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Lewis Segal Collection of Dance and Theater Materials, 1902-2011; Bulk, 1970-2009
1890
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Title: Lewis Segal Collection of Dance and Theater Materials
Date (inclusive): 1902-2011; Bulk, 1970-2009
Collection number: 1890
Collector:
Segal, Lewis
Extent:
24 record cartons (24 linear ft.)
Abstract: Lewis Segal is a performing arts critic who has written on various topics related to the performing arts, from ballet to contemporary
dance and musicals. He began working as a freelance writer in the 1960s for a number of publications, including the
Los Angeles Times,
Performing Arts magazine, the
Los Angeles Free Press,
Ballet News, and
High Performance magazine. He joined the staff of the
Los Angeles Times in 1976. From 1996 to 2008 he held the full-time position of chief dance critic, writing full features and reviews on dance
companies and performing arts organizations from around the world. Included in the collection are programs Segal collected
from the various dance shows, movies, and musicals he has attended, as well as a set of 8mm early film reels, and VHS/DVD
recordings of concerts and television features on dance-related topics.
Language: Finding aid is written in
English.
Language of the Material:
Materials are in English.
Repository:
University of California, Los Angeles. Library Special Collections.
Los Angeles, California 90095-1575
Physical location: Stored off-site at SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact UCLA Library Special Collections
for paging information.
Open for research. STORED OFF-SITE AT SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact UCLA Library
Special Collections for paging information.
Restrictions on Use and Reproduction
Property rights to the physical object belong to the UC Regents. Literary rights, including copyright, are retained by the
creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue the copyright
owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC Regents do not hold the copyright.
Provenance/Source of Acquisition
The collection was donated in 2011 by Lewis Segal.
Preliminary processing by Andrea Wang; fully processed by Mike D'Errico in 2012 in the Center for Primary Research and Training
(CFPRT), with assistance from Jillian Cuellar.
The processing of this collection was generously supported by
Arcadia funds.
[Identification of item], Lewis Segal Collection of Dance and Theater Materials (Collection 1890). UCLA Library Special Collections,
Charles E. Young Research Library, UCLA.
UCLA Catalog Record ID:
6946138
Lewis Segal was born in Los Angeles in 1941. He attended UCLA and graduated with a BA in Language/Arts, an MA in Theatre History
and Criticism, and an MFA in Theatre Directing. After graduating, he began working as a freelance writer for a number of publications,
including the
Los Angeles Times,
Performing Arts magazine, the
Los Angeles Free Press,
Ballet News, and
High Performance magazine. During the first half of the 1970s, he worked as a music publicist, first at Mercury Records, and later at ABC
and Capitol Records. In 1976, he joined the staff of the
Los Angeles Times as an assistant editor in the Book Review section, while continuing his freelance work for Calendar, the arts and entertainment
section. In 1984, he was promoted to the position of Dance Writer, eventually becoming the chief dance critic for the newspaper
in 1996. Regarding his professional accolades as a writer, he was one of two American critics participating in the 1990 India
International Dance Festival, one of five American critics dubbed “Lord of the Dance” in
Brills Content magazine in 2001, and the only American critic invited to submit a critical essay to Nina Alovert’s exhaustive study of Bolshoi
Ballet star Nikolai Tsiskaridze, published in Moscow in 2010.
Although the
Los Angeles Times downsized its arts section in 2008, Segal has continued to publish performing arts features and reviews as a freelancer.
Aside from his work as a writer, he taught as an adjunct professor in the Department of Theater at the University of Southern
California (USC) from 1999-2008.
Collection primarily consists of programs and promotional materials from dance companies and performing arts venues from around
the world, spanning the years 1922 to 2011. In addition to the vast collection of materials from ballet companies, international
folk ensembles, and contemporary dance groups, there are souvenir programs from both movies and musicals, often containing
detailed cast lists, production credits, and synopses. The video recordings include 8mm films from as far back as 1902, as
well as VHS and DVD recordings of dance concerts and television features on performing arts groups and individual artists.
Arranged in two series:
- Programs, 1922-2011
- Video Recordings, 1902-2011.
All series are arranged alphabetically.
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
COLLECTION CONTAINS DIGITAL MATERIALS: Special equipment or further processing may be required for viewing. To access digital
materials you must notify the reference desk in advance of your visit.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Dance --California --Archival resources.
Theater --California --Archival resources.
Other Index Terms Related to this Collection
Segal, Lewis, collector.
The following sources provide additional information on dance and the performing arts in the twentieth century:
- Collection of Dance Programs, 1890-1990 (866) at UCLA Library Special Collections
- Dance Program and Ephemera Collection, 1909-1987 (MS-P026) at UC Irvine Library Special Collections
- Don Bondi Collection of Dance Programs and Publications, 1938-2004 (6010) at USC Library Special Collections
- Institute for Dance and Experimental Art Records, 1956-1994 (1753) at UCLA Library Special Collections
- Isadora Duncan Dance Programs and Ephemera, 1900-1957 (MS-P033) at UC Irvine Library Special Collections
- Lewitzky Dance Company Records, 1966-1997 (0203) at USC Library Special Collections
- Mildred Davenport Dance Programs and Dance School Materials, 1914-1942 (MS-P029) at UC Irvine Library Special Collections
Two record cartons of dance books and seven oversized dance books have been removed from the collection to be cataloged.