Forrest W. Coggan Papers, 1914-2013, bulk 1953-2001

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Summary

Creators:
Coggan, Forrest W.
Abstract:
This collection contains the papers of American dancer, choreographer, and theater director Forrest Coggan (born 1926), chiefly dating from 1935 to 2001.
Extent:
957 items in 16 boxes + 26 binders and four oversize items.
Language:
English.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection contains the papers of choreographer and theater director Forrest Coggan, chiefly dating from 1935 to 2001 and consisting of binders of material, correspondence, dance notes, manuscripts, subject files, notes, ephemera, published books belonging to Coggan, and audio-visual material.

Binders
These binders were created by Forrest Coggan himself. They contain photographs, manuscripts, blue prints and designs, letters, etc.

The Binders series includes several sub-series:

  • Forrest Designs – two binders containing sketches, blueprints, designs, etc., for buildings, houses, and gardens, as well as photographs of rooms that he designed, costumes for dancers and programs for theaters and dance performances. Also includes material Coggan designed for Teatro International Theatre: A Foundation for Pan-Am Performing Arts.
  • Photos-Career – six binders containing photographs (and a few manuscripts written by Coggan and some clippings) that document Coggan’s life and career from his birth in 1926 to 2006. The photographs are labeled and dated. The material is organized in chronological order. There is an Index of the binder’s content at the beginning of the binder written by Coggan.
  • Words-Career – ten binders containing manuscripts written by Coggan, photographs, clippings, correspondence, programs, etc., that document Coggan’s life and career from 1930 to 2006. The material is labeled and dated and is organized in chronological order. There is an Index of the binder’s content at the beginning of the binder written by Coggan.
  • Correspondence – eight binders containing correspondence written by Forrest Coggan from 1923 to 1959. These letters are from his early childhood to his time in the US Army in the late 1940s and 1950s.

Correspondence
This loose correspondence is arranged alphabetically by author and then addressee. This correspondence is between Forrest W. Coggan and his family (chiefly his mother Blanche Coggan), other dancers, ex-students, authors, professors, and dance departments at universities in the United States. Many pieces of the correspondence are photocopies of letters. There are 307 pieces of correspondence.

Dance Notes
The Dance Notes series contains dance notes for a variety of musicals and performances. The material is made up of handwritten notes by Coggan, diagrams showing dance steps, music, related printed material, copies of photographs, programs, etc. They are arranged alphabetically by performance/musical title. There is one folder of work notes for a dance workshop (1971). The Dance Notes numbers 198 pieces.

Manuscripts/Subject Files/Notes
These folders are arranged alphabetically by subject/topic. They include manuscripts written by Forrest Coggan (including biographical information), notes written by Forrest Coggan, material collected by Forrest Coggan in his research, chiefly on the subject of dance. It includes handwritten manuscripts, notes, printed material, programs, teaching materials, etc. There are also two copies of Coggan’s master’s thesis “For the Choreographer.” Subjects included are: dance (both teaching and performing), Ruth St. Denis, Teatro International, Inc. and Toyoza. This series numbers 240 pieces.

Ephemera
The Ephemera is arranged alphabetically by topic. The material includes items related to different dance groups such as the Sacred Dance Guild, Teatro Internacional, World Dance Alliance, and the Valentina Oumansky Dramatic Dance Foundation, Toyoza; as well as dancers Ruth St. Denis, Rose Lee, Vija Vetra, and Ethel H. Clark; dance performances (including photographs and copies of photographs); musician Sage Gentle-Wing; and miscellaneous ephemera collected to Forrest Coggan. The material is made up of clippings, programs, photographs, fliers, articles and pages printed from the Internet, etc. The ephemera numbers 102 pieces.

Published Books belonging to Forrest Coggan
The collection also contains 18 published books that belonged to Forrest Coggan. The volumes include a typed manuscript entitled “About these Books” written by Coggan. The books are in the order Coggan described them. He knew many of the authors and several of the books are signed by the authors and include handwritten notes by Coggan. Topics of the books are: the Hopi Indians, North American Indians, the Mayans and ancient Mexico, and spirituality. There are two books on dance (they are not on Coggan’s list).

Audio-Visual
The audio-visual material is chiefly related to Forrest W. Coggan, dance performances, Toyoza, American Indians, etc. It includes a series of productions produced by Teatro Internacional, Inc. This series numbers 62 pieces. The audio-visual material is organized by format/type and then alphabetically by title:

  • a. Cassette tapes
  • b. VHS tapes
  • c. CDs and DVDs
  • d. Reel-to-reel (variety of formats)

Oversize
Oversize Box 16 houses oversize material from previous Coggan boxes. There are then four oversize items, housed separately (not in boxes) related to Forrest W. Coggan’s designs including portfolios, drawings, sketchbooks, watercolors, etc. One portfolio is for Toyoza. Coggan designed costumes, theater buildings, etc.

Biographical / historical:

Forrest Winston Coggan (born 1926) was born August 27, 1926, near East Lansing, Michigan, to Bernard and Blanche Coggan. He began his education in dance at a young age. He attended Michigan State University from 1943-1947 and received a B.A. in Public Speaking and Drama. He earned an MS from the University of Wisconsin in Physical Education/Dance. Through the years he has worked on a number of projects including managing To Yo Za: Theater of the Far East, 1948- 1958; general director of Teatro International Inc., 1966-1983; and founding of the American Mythic Theater. He currently lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Acquisition information:
Gift of Forrestt W. Coggan, 2002-2013.
Processing information:

1. The majority of the material in this collection was organized and identified by Forrest Coggan. The cataloger kept this information and kept Coggan’s order when possible. The cataloger also had Coggan’s assistance in identifying items, authors, etc.

2. The actual number of items in the collection is much higher than the stated number of items. The items in the binders were not counted separately but just the binder counted as “1” item. The actual number of items in the collection is much greater than 957.

Arrangement:

The Collection is arranged in the following order: Binders (26 volumes); Correspondence (Boxes 1-2); Dance Notes (Boxes 3-4); Manuscripts/Subject Files/Notes (Boxes 5-6); Ephemera (Box 7); Published books belonging to Forrest Coggan (Boxes 8-10); Audio-Visual (Boxes 11-15); Oversize (Box 16 and four separate items).

Rules or conventions:
Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information, contact Reader Services.

Location of this collection:
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108, US
Contact:
(626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
Website