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Ballet Arts Minnesota records

 Collection
Identifier: PA104

Scope and Content Note

The bulk of the collection consists of audio/visual recordings of the Ballet Arts Spring concerts, the Apprentice Ensemble, and the Springboard performances, and the City Children’s Nutcracker Project. They are recorded on video cassettes, beta tapes, DVD and mini DVD. The collection also contains correspondence and notes with the founders, merger documents, Board of Directors’ documents and notes, as well as other administrative records.

Dates

  • Creation: 1988-2009

Language of Materials

English

Restrictions on Access

The collection is open and available for use by researchers in the Andersen Library Reading Room.

Restrictions on Use

Copyright is retained by the copyright holders.

Historical Note

Ballet Arts Minnesota was established in 1989 by Marcia Chapman and Bonnie Mathis. Its mission was to provide superior, professional dance training to all students, including those who study ballet pre-professionally and those who study solely for its physical and aesthetic benefits. It openly included children from all races and ethnicities, as well as all physical sizes. It went on to become the premier dance school in the Upper Midwest, and trained dancers who performed with prestigious ballet companies, and were accepted at top universities and college dance programs. Its unique collaboration with the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board produced the City Children’s Nutcracker Project (CCNP) that celebrated the cultural and ethnic diversity of Minneapolis in a holiday extravaganza. Classes were taught at inner city parks, and the children participated in the Nutcracker performance at the Orpheum and State Theaters, as well as Northrop Auditorium. Park night provided the neighborhood constituents bussing to the theater, where they watched their community’s children perform with professional dancers, and dancers from the school. Ballet Arts merged with Minnesota Dance Theater and became the Dance Institute in 2006.

Extent

14 Linear Feet (14 Record Cartons)

Abstract

Collection contains audio and video recordings, production notes, programs, flyers, and administrative and financial information.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged in the following series:

  1. Administrative
  2. Audio/Visual
  3. Born-Digital

Physical Location

Mezzanine

Acquisition

The collection was donated to the Performing Arts Archives by Marcia Chapman in March 2011.

Processing Information

The collection was processed and the finding aid written by Joanne Gordon, 2014.

Subject

Title
Ballet Arts Minnesota Records
Author
Kathryn Hujda
Date
2014
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
English

Collecting Area Details

Contact The Performing Arts Archives Collecting Area

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