The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center acquired revered dance photographer Martha Swope's archives in 2010. Beginning on Thursday, September 27, an exhibit comprised exclusively of her dance and theater rehearsal photos will be on display in the Vincent Astor Gallery for the public to enjoy free of charge through Saturday, January 13, 2013.
The exhibit will feature more than 100 images including those from rehearsals of the original productions of West Side Story and A Chorus Line and from George Balanchine's and Igor Stravinsky's creation of Agon. Rehearsal photos of Martha Graham, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Jerome Robbins, Stephen Sondheim, Jack Lemmon, Liza Minnelli, Gregory Hines, Chita Rivera and many other greats will also be on display.
For those of us who grew up in remote parts of the country during the middle of the last century, Martha Swope's photography was our introduction to the New York City Ballet and the Martha Graham Company –– both for which she served as official photographer during her illustrious 40 year career. Her images in Dance Magazine, Saturday Review, and the library edition of The New York Times were our connections to the greatness that we dreamed of seeing on stage one day.
For more information on this not-to-be-missed exhibit, click here and here.