IOWA WOMEN’S ARCHIVES
UNIVERSITY OF IOWA LIBRARIES
IOWA
CITY, IOWA
DIEMAN-BENNETT DANCE THEATRE
OF THE HEMISPHERES
RECORDS, 1929-1996
9.5 linear
feet
|
ACQUISITION: |
The records (donor no. 369) were
donated by the Dieman-Bennett
Dance Theatre of the Hemispheres in 1996 and 1997. |
|
ACCESS: |
The records are open for research. |
|
AUDIOVISUAL: |
Twenty-one videocassettes shelved in videocassette collection (V97-V99, V143-V161). |
|
COPYRIGHT: |
Copyright has been transferred to the University of Iowa. |
|
PHOTOGRAPHS: |
In boxes 9 to 15. |
|
PROCESSED BY: |
Kristen
Rassbach, 1997. |
|
REVISION: |
Bobby Jett, October 1999.
[Word 7. Dieman.doc] |
History
The internationally
renowned Dieman-Bennett Dance Theatre of the Hemispheres began in 1951 when Edna
Dieman and Julia Bennett rented a room in the Cedar Rapids YWCA to give dance
lessons.
Edna Dieman, a native Iowan,
received a B.A. in music from Coe College, Iowa, and continued the study of
dance at institutions around the world.
She studied classical ballet, Spanish dance, and Indian dance among many
other styles and became a member of the Ethnologic Ballet Company, dancing in
New York City under the direction of LaMeri.
Julia Bennett, a native of
England who was raised India, is an alumnus of Lowther College, North Wales,
and studied voice and classical ballet in London, England. She was auditioned by Sir Henry Wood and
accepted at the Royal College of Music, London. Later she studied voice with Julian Kimball and ballet with
Madame Legat and Preobrazhenskaya in Paris.
Edna Dieman and Julia
Bennett met in New York. Initially the
two women returned to Cedar Rapids from New York each summer to teach
dance. In 1950 they moved permanently
to Cedar Rapids and began teaching dance year round.
The
Dance Theatre offered concerts for children as well as adults,
lecture-demonstrations, dance history, teaching seminars, and master
classes. The company's credo was
"Diversity in Dance." Dieman
and Bennett taught many different styles of dance from the traditional to the
eclectic. Contained within their
repertoire was classic Indian and Spanish dance, as well as contemporary tap
and jazz. Their students also studied
historical dance, which includes court dances from the 11th through the 18th
century, and classical ballet.
The Dieman-Bennett Dance Theatre of the Hemispheres
closed its doors permanently in 1997.
Scope and Content Note
The Dieman-Bennett Dance Theatre of the
Hemispheres records date from 1929
to 1996 and measure 9.5 linear
feet. The records are
arranged in eight series: Biographical
information, Dance Theatre of the Hemispheres, Festivals, Productions, Programs
and recitals, Workshops and classes, Miscellaneous, and Photographs.
The
Biographical information series
contains materials concerning the education and early careers of Edna Dieman
and Julia Bennett. Included is a
videocassette of a 1995 interview with the two concerning Carl Van Vechten's
dancers.
The
Dance Theatre of the Hemispheres
series consists of administrative and promotional papers as well as a history
of the Dance Theatre.
The
Festivals series documents the
participation of several of the members of the Dance Theatre in the Edinburgh
Festival as part of the Scottish-American Ballet in 1988 and the Dance Theatre
of the Hemispheres' hosting of the Mid-States Regional Ballet Festival in
1982.
Scope and
Content Note (cont.)
The
Productions series includes notes
and scripts from the Dance Theatre's many large productions as well as several
of its smaller programs and recitals. Many of these pieces were performed on
more than one occasion, thus there may be material from different productions
filed together under the name of the piece.
The
Workshops and classes series
concerns the educational opportunities offered by the Dance Theatre to the
public in both music and dance.
The Photographs
series consists primarily of photographs of the Dance Theatre’s many
productions, although there are a few portraits of Edna Dieman and Julia Bennett
and photographs of the early years of the Dance Theatre. There are approximately 550 slides in this
collection. The miscellaneous slides
are of unidentified performances and classes.
Of Related Interest
Negatives
of photographs taken by Joan Liffring-Zug are located at the State Historical
Society of Iowa.
