Museum of Performance & Design

Legacy oral histories are full-life histories with an emphasis on the narrator's personal experience as it relates to the performing arts. Selected Legacy narrators are knowledge-holders and culture-bearers who represent important creative and performance practices in dance, music or theater. Many narrators are elderly or in some way at risk.

Along with the life stories of interpretative or creative artists, the collection also proudly includes the narratives of educators, critics, writers, administrators and technicians whose dedication and skills made invaluable contributions to the Bay Area performing arts community.

Most of Legacy’s oral histories have been published in hardbound archival-quality books that contain edited text, photographs and numerous tools to facilitate research: introductions by esteemed peers, narrator and interviewer biographies, interview history, historical timeline, appendices, detailed table of contents and a name/place index.

In keeping with current practices in the presentation of oral history by major libraries, museums and universities, and in response to increased public interest in oral history, Legacy is now making some of its collection available in digital formats such as video, DVD, streaming video and audio web-based presentations. The collection is available for use at the Museum of Performance & Design during the library hours posted on this site.

For more information about Legacy Oral History Program workshops, personnel, sample projects and consulting click here.

LEGACY DANCE COLLECTION	LEGACY MUSIC COLLECTION	LEGACY THEATER COLLECTION
Bira Almeida Master teacher and musician in Capoeira Afro-Brazilian art form; capoeira school administrator, educator and writer Tandy Beal Modern dancer, choreographer and teacher; Artistic Director, the New Pickle Family Circus Ruth Beckford African American modern dancer and Afro-Haitian dance performer, choreographer and educator; playwright and writer Jane Brown Modern dance pioneer; classical ballet dancer; modern dance performer, choreographer, school administrator and educator; movement rehabilitation expert and writer Yuri Cachero Filipino/Native American dancer and teacher; Afro-Haitian and Native American dancer; community movement educator Chitresh Das Classical South Asian Indian Kathak dancer, choreographer and teacher; experimental choreographer Frank Everett Modern, jazz and ballet dancer with Oakland Ballet and ODC/SF, among others; modern dance choreographer Lareen Fender Classical ballet teacher, dancer and choreographer Arturo Fernandez Mexican American ballet and modern dance performer with San Diego Ballet and ODC/SF among others; choreographer and educator; ballet master for Lines Contemporary Ballet (restricted) Rebecca Fuller Moderndance choreographer and performer; dance educator, Mills College; dance technology Eve Gentry Modern dance pioneer; performer with Hanya Holm company; choreographer, performer, and dance educator; co-founder Dance Notation Bureau; dance rehabilitation expert Henry "Buzz" Glass Russian-American folk dance artist; world folk dance researcher, reconstructor, educator and founder/administrator of California Folk Dance Federation; early childhood movement educator; recording artist on LP; writer Jéfé Guimares Afro-Brazilian dance performer; Latin American folk and Candomblé ritual dance Jenny Hunter Groat Modern dancer, choreographer and teacher, primarily in experimental genre; student with Anna Halprin; visual artist Anna Halprin Modern and experimental dancer, choreographer, and teacher; founder and director, Tamalpa Institute; writer and dance advocate Ruth Hatfield Modern dance performer, choreographer and teacher; children’s dance; somatics educator; dance advocate and activist Pauline Henderson Modern dance performer, choreographer and educator; dance education in England William Huck Dance and music critic Judy Job Modern dance performer, choreographer and teacher; dance school administrator; dance advocate Stanley Kahn Tap dance master performer, choreographer, educator and innovative notator; dance director for Ice Follies; vaudeville Thelma Langston Vaudeville performer Richard LeBlond Performing arts sociologist; classical ballet dance administrator and past-president San Francisco Ballet; dance advocate and writer Grace Mann Classical ballet