TABLE OF CONTENTS
Descriptive Summary of the Collection
Scope and Content of the Collection
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Inventory of the Elisa Stigler Papers, 1930-1983
Machine-readable finding aid encoded by Lisa Janssen, 2006. ©2006. |
Descriptive Summary of the Collection |
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| Creator | Stigler, Elisa |
| Title | Elisa Stigler Papers |
| Dates | 1930-1983 |
| Extent | 0.5 cubic ft. (2 boxes) |
| Abstract | Materials relating to the career of Chicago dance teacher Elisa Stigler, primarily a performer and instructor in the techniques of Spanish dancing, but also a teacher of the dances of other cultures and of ballet. Includes copious handwritten notations and mimeographed instruction for teaching a wide range of dances, both American and foreign, a few articles and letters, catalogs, programs and some miscellaneous memorabilia. |
| Language | Materials are in English. |
| Repository | Newberry Library, Roger and Julie Baskes Department of Special Collections |
| Collection Call Number | Dance MS Stigler |
| Collection Stack Location | 3a 48 13 |
Administrative Information
Cite As
Elisa Stigler Papers, Midwest Manuscript Collection, The Newberry Library, Chicago.
Provenance
Gift of Charlotte Bocchino, 1986.
Processed by
Virginia Hay Smith.
Access
The Elisa Stigler Papers are open for research in the Special Collections Reading Room; 1 box at a time (Priority III).
Ownership and Literary Rights
The Elisa Stigler Papers are the physical property of the Newberry Library. Copyright may belong to the authors or their legal heirs or assigns. For permission to publish or reproduce any materials from this collection, contact the Roger and Julie Baskes Department of Special Collections.
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Biography of Elisa Stigler
Chicago ballet and Spanish dancer and dance teacher.
Born in England in 1904, Elisa Stigler (also called "Elsie") was brought to Chicago by her mother in the 1920’s, where she began an intensive study of the ballet with Edna McRae. She developed a special interest in mastering techniques of Spanish dancing at which she soon excelled, and her expert castanet playing was renowned. She studied authentic Spanish dance with many teachers, including Angel Cansino, becoming adept at analyzing the intricate rhythms and nuances of the Spanish style.
Stigler was just as analytical about ballet, and as a teacher she was interested in the basics of technique and in terminology. For many years she was an officer of the Chicago National Association of Dancing Masters, teaching at the Chicago Musical College, which later became part of Roosevelt University. She also performed locally, participated in many dance workshops, lectured at the University of Chicago and wrote several books on dance, including one on castanet techniques.
Elisa Stigler died in 1973.
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Scope and Content of the Collection
Materials, both hand-written and printed, relating to teaching dance, primarily instructions and notation.
The bulk concerns Spanish dance but includes instructions in performing dances of other cultures such as Hawaiian, Hungarian, Indian, Javanese and Mexican, as well as of ballet. There are a few pieces of correspondence, including two short letters from Jose Greco and several from ballet master Serge Oukrainsky, and a small collection of articles, advertising, memorabilia, programs and catalogs, all concerned with Elisa Stigler’s career as a teacher of the dance.
Narrative descriptions of the subject matter, types of material, and arrangement of each series are available through the Organization section of the finding aid.
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Organization
Papers are organized in the following series:
- Series 1: Correspondence and Miscellaneous, 1930-1983. Box(es) 1
- Series 2: Dance Teaching Materials, ca. 1930-1980. Box(es) 1-2
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Selected Search Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the Newberry Library's public catalog. Researchers desiring additional materials on a particular topic should search the catalog using these headings.
Names
- Chicago National Association of Dancing Masters
- Greco, Jose
- Oukrainsky, Serge, 1886-1972
- Roosevelt University
- Stigler, Elisa
Subjects
- Ballet dancers -- Illinois -- Chicago
- Dance -- Spain
- Dance -- Study and teaching -- Illinois -- Chicago
- Dance notation
- Dance teachers -- Illinois -- Chicago
- Manuscripts, American -- Illinois -- Chicago
- Women dancers -- Illinois -- Chicago
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Container List
Series 1: Correspondence and Miscellaneous, 1930-1983 |
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| Correspondence includes a few incoming letters including two short ones from Jose Greco written before and after Stigler’s death, and six from ballet dancer Serge Oukrainsky concerning the disposition of a statue of his associate Andreas Pavley. Also, a 1983 letter regarding Stigler. Miscellaneous material includes a small collection of advertising materials, articles, biographical information, memorabilia, programs and workshop catalogs. | |||||||||||
| Organized with correspondence preceding miscellaneous. | |||||||||||
| Box | Folder | Contents | |||||||||
| 1 | 1 | Correspondence, 1943-1983 | |||||||||
| 1 | 2 | Advertising leaflets, 1956, n.d. | |||||||||
| 1 | 3 | Articles on dance, n.d. | |||||||||
| 1 | 4 | Biographical information | |||||||||
| 1 | 5 | Memorabilia, 1930-1951 n.d. | |||||||||
| 1 | 6 | Programs, 1950-1959 , n.d. | |||||||||
| 1 | 7 | Workshop catalogs, 1960, 1973 | |||||||||
Series 2: Dance Teaching Materials, ca. 1930-1980 |
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| Primarily dance notation for Spanish styles of dance, but also for ballet and for dancing styles of other cultures. Also, material on dance exercises and technique and on mastery of castanets. | |||||||||||
| Arranged alphabetically by type of dance, with Spanish by title of dance. Most material is undated. | |||||||||||
| Box | Folder | Contents | |||||||||
| 1 | 8 | Ballet notation | |||||||||
| 1 | 9 | Ballet exercises, technique and terminology | |||||||||
| 1 | 10 | Miscellaneous: Charleston, Folk, Tap, etc. | |||||||||
| 1 | 11 | Miscellaneous: Argentine, Italian, Moorish | |||||||||
| 1 | 12 | Miscellaneous: Polish, Portuguese, Russian | |||||||||
| 1 | 13 | Hawaiian | |||||||||
| 1 | 14 | Hungarian | |||||||||
| 1 | 15 | Indian (of India) | |||||||||
| 1 | 16 | Javanese | |||||||||
| 1 | 17 | Mexican | |||||||||
| 2 | 18 | Spanish, A-B | |||||||||
| 2 | 19 | Spanish, C | |||||||||
| 2 | 20 | Spanish, E-F | |||||||||
| 2 | 21 | Spanish, G-H | |||||||||
| 2 | 22 | Spanish, J-M | |||||||||
| 2 | 23 | Spanish, O-R | |||||||||
| 2 | 24 | Spanish, S | |||||||||
| 2 | 25 | Spanish, T-Z | |||||||||
| 2 | 26-27 | Spanish: Miscellaneous personal notes and notation | |||||||||
| 2 | 28 | Spanish: Castanets, technique and terminology | |||||||||
| 2 | 29 | Spanish: Castanets, makers and sellers | |||||||||
| 2 | 30 | Spanish: Dance technique and terminology | |||||||||