The Louise Crawford Papers
Louise
Crawford composed Ballet Fantasy.
“Diversity in Dance,” Tacy Leigh Bolton paper
This collection contains a school paper about dance and
the Dieman-Bennett Dance Theatre of the Hemispheres written by Ruxton Country
School eighth-grader, Tacy Leigh Bolton in 1997.
Box no. Description
Box 1
Biographical information
Bennett, Julia
Contracts, 1940-1942
Newspaper clippings, 1936-1947
Programs, 1942-1947, 1973-1974
Resume, undated
Reviews, 1947, 1956
Scrapbook, 1940-1947 [shelved in box 16]
Items removed from scrapbook, 1940-1947
Dieman, Edna
Charcoal drawing of Dieman teaching at Katherine
Dunham’s, NY, ca.1949-1950 [closed for conservation]
Coe College Alumni Award, 1975
Edna Katherine Diemen Studio of Dance scrapbook,
1929-1939 [disbound]
Mu Phi Epsilon Sorority, 1926
Newspaper clippings, 1945-1947, 1981
Programs, 1943-1947 and undated
Scrapbooks (with LaMeri in New York)
1944-1945 [shelved in box 17]
1946-1949 [disbound]
Miscellaneous, 1943, 1956, 1986 and undated
Dieman and Bennett
Advanced studies
Bath Summer School of Baroque Music, undated
Institute of Court Dances, 1971
Receipts, 1970-1982
Summer schools, 1963-1969, 1980
Biographical backgrounds, undated
"Dance," undated
Edna Dieman and Julia Bennett Day, Cedar Rapids,
Iowa, 1990 [shelved in map case: drawer
5]
Hancher Guild Cookbook, 1982
Honorary degrees, Cornell College, 1979
Correspondence
Diplomas
Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing, 1971-1974,
1988
Interview with Dieman and Bennett about Carl Van
Vechten's dancers, 1995 [shelved in videocassette collection: V97]
Programs, 1951, 1954 and undated
Newspaper clippings, 1951, 1956
Ted Shawn and Ruth S. Denis, 1964 and undated
Dance Theatre
of the Hemispheres
History, undated
Administrative
Articles of Incorporation, 1970
By-laws, undated
Box 2
Dance Theatre
of the Hemispheres (cont.)
Administrative (cont.)
Calendars, 1959-1991 [scattered]
Capezio Foundation, 1977-1996
Contributions, 1988-1990
Correspondence, 1986-1996
Dance Theatre Guild, 1996
Financial, 1982-1988
Grant Proposal, undated
Legal, 1983-1987
Minutes, 1977, 1983, 1984, 1988
Policy, undated
Reports, 1982
Scholarship Fund [Penny Tanase], 1981-1983
Stationery, undated
Promotional
Advertising
Information, 1983-1985 and undated
Newspaper, 1972-1995 and undated
Other media, 1956-1992 and undated
Posters, 1977-1995 [shelved in map case, drawer 3]
“Iowa Arts Community,” radio commentary, WSUI, 1979
Newspaper clippings
1956, 1964, 1965
1970s
1980s
1990s
Undated
Magazine articles
Feature stories, 1964-1982
Brief stories, 1972-1995
Reviews, undated
Scrapbooks
1941-1958 [shelved in box 18]
1951-1956 [shelved in box 19]
1959-1961 [shelved in box 20]
1962-1964 [shelved in box 21]
1965-1966 [shelved in box 22]
1967-1971 [shelved in box 23]
1972-1975 [shelved in box 24]
1975-1976 [shelved in box 25]
1978-1979 [shelved in box 26]
1979-1980 [shelved in box 27]
1981-1982 [shelved in box 28]
1983-1986 [shelved in box 29]
1986-1988 [shelved in box 30]
1988-1990 [shelved in box 31]
Students: Broderick, Maureen, 1975 and undated
Festivals
1979 Dance Festival
Dance Gala, 1993 [shelved in videocassette
collection: V143]
Box 3
Festivals (cont.)
