Description
The Eugene Loring Papers are comprised mainly of production photographs, scrapbooks, programs, and ephemera from the various
stages of Loring's career, which culminated in a position as the founding chairman of the University of California, Irvine
Dance Department (1965-1978). The collection contains rich documentation of Loring's early career, particularly in scrapbooks
documenting the road tours of the dance companies Ballet Caravan and Ballet Theatre, and also broadly documents his directorship
of Dance Players. Materials in this collection provide information on two important threads in Loring's diverse career in
dance: his choreographic abilities as a leading developer of an American style of dance and his pedagogical skills (the latter
first surfaced through his association with the American School of Dance). Additionally, the collection includes numerous
performance and portrait photographs of dancers and dance companies collected by Loring and others.
Background
Born on August 2, 1914 as Le Roy Kerpestein in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Eugene Loring studied gymnastics, music, acting and performing
as a young man with the Wisconsin Players. He also studied dance to improve his movement qualities as an actor. He decided
in his early twenties to pursue dance full time.Refer to the Choreology for dates of Loring's choreographic activities and works.Includes major works choreographed by Loring and is not exhaustive.
Extent
14.6 linear feet (26 boxes)
Restrictions
Property rights reside with the University of California. Literary 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.
Availability
Collection is open for research. Scrapbooks are extremely fragile and require close supervision by Special Collections staff
during use.