Descriptive Summary
Important Information for Researchers
Biography
Bibliography
Collection Scope and Content Summary
Collection Arrangement
Separation Note
Indexing Terms
Descriptive Summary
Title: Collection on Trudi Schoop
Date: circa 1905-1940, 1999-2007,
Date (bulk): bulk circa 1931-1939
Collection Number: MS-P071
Extent:
1.7 linear feet
(3 boxes and 3 oversized folders)
Languages: The collection is in German, French, Dutch, English, Finnish, Swedish, Spanish, and Italian.
Repository:
University of California, Irvine. Library. Special Collections and Archives.
Irvine, California 92623-9557
Abstract: The collection documents the life and career of comic dancer Trudi Schoop and contains photographs, programs, correspondence,
newspaper clippings, and other ephemera. The majority of materials represent the activities of the Trudi Schoop Comic Ballet
from 1931 to 1939. The collection also contains correspondence and photographs of Schoop's manager, Alfred Fischer, and other
artists he managed. There is no information within the collection regarding Schoop's later career as a dance therapist.
Important Information for Researchers
Access
The collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
Property rights reside with the University of California. Intellectual property rights are retained by the creators of the
records and their heirs. For permissions to reproduce or to publish, please contact the Head of Special Collections and Archives.
Preferred Citation
Collection on Trudi Schoop. MS-P071. Special Collections and Archives, The UC Irvine Libraries, Irvine, California.
Acquisition Information
Acquired, 2007.
Processing History
Processed by Audrey Pearson, 2008.
Biography
Trudi Schoop (1903-1999) was a Swiss-born dancer and dance troupe leader who specialized in comic stage productions and was
often likened to Charlie Chaplin. Later in life, Schoop was a pioneer in using dance therapy to treat mental illness.
When Schoop was 17 she decided to embark on a career as a dancer. With no formal training, she convinced her father to rent
a dance hall and hire a pianist for her show. Overall, the performance was a success despite the fact that the audience often
laughed unexpectedly at serious points during the show. After her first performance, Schoop's father sent her to study classical
ballet in Vienna and modern dance in Zürich. In 1926 she opened a dance school in Zürich and in 1931 she organized the Trudi
Schoop Comic Ballet. Schoop's brother, Paul Schoop, composed the music for many of the company's acts. The troupe toured
widely throughout Europe and the United States until the outbreak of World War II, during which Schoop performed in Switzerland
for anti-Fascist cabarets. Touring resumed following the end of the war.
Schoop ended her career as a performer in 1947 when she moved to Los Angeles. There she began to work with patients suffering
from schizophrenia and was a pioneer in developing the field of dance therapy. Schoop died in 1999.
Biography/Organization History
Chronology
| 1903 October 9 |
Trudi Schoop born in Zürich. |
| 1920 December 14 |
Performs first dance recital at the Zürich Pfauentheater. |
| 1926 |
Opens school in Zürich. |
| 1931 |
Forms the Trudi Schoop Comic Ballet. |
| 1932 |
Trudi Schoop Comic Ballet awarded second place at a choreography competition in Paris. |
| 1937-1939 |
Tours Europe and the United States. |
| 1939 |
Disbands company. |
| 1946 |
Reassembles company. |
| 1947 |
Tours United States and Canada. |
| 1947 |
Settles in Los Angeles, California. |
| 1999 July 14 |
Dies in Van Nuys, California. |
Bibliography
Chujoy, Anatole, and P. W. Manchester, ed.
The Dance Encyclopedia. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1967.
Clarke, Mary, and David Vaughan, ed.
The Encyclopedia of Dance & Ballet. New York: Putnam, 1977.
Merz, Richard. "Schoop, Trudi." In
The International Encyclopedia of Dance, edited by Selma Jean Cohen. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998. http://www.oxford- dance.com/entry?entry=t171.e1562.
(accessed 31 January 2008).
Collection Scope and Content Summary
This collection comprises photographs, programs, correspondence, newspaper clippings, and other ephemera documenting the life
and career of comic dancer Trudi Schoop. The collection also contains correspondence and photographs of Schoop's manager,
Alfred Fischer, and other artists he managed. The majority of materials represent the activities of the Trudi Schoop Comic
Ballet from 1931 to 1939. There is no information within the collection regarding Schoop's later career as a dance therapist.
Collection Arrangement
This collection is arranged in four series.
- Series 1. Photographs, circa 1905 - circa 1939. 0.7 linear feet
- Series 2. Trudi Schoop biographical information, circa 1931 - circa 1939, 2006-2007. 0.05 linear feet
- Series 3. Trudi Schoop Comic Ballet records, 1931-1940, 1999. 0.45 linear feet
- Series 4. Programs, 1934-1939. 0.5 linear feet
Separation Note
Duplicate programs were removed and added to the following collection:
- Dance Program and Ephemera Collection. MS-P26. Special Collections and Archives, The UC Irvine Libraries, Irvine, California.
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Subjects
Schoop, Trudi -- Archives.
Fischer, Alfred -- Archives.
Trudi Schoop Comic Ballet -- Archives.
Dance -- Archives.
Genres and Formats of Materials
Photographic prints -- 20th century.
Souvenir programs -- 20th century.
Dance programs -- 20th century.
Broadsides -- 20th century.
Occupations
Dancers.
Women comedians.
Choreographers.
Contributors
Fischer, Alfred.
No online items