Edinburgh Festival
Correspondence, 1984-1989
Information and schedule, undated
Newspaper clippings, 1988
Poster, 1988 [shelved in map case: drawer 7]
Programs, 1988
Proposal, undated
Receipts, 1988
Reviews, undated
Fort Dodge Area Fine Arts Festival, 1972
Mid-States Regional Ballet Festival
Article for Dance
News, 1982
Correspondence, 1982
Financial records and participants, 1982
General, 1982
General, 1983
Overview, 1982
Review, Dance
News, 1982
Summer Festival at Brucemore, 1982
Productions
Ash Wednesday
Production notes, undated
Programs, 1971
Story, undated
Ballet Fantasy
Score by Louise Crawford [shelved in map case,
drawer 3]
Ballet Suite, 1961
Beauty and the
Beast
Production notes, undated
Story and program, 1953 and undated
Bye Bye Birdie, undated
Cantata
Pastorale, undated
Carmen, undated
Christmas
Fantasy,
1987-1988 and undated
The Christmas
Story in Dance
Correspondence, 1961
Production notes, undated
Programs, 1972
Story, undated
Crisis at
Quiet Springs,
undated
Dance of the
Furies,
undated
Box 4
D.B. #4, undated
A Digit of the
Moon
Cast and schedules, 1954
Costumes, designed and drawn by J. Bennett, undated
Cues, 1954 and undated
Miss Dieman's copy, 1961
Scripts and programs, 1954 and undated
Disclosure of
the Secrets
Production notes, undated
Score, undated
Story, undated
Divertimento, undated
Elizabethan
Masque,
1973
Elizabethan
Twelfth Night,
1973 and undated
Entertainment
for Elizabeth
Production notes, undated
Programs, 1975, 1983
The Fairy
Queen, 1988
and undated
Excerpts, 1988 [shelved in videocassette collection:
V144]
Videocassette, 1993 [shelved in videocassette
collection: V145]
Hansel and
Gretel
Band notes , 1965
Production notes, 1989 and undated
Box 5
Props, 1989
Schedules and programs, 1989-1996 and undated
Scripts
Cameo script, undated
J. Bennett’s copy, 1989
E. Dieman’s copy, [1989]
Videocassettes
1989 [shelved in videocassette collection: V146]
1990 [shelved in videocassette collection: V147]
Iphigenia in
Tauris,
1966
La
Nativite: Nine Meditations for Organ
Production notes, undated
Scores, undated [shelved in map case: drawer 5]
Les Indes
Galantes,
drawing, 1982 [shelved in map
case: drawer 5]
Les Sylphides
Choreography, undated
Production notes, undated
Promotional video, undated [shelved in videocassette
collection: V148]
Score, undated
Videocassette, 1986 [shelved in videocassette
collection: V98]
Masque
Miracles of
Faith
score, undated
Motet
Persichette Percussion
Production notes, 1963 and undated
Scores, undated [includes one shelved in map case:
drawer 3]
Story, undated
Nutcracker
1995
Budget
Financial reports
Mini-grant proposal
Publicity
Timeline
Miscellaneous
KCRG-TV, 1976
Programs, 1973-1992
Videocassettes
1986 [shelved in videocassette collection: V99]
1991 [shelved in videocassette collection: V149]
1992 [shelved in videocassette collection: V150]
Cameo, 1992 [shelved in videocassette collection:
V151]
Box 6
One Hundred
Ways,
undated
Orpheus and
Euridice,
1990
Production information
Videocassette [shelved in videocassette collection:
V152]
Pal Joey, 1961
Puppet Show, undated
The Star in
the West,
Children’s Symphony Project with the Cornell College Choir
Promotional materials, 1954-1955
Score, undated
The Seasons, 1967
Show Boat, 1956
Sieta
Canciones Populares Espanolas, undated
Sinfonia
Menuda, undated
Sleeping
Beauty Fantasy
Production notes, undated
Story, 1962
The Soldier's
Tale
Costumes, 1979
Narrator’s book, undated [oversize: shelved in box 32]
Production notes, 1978-1979
Tour information (with the Coe College Orchestra),
1979
Score, undated [also shelved in map case: drawer 5]
Solomon
Oratorio,
1963
South Pacific, 1965
Stations of
the Cross
Correspondence, 1971-1981
Box 7
Choreography, 1981
Poem, undated
Production notes, undated
Programs, 1972-1981
Score, undated [shelved in map case, drawer 3]
Swan Lake
Production information, 1988
