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Category: Women in Dance

Excerpt of handwritten orchestra score for "Wuthering Heights" by Alfred Newman (1939).

New Finding Aids at the Music Division of the Library of Congress

Posted by: Nicholas A. Brown-Cáceres

Learn about six new collection finding aids that have been published by the Library's Music Division. These finding aids provide bibliographic access to the Irwin Bazelon Papers, Harry Chapin Collection, Ann Murphy Collection on the Rockettes and Radio City Music Hall, Alfred Newman Film Music Manuscripts, Park Avenue Synagogue Commissioning Project Correspondence and Hans Spialek Papers.

Rockettes tap dancer Ann Murphy posing arms outstretched onstage and in costume

High Kicks for Days: Celebrating the Rockettes with Photographs and Memorabilia

Posted by: Libby Smigel

Rockettes dancer Ann Murphy (born in Lynn, Massachusetts, in 1942) danced with the precision tap dance company from the 1960s through the 1970s. Now her photographs, programs, and other Radio City Music Hall memorabilia are available to the public in the Library of Congress Performing Arts Reading Room, thanks to Murphy's generous gift of her legacy materials.

Musicians in air force uniforms performing with a conductor. Pianist in a yellow top seated at Steinway piano in front of the orchestra.

Now Streaming: Rhapsody in Blue, Jeremy Denk and Jazz Interviews

Posted by: Nicholas A. Brown-Cáceres

The 2023-2024 season of Concerts from the Library of Congress came to a rousing conclusion on June 20 with a performance by New Orleans-based band Cha Wa. As final preparations are made for the 2024-2025 season announcement, the Music Division is pleased to share a multitude of concert and event videos that have been released …

woman strikes a dance pose in cowboy hate and western wear

The Choreographer Who Gave Us “Ken-ergy”

Posted by: Heather Darnell

During last Sunday’s Oscars, many were quick to note the parallels between Ryan Gosling’s performance of “I’m Just Ken” and Marilyn Monroe’s “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend” from the 1953 film “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. ”The “Ken Dance” took many cues from pop culture and vintage Hollywood to play on gender stereotypes. However, there was …

Woman with dark hair, fancy dress and pearls with eyes closed and mouth slightly open, singing

Florence Price’s Fantasie Nègre No. 1

Posted by: Library of Congress

On March 1, 2022, In the Muse published a blog post announcing a finding aid to the Music Division’s Florence B. Price Music Manuscripts. Although we are proud to enhance discoverability of the Library’s Florence Price manuscripts with the finding aid, the blog post contained some inaccurate information and lacked appropriate citations. After considering the concerns raised with the post, the …