Iris de Luce, born in 1903 was a dancer and choreographer in San Francisco with companies such as Albertina Raasch’s ballet company, the San Francisco Ballet, and the San Francisco Opera’s Ballet, as well as in Paris at the Opera Ballet in Deauville. She taught extensively at the Muriel Stuart Ballet Studios, the San Francisco Opera Ballet School, and Dominican College. In 1946 she directed at her own studio, the Iris de Luce Ballet Studio. This collection contains clippings, programs, and correspondence from her affiliation with the San Francisco Opera Ballet from the 1930s to the 1970s, as well as examples of de Luce’s artwork in the form of ballet sketches and costume designs.

Iris de Luce, born in 1903 was a dancer and choreographer in San Francisco. She grew up learning dance from Ruth Griffith and as a student at the Anita Peters Wright School, the Hirsch-Arnold Ballet School, and the Muriel Stuart Ballet Studios in San Francisco and Hollywood where she took over the school in 1928 when Muriel Stuart left to dance in the Chicago Civic Opera Ballet. In 1930, she studied drama with Hedwiga Reicher and Cameron Prudhomme and later appeared in motion pictures with Albertina Raasch’s ballet company. She continued training in Paris with Egorova and Volinine, where she was then chosen by M. Nicola Guerra to perform at the Opera Ballet in Deauville. On her return to San Francisco, she danced with the San Francisco Ballet under the direction of Adolph Bloom. She also performed at the San Francisco Opera’s Ballet in the role of Zobeide in the “Scheherazade.” De Luce also taught ballet at the San Francisco Opera Ballet School and Dominican College from 1937-1943. After her marriage to Frederick Waiss, she directed the Iris de Luce Ballet Studio in Sausalito from 1946-1956 where she taught notables such as Francia Russell, Fiona Fuerstner, Carol Conrad, and Mollie Merrill.

2 Boxes. 1 linear foot.

Reproduction of these materials can occur only if the copying falls within the provisions of the doctrine of fair use. Copyright varies by item.

Entire Collection is open for research.