Videocassette, undated [shelved in videocassette
collection: V153]
Symphony in
Dance, USA
Costumes, undated
Production notes, undated
Programs, 1969 and undated
Story, undated
Twelfth Night
Masque,
undated
Miscellaneous scores written for Dieman-Bennett
Deep Freeze,
Eagle Flight, It's Windy, and Leviathan, undated
Programs and recitals
Programs
A Baroque Happening, 1967
Music
Production notes
The Art of Bullfighting, undated [shelved in
videocassette collection: V154]
Beethoven Club Poetry/Dance Presentation, 1990
[shelved in videocassette collection: V155
Carl Van Vechten:
Cultural Contributions of a Century, 1979-1980
Celebration of the Arts, 1993
Dance Week, 1996
Box 8
Dedication of the Temple Organ, 1970
First Presbyterian Church Forum, 1965
Iowa Composer's Program
1974
1979
Isadora Duncan Cameo
Production information, 1980
Videocassette, 1990 [shelved in videocassette
collection: V156]
Life in the Spirit, 1971-1975
Correspondence
Music
Production notes
Programs
Videocassette [shelved in videocassette collection:
V157]
Liturgical Dance, 1986 [shelved in videocassette
collection: V158]
Meditation on Christ's Suffering, 1976
Ordination of Nan Hirleman, 1977
Ottumwa Area Arts Council, Discover India Project,
1991
Renaissance Fair, 1974
Some Meanings of Christmas, 1969
Three Cameos: Renaissance, Baroque, Romantic, 1989
[shelved in videocassette collection: V159]
The View From the East, 1986
Program lists, 1972-1980
Recitals
1952-1970
1972-1980
1981-1996
Box 9
Undated
Workshops and
Classes
History
Dance
General, 1973 and undated
Ballet, undated
Baroque, 1981 and undated
Indian, undated
Jazz, undated
Patterns, undated
Timeline, undated
Music
General, undated
Outline, undated
Spirituals, undated
Baroque workshop, 1976
Big "D" for Dance project, 1983-1984
General
Correspondence
A Glimpse of India, 1991 [shelved in videocassette
collection: V160]
A Glimpse of Spain, 1992
General
Videocassette [shelved in videocassette collection:
V161]
Humanities in Dance, 1969
Introduction to Dance, undated
Listings of classes, 1972-1992
Summer extension classes, undated
Miscellaneous
materials about dance
Dance books, 1990
Dance Magazine, 1983-1984
Dance quotations, undated
Dancers who have influenced Dieman and Bennett
(Isadora Duncan, Anna Pavlowa, Ruth St. Denis), undated
National Endowment for the Arts, 1970-1974
Proposed tour of India, 1972
Programs, 1950 and undated
Photographs
Bennett, Julia, undated
Diemen, Edna
Coe College Merit Award, 1975
Miscellaneous, undated
Diemen and Bennett
Honorary Degrees, Cornell College, 1979
High Renaissance and Spanish Solea costumes, undated
Box 10
Triumvirate interpretation of Schumann's song cycle Dichterliebe, undated
Miscellaneous, undated
Dance Theatre of the Hemispheres
Beginnings, 1953
Dance Theatre Associates, undated
Positions
Ballet positions, undated
Indian hand positions, undated
Indian Stanaka position, undated
Students
Cornell students, Rick Nelson and Ms. Lanluttig,
undated
Soloists
Broderick, Maureen, undated
Miscellaneous, undated
Students, undated
Indian dance class, undated
Wardrobe, undated
Festivals
Celebration of the Arts, Brucemore, undated
Dance Festival, 1985
Edinburgh Festival, 1988
Mid-States Regional Ballet Festival
Gigue, French Baroque Technique,
1982
Les Indes
Galantes,
danced in the style of the splendid century (1661-1789), 1982
May I Have the
Pleasure,
French Baroque Technique, 1982
Miscellaneous, 1982 [also shelved in map case,
drawer 3]
Sinfonia
Minuda, a
castanet chamber ensemble, Detroit, undated
Miscellaneous, undated
Spring Festival, Minnesota Ballet with director Lois
Houlton, undated
Productions
"Afternoon of Dance," undated
Ballet Fantasy, undated
Ballet Suite, undated
Beauty and the
Beast,
1950s and undated [also shelved in map case, drawer 7]
Box 11
Blue Danube, Gala benefit for the Cedar
Rapids Symphony, undated