Collection on Trudi Schoop, circa 1905-1940, bulk circa 1931-1939, bulk 1931-1939

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Summary

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.

Extent:

1.7 Linear Feet (3 boxes and 3 oversized folders)

Language:

German .

Preferred citation:

Collection on Trudi Schoop. MS-P071. Special Collections and Archives, The UC Irvine Libraries, Irvine, California. Date accessed.

For the benefit of current and future researchers, please cite any additional information about sources consulted in this collection, including permanent URLs, item or folder descriptions, and box/folder locations.

Background

Scope and content:

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.

Biographical / historical:

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.

Chronology
Date	Event
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.

Acquisition information:

Acquired, 2007.

Processing information:

Processed by Audrey Pearson, 2008.

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

Rules or conventions:

Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Indexed terms

Subjects:: Women humorists
Dancers -- Photographs.
Dance -- Archives
Choreographers.
Women comedians.
Dance cards
Broadsides -- 20th century.
Photographic prints -- 20th century.
Souvenir programs -- 20th century.
Names:: Schoop, Trudi -- Archives

Access and use

Restrictions:: The collection is open for research.
Terms of access:: 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.