David Vaughan (dance archivist)
Encyclopedia
David Vaughan is the archivist
for the Merce Cunningham Dance Company
, as well as a dance writer and critic
, and a scholar on the work of choreographer Frederick Ashton
. In his long career, Vaughan has been a dancer, choreographer, actor and singer whose work has been seen in London
, Paris
, and in New York both on-
and off-Broadway
, as well as in regional theatre
s across the United States, in cabaret
s, on television and on film. Vaughan's ballet choreography was used in Stanley Kubrick
's 1955 film Killer's Kiss
, danced by Kubrick's wife Ruth Sobotka
. He has worked with both modern dance
companies and ballet
companies.
Vaughan came to the New York City from England in 1950 to study at the School of American Ballet
, where he first met Merce Cunningham, who briefly taught there. Vaughan began studying with Cunningham in the mid-1950s, and became the administrator when Cunningham opened his own studio, after which he served in various staff capacities with the company. An interest in collecting documentation to make a chronology of Cunningham's works led to being formally made the company's achivist in 1976.
As an author, Vaughan has written The Royal Ballet at Convent Garden, Merce Cunningham: Fifty Years, and Frederick Ashton and His Ballets, and is the co-editor with Mary Clarke of The Encyclopedia of Dance and Ballet.
In 2000 Vaughan received the Congress on Research in Dance
(CORD) Award for Outstanding Leadership in Dance Research, and in 2001 a Bessie Award for sustained achievement.
Archivist
An archivist is a professional who assesses, collects, organizes, preserves, maintains control over, and provides access to information determined to have long-term value. The information maintained by an archivist can be any form of media...
for the Merce Cunningham Dance Company
Merce Cunningham
Mercier "Merce" Philip Cunningham was an American dancer and choreographer who was at the forefront of the American avant-garde for more than 50 years. Throughout much of his life, Cunningham was considered one of the greatest creative forces in American dance...
, as well as a dance writer and critic
Dance criticism
Dance criticism is the act of writing or speaking about a performance dance .Most major national newspapers of first world countries cover the arts in some form and dance criticism may be included as a part of this arts coverage....
, and a scholar on the work of choreographer Frederick Ashton
Frederick Ashton
Sir Frederick William Mallandaine Ashton OM, CH, CBE was a leading international dancer and choreographer. He is most noted as the founder choreographer of The Royal Ballet in London, but also worked as a director and choreographer of opera, film and theatre revues.-Early life:Ashton was born at...
. In his long career, Vaughan has been a dancer, choreographer, actor and singer whose work has been seen in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, and in New York both on-
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
and off-Broadway
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
, as well as in regional theatre
Regional theatre
Regional theatre may refer to:* Community theatre* Regional theater in the United States...
s across the United States, in cabaret
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
s, on television and on film. Vaughan's ballet choreography was used in Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick was an American film director, writer, producer, and photographer who lived in England during most of the last four decades of his career...
's 1955 film Killer's Kiss
Killer's Kiss
Killer's Kiss is a 1955 film noir directed by Stanley Kubrick and written by Kubrick and Howard Sackler. It is the second feature film directed by Kubrick...
, danced by Kubrick's wife Ruth Sobotka
Ruth Sobotka
Ruth A. Sobotka was an Austrian-born dancer, costume designer, art director, painter, and actress.The daughter of prominent Austrian architect and interior designer, Walter Sobotka and Viennese actress, Gisela Schönau, Ruth Sobotka immigrated to the United States from Vienna with her parents in...
. He has worked with both modern dance
Modern dance
Modern dance is a dance form developed in the early 20th century. Although the term Modern dance has also been applied to a category of 20th Century ballroom dances, Modern dance as a term usually refers to 20th century concert dance.-Intro:...
companies and ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
companies.
Vaughan came to the New York City from England in 1950 to study at the School of American Ballet
School of American Ballet
The School of American Ballet is one of the most famous classical ballet schools in the world and is the associate school of the New York City Ballet, a leading international ballet company based at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City. The school trains students from the...
, where he first met Merce Cunningham, who briefly taught there. Vaughan began studying with Cunningham in the mid-1950s, and became the administrator when Cunningham opened his own studio, after which he served in various staff capacities with the company. An interest in collecting documentation to make a chronology of Cunningham's works led to being formally made the company's achivist in 1976.
As an author, Vaughan has written The Royal Ballet at Convent Garden, Merce Cunningham: Fifty Years, and Frederick Ashton and His Ballets, and is the co-editor with Mary Clarke of The Encyclopedia of Dance and Ballet.
In 2000 Vaughan received the Congress on Research in Dance
Congress on Research in Dance
Congress on Research in Dance is an international non-profit interdisciplinary society for dance researchers, artists, performers and choreographers. CORD publishes the Dance Research Journal, and sponsors annual conferences which distribute annual awards...
(CORD) Award for Outstanding Leadership in Dance Research, and in 2001 a Bessie Award for sustained achievement.
External links
- David Vaughan at the Internet Off-Broadway Database