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Items Interview with Lillian Libman

Interview with Lillian Libman, 1977

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Library division & collection with this item:

LIBRARY DIVISION
Jerome Robbins Dance Division

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COLLECTION
Dance Audio Archive

This Item

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Title
Interview with Lillian Libman, 1977
Names
Libman, Lillian (Interviewee)
De Mille, Agnes (Interviewer)
Collection

Dance Audio Archive

Dates / Origin
Date Created: 1977
Library locations
Jerome Robbins Dance Division
Shelf locator: *MGZTCO 3-1629
Topics
Protas, Ron
Tetley, Glen
Graham, Georgia
Nureyev, Rudolf, 1938-1993
Libman, Lillian
Graham, Martha
Martha Graham Dance Company
Genres
Interviews
Oral histories
Notes
Content: Title supplied by cataloger.
Creation/production credits: Recorded by Agnes de Mille 1977
Funding: The conservation and cataloging of this recording was made possible in part by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. The support of the National Endowment for the Arts is also gratefully acknowledged.
Acquisition: Gift Agnes de Mille
Physical Description
Audiocassette
Extent: 1 audiocassette (approximately 1 hr., 12 min.) : quarter-track; 1.78 ips
Sound quality is fair to poor. The recording is marred by occasional short gaps and extraneous noise including slight "tape hiss." Lillian Libman's voice is often soft and difficult to understand, especially on streaming file 2, which also includes a gap of approximately 13 minutes.
Description
Interview with Lillian Libman conducted by Agnes de Mille in 1977, in New York City, as part of her research for her biography of Martha Graham entitled Martha: The Life and Work of Martha Graham- A Biography (1991). Streaming audio file 1 (approximately 32 minutes). Lillian Libman speaks with Agnes de Mille about being hired by Ron Protas to manage the Martha Graham Dance Company's European tour; Graham's bringing Glen Tetley to see Libman early in his career; her being blocked from communicating directly with Graham; the relationship of the Company's dancers with Graham; the European tour including Graham's high level of energy; Protas's relationship with Graham; rumors of Graham's having decided to bequeath all her works to Protas; problems with the way the tour was booked; Graham's publicity speeches for the Covent Garden performances; Graham's ability to inspire her dancers' performances; dealing with a dancer's mental instability; Jeordie [Georgia] Graham and her relationship with Martha; Graham's closed rehearsals; an anecdote about Graham shopping in Paris [ends abruptly but continues on streaming file 2]. Streaming audio file 2 (approximately 40 minutes). Lillian Libman continues to speak about Martha Graham including how little money she spent on herself; an anecdote about Graham, Ron Protas and Rudolf Nureyev; more on Protas's relationship with Graham; Graham's choreography [gap from approximately 23:00 to 35:55 followed by a reiteration of an earlier part of the recording, but with better sound quality].
Type of Resource
Sound recording
Languages
English
Identifiers
RLIN/OCLC: 35217036
NYPL catalog ID (B-number): b12494236
Universal Unique Identifier (UUID): 46fdf470-c314-0133-bbfb-60f81dd2b63c
Rights Statement
The copyright and related rights status of this item has been reviewed by The New York Public Library, but we were unable to make a conclusive determination as to the copyright status of the item. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use.

Item timeline of events

  • 1977: Created
  • 2018: Digitized
  • 2025: Found by you!
  • 2026

MLA Format

Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library. "Interview with Lillian Libman" The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1977. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/4ac770a0-c314-0133-e7a6-60f81dd2b63c

Chicago/Turabian Format

Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library. "Interview with Lillian Libman" New York Public Library Digital Collections. Accessed March 13, 2025. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/4ac770a0-c314-0133-e7a6-60f81dd2b63c

APA Format

Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library. (1977). Interview with Lillian Libman Retrieved from https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/4ac770a0-c314-0133-e7a6-60f81dd2b63c

Wikipedia Citation

<ref name=NYPL>{{cite web | url=https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/4ac770a0-c314-0133-e7a6-60f81dd2b63c | title= (sound recording) Interview with Lillian Libman, (1977)|author=Digital Collections, The New York Public Library |accessdate=March 13, 2025 |publisher=The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations}}</ref>

Interview with Lillian Libman