her heirs. The responsibility to secure copyright permission rests with the patron.
Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Name of Collection; Box and Folder (if known); Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University Library.
Arthur Mitchell Collection, Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Columbia University Libraries: Johnson was a guest choreographer for the Dance Theatre of Harlem and Mitchell and Johnson performed together on Broadway
Alvin Ailey Papers, Black Archives of Mid-America in Kansas City: Ailey's dance company frequently performed several of Johnson's ballets, including "Lament" and "Forces of Rhythm" and Johnson and Ailey performed together on Broadway.
Henry Street Settlement Records, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities Libraries: Johnson served as the director of the Dance Program at Henry Street Settlement from 1985 - 2003.
Negro Ensemble Company Records, New York Public Library Archives & Manuscripts: Johnson choreographed and directed productions for the Negro Ensemble Company.
No additional material is expected.
Glory Van Scott moved the material to a storage locker in Manhattan Mini Storage after Louis Johnson moved from an apartment to a nursing home in 2015. The material was reboxed and initially arranged by Jennifer B. Lee in 2023.
Gift from Glory Van Scott in 2023
Columbia University Libraries, Rare Book and Manuscript Library
This collection was processed by Jennifer B. Lee and Alex Valin (GSAS 2024). Finding aid written by Alex Valin in August, 2024.
The organization of the collection has been significantly changed in its current arrangement. The initial organization was done largely by medium or format – programs, scores, photographs, etc. The new order imposed on the entire collection was derived from Louis Johnson's CV in which he breaks down his work by genre: Ballet, Broadway, Off Broadway, Opera, etc. The collection was reorganized in an attempt to reflect how Johnson conceptualized the breakdown of his own work, and adding series to collect materials not associated with particular works or genres. The collection contained a large amount of photocopied flyers, photographs, and other paper material. Many of these were weeded when originals were found in the collection; in other cases, several copies were kept while the remainder were weeded. Some commercial printed books were weeded as they are readily available and not inscribed. Framed photographs were removed from frames and negatives were placed in mylar sleeves.
2024-08-02 Finding aid published. CCR.
Louis Johnson (1930 - 2020) was an African American dancer, choreographer, director, and teacher. He was born in Statesville, North Carolina, shortly after which his family moved to Washington D.C. Johnson's interest in dance arose from taking gymnastics classes at the YMCA and in high school he enrolled in the Jones-Haywood School of Ballet. Doris W. Jones and Claire Haywood encouraged Johnson to move to New York after high school where he enrolled in the New York City School of American Ballet, where he was mentored by Jerome Robbins and George Balachine. Best remembered for choreographing the film version of The Wiz (1978), Johnson had a long career as a dancer in ballet and musical theater, first gaining attention for his roles in Robbins' ballet Ballade (1952) and the 1955 Broadway productions of Damn Yankees and House of Flowers. Johnson would later say that, like many of his contemporaries, he sought work on Broadway because opportunities for Black ballet dancers were extremely limited. Johnson was quickly sought after for his skills as a choreographer of ballet, musical theater, and opera. His ballet Lament remains a signature work performed frequently by his own companies, the Alvin Ailey company, and more. He was hired by the Metropolitan Opera to choreograph the ballet portion of a new production of Aida which premiered in 1973 and was used in the televised 1985 production that featured the final performance of Black opera singer Leontyne Price.
Johnson had a long commitment to teaching dance, particularly to children. In a Ballet Review interview, Johnson recalls how as early as the 1960s he began renting out space in the Harlem YMCA and teaching classes for children and teens, in part to develop his own productions. Johnson would later start the Dance Department at Howard University and served as the director of the dance department at Henry Street Settlement from 1985 to 2003. At Henry Street he taught classes, ran his adult dance company, the Louis Johnson Dance Theatre Ensemble, and the children's ensemble Henry Street Kids. He frequently collaborated with contemporary Black dance companies such as Arthur Mitchell's Dance Theatre of Harlem, the Alvin Ailey Dance Company, and was co-director of the D.C. Black Repertory Dance Company with Mike Malone from the mid-1960s to the mid-1970s.
The subject headings listed below are found in this collection. Links below allow searches for other collections at Columbia University, through CLIO, the catalog for Columbia University Libraries, and through ArchiveGRID, a catalog that allows users to search the holdings of multiple research libraries and archives.
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