FSU School of Dance Records, 1911-1912, 1920, 1927-2006, 2011-2012, bulk 1960-2000
Collection context
Summary
- Creator:
- Florida State University. School of Dance
- Florida State University. School of Dance
- Dickinson, Nellie-Bond
- Extent:
- 36 Linear Feet 35 boxes [17 record boxes, 14 oversize boxes, 4 slide boxes]
- Language:
- English
- Preferred citation:
[Title of Item], [Date of Item], [Box and Folder number], FSU School of Dance Records, Special Collections and Archives, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida. http://purl.lib.fsu.edu/fa/HP_2013-009
Background
- Scope and content:
The Florida State University School of Dance Records contain promotional materials, programs, news clippings, photographs, correspondence, scrapbooks, school publications, dance scores, and other material documenting the school's performances and pedagogy.The collection consists of four series.
Series 1: Photographs contains prints, contact sheets, photographic negatives, and photographic slides documenting School of Dance performances and rehearsals, as well as guest performances at the school.
Series 2: Promotional Materials, Publicity, and Administrative Records contains posters, flyers, programs for performances and events, news clippings and magazines regarding performances and the school, press releases, booklets, School of Dance newsletters, correspondence, and photographs of performances and rehearsals.
Series 3: Biographical Files is split into two sub-series. Sub-Series 1: Faculty and Staff Biographical Files contain photographs and biographical information on individual faculty and staff members in the School of Dance. Sub-Series 2: Guest Biographical Files include similar records as Sub-Series 1 as well as news clippings, programs, and press books.
Series 4: Nellie-Bond Dickinson contains material created or collected by School of Dance faculty member Nellie-Bond Dickinson who is credited with bringing modern dance and creative movement to Florida State University. The series includes performance programs, news clippings and magazines, photographs, choreography notes, correspondence, essays, and poems.
Select materials from the FSU School of Dance Records have been digitized and are available through the FSU Digital Library.
- Biographical / historical:
The Florida State University School of Dance started in 1927 with country, folk, and tap dance courses in the Physical Education department. With Nellie-Bond Dickinson's arrival in 1935 came a movement away from physical education and athleticism toward modern dance choreography and creative movement. By 1961, students could pursue a four-year curriculum in Dance, earning a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree in Education.
In 1974, the Department of Dance was established under the direction of Nancy Fichter. As of 2024, the School of Dance is situated under the College of Fine Arts. The school has a reputation as a center for the creation, reconstruction, and production of dance repertory ranging from traditional classical choreography to contemporary original works. Several concerts are presented annually, including Days of Dance, Evening of Dance, and Masters Projects.
The core mission of the school is to combine exceptional artistic training with a liberal arts education. This dual dedication to art and learning has yielded graduates who are dancers, teachers, scholars, and leaders in companies, schools, universities, and art organizations in the United States and abroad. In addition to classes for dance majors, approximately 400 students are instructed each semester through the general studies in dance classes open to our university community dancers.
The School of Dance is also the home of the Maggie Allesee National Center for Choreography (MANCC). The mission of this unique research center is to encourage the creation, dissemination, and documentation of new knowledge in dance and choreography. FSU dance majors can observe professional artists as they engage in projects while in residence at MANCC.
Nellie-Bond Dickinson was born in 1912 in Wilson, North Carolina. She received her Bachelor's degree from the Woman's College at the University of North Carolina and a Master's degree from the Teacher's College at Columbia University. In 1935, Dickinson moved to Tallahassee to teach dance at Florida State University. During her thirty years on the faculty, the program was modernized, and more emphasis was placed on creative expression. She is known for establishing high artistic standards that influence the School of Dance today.
Dickinson's emphasis in dance study was with Louis Horst and Martha Graham, whom she brought twice to campus. She was instrumental in bringing other renowned artists in modern dance to Tallahassee through events like the FSU Artist Series. Dickinson also established the Theatre Dance Group for which she choreographed and toured in the southeastern United States. She planned and directed the first Evening of Dance with the group, which the School of Dance still performs annually. After retiring from FSU as professor emerita in 1963, Dickinson continued teaching at Marymount College in Arlington, Virginia. She returned to live in Tallahassee in 2000 and passed away in 2003.
- Acquisition information:
- Accessioned May 2, 2013
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Indexed terms
Access and use
- Restrictions:
This collection is open to all researchers.
This collection is in a remote storage location. Please contact lib-specialcollections@fsu.edu with requests for access or for more information.
- Terms of access:
Copyright restrictions may apply to works in this collection. Re-use or copying beyond Fair Use may require permission from the rights-holder. Please contact lib-specialcollections@fsu.edu for more information.
- Preferred citation:
[Title of Item], [Date of Item], [Box and Folder number], FSU School of Dance Records, Special Collections and Archives, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida. http://purl.lib.fsu.edu/fa/HP_2013-009
- Location of this collection:
-
116 Honors WayTallahasseeFL32306-2047USA
