UCLA

Ballet is an ephemeral and experiential performing art whose choreographed works change constantly through performance and interpretation. Despite this constant evolution, archivists and librarians have found numerous mediums to document choreographed works and the greater ballet culture and community.

This thesis surveys current practices and standards within the fields of ballet choreography documentation and preservation to answer the following questions: How are choreographed dances documented in public and private dance archives and libraries? Who are the primary users and how does that influence collecting methods? Which forms of notation and technologies are used in capturing choreographed dances and what does this choice of format say about the utility and accessibility of the archive? Interviews were conducted with dance practitioners and professionals, archivists, and librarians at the Balanchine Trust, Dance Notation Bureau, Ohio State University, New York Public Library Jerome Robbins Dance Division, and Museum of Performance + Design.

Discussions of current collections, projects, and future goals revealed three common mediums of documentation, written notation, video, and oral history interviews, as well as a common practice for archival institutions to partner with dance companies and schools to ensure that their assets are used to inform reperformance. Overall, the choreography and dance research field would benefit from documentation efforts in more diverse locations with additional performance companies. The three documentation methods can be adopted by individuals and research institutions in cities with rich dance communities to create a more informative and diverse set of choreographic primary resources.