dancer; Ballet Russe performer; early American regional ballet choreographer and educator Jamie McHugh Experimental dance performer and choreographer; children’s dance educator; somatics educator and writer Jamie Miller European American-Middle Eastern dance performer and educator; modern dancer trained by Bella Lewitzky and Lester Horton; experimental choreographer Ed Mock African American jazz dancer and choreographer; improvisation Aaron Osborne Modern dance performer with José Limón and Lar Lubavitch dance companies; international dance educator Lanny Pinola Pomo tribe NativeAmerican dancer and educator; reconstructor of traditional dance rituals Rodney Price Tap dancer; performer with Angels of Light experimental performance group during the 1960s and ’70s in San Francisco Maclovia Ruiz Mexican-born Spanish classical dancer with Antonio’s troupe; interpretive dancer trained at Peters Wright School in San Francisco; classical ballet with Balanchine, Metropolitan Opera Ballet; San Francisco Opera Ballet; early film and urban ballroom dancer Dennis Rumsey Dance administrator, San Francisco Ballet and Sacramento Ballet Tomm Ruud Classical ballet performer and choreographer, San Francisco Ballet and Ballet West Victor Salazar Mexican American performer with Los Lupeños Folkloric Dance Company, San José CA (restricted) Terry Sendgraff Modern dancer and choreographer; gymnastic educator; innovator of “Motivity” and aerial dance genre, including single-point trapeze work; community activist Frank Shawl Modern dance performer, choreographer and teacher; performer with May O’Donnell Company; television; dance school administrator Michael Smuin Classical ballet dancer, choreographer and teacher; artistic director, San Francisco Ballet and Smuin Ballet; film director and Broadway choreographer Kong The'ap Khmer cultural dance performer trained at theCambodian Royal Palace Dance Theater; cultural dance educator and reconstructor Gloria Unti Dance/theater performer and choreographer; dance educator and community activist; founder, Performing Arts Workshop in San Francisco Jocelyn Vollmar Prima Ballerina, San Francisco Ballet. Keith White Dance writer and critic, American ballet and modern dance David K.C. Wood Modern dance performer with Martha Graham Dance Company; choreographer, educator and chair, UC-Berkeley Department of Dance Circle The Earth, Dancing With Life On The Line, 1991: Oral History of a Movement Ritual (Healing dance ritual by Anna Halprin) Brian Varanzoff; modern dance performer and choreographer; Jerry DeJong, dance administrator; "Mary,” community dancer; Jeff Rehg, contact improvisation dancer	Eddie Alley Jazz drummer; integrated Musicians Union Local 6 in San Francisco. Julia Colvig Musician withBerkeley Piano Club; member of musical family including John Colvig Vivian Fine Musician; experimental composer including original works for early modern dance pioneers. Joseph Harris Dresser, San Francisco Ballet and San Francisco Opera Thomas Heimberg Violist; classical music performer with San Francisco Symphony and Opera/Ballet Orchestras; orchestra manager; writer, teacher and labor advocate	Dean Goodman Actor for stage, film and radio; theater director, educator, producer, writer, critic and labor activist. Ruth Kobart Theater, musical theater, and opera performer; actor on Broadway, with American Conservatory Theater and others Barbara Oliver Theaterdirector; founder, Aurora Theatre, Berkeley CA; actor and theater educator, theater company administrator, writer William Paterson Theater actor with Cleveland Playhouse and American Conservatory Theater; adaptor of plays and published writer Jean Shelton Theater actor, director and educator; theater school administrator and writer Keeping up with the Joans (Comic play by Sara Felder based on oral history interviews with three Joans Joan Schirle Physical theater actor; theater educator and writer; administrator, Dell’Arte Players, California (restricted) Joan Mankin Physical theater actor; professional clown (restricted) Joan Holden Physical theater actor; director, playwright, adaptor, translator; theater educator and writer; member, San Francisco Mime Troupe (restricted)

MUSEUM OF PERFORMANCE & DESIGN \| VETERANS BLDG. \| 401 VAN NESS AVE. SUITE 402 \| SAN FRANCISCO \| CA \| 94102 \| 415-255-4800

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