The Alexandra Danilova Collection consists of correspondence, programs, newspaper clippings and magazine articles, manuscripts and typescripts relating to speeches and lectures given by Danilova, writings of Danilova and others, typescripts of her memoirs, photographs, awards and honors, books, art catalogs, video- and audiocassettes, music, artwork, miscellaneous papers, and other material are all within its scope. The collection also contains dance-related writings--several typescripts and numerous books--by various other people, as well as miscellaneous printed material, personal papers, and memorabilia. The vast majority of the non-photographic material originates from the period in Danilova’s life after she had retired from performing, when she had settled into a life of teaching at the School of American Ballet. The thirteen major groupings, or "series," included herein are roughly ordered from most important or complete--photographs, correspondence, writings, programs, and press--to least important or complete--music, artwork, and personal materials. Audiovisual materials are listed last; they are housed in the Motion Picture, Broadcasting, and Recorded Sound Division. The following are brief descriptions of the scope and content of each series.

The Photographs, over 2,200 of them, dating from the 1920s to the 1990s, document in a fairly complete manner the events and people of Danilova’s professional and personal life. This series is the most complete in the collection. It is housed in a little more than ten boxes, including a box of blank postcards (box 40), many of which Danilova collected on her tours around the world, and some of which picture her or other dancers. The photos included in or considered for Danilova’s memoirs, Choura: The Memoirs of Alexandra Danilova, are specifically referenced in this series, although they are housed with the memoir materials in the Writings by Danilova series. Several different categories, or "subseries," constitute the Photographs series: Ballets; Danilova alone; Danilova with others; Other people; Places. Please note that in the entire Photographs series, as well as throughout the container list, sequentially repeated names in an alphabetical list (this applies only to the initial name in an entry in cases where multiple names are present for a single entry, as is the case with the group photos) have been replaced by a series of dashes (e.g., --------).

The "Ballets" photographs are grouped alphabetically by ballet and number approximately 450. With rare exceptions, the photos in the "Ballets" subseries feature Danilova, alone or with others. Photos in which Danilova is not pictured are generally filed in the "Other people" subseries under the names of those who do appear. Not every ballet in which Danilova appeared is identified here but a great many are (46 are listed). Most "Ballets" photos come from her years with the de Basil Ballets Russes (1933-38) and the Denham Ballet Russe (1938-51); some are from Danilova’s post-Ballet Russe years, when she made guest appearances with various companies and had her own touring company, Great Moments of Ballet; and a few photos are present from her years with the Diaghilev Ballets Russes (1924-29). Many of the photos have approximate dates written on the back; these are sometimes unreliable and have not been recorded. The user will best be able to identify and verify dates by correlation with reference sources that list years of performance and the persons with whom Danilova danced. In the cases of photos of unidentified works, the photos are filed in the "Danilova alone" or "Danilova with others" subseries under the term "Dancing." Almost all photos in "Ballets" are black and white. No effort has been made to distinguish between studio shots and actual performance photos. Each ballet title is followed by a separate listing for each person or group of people shown. One listing (for example, Danilova w/ Franklin), may represent multiple photographs, but if only one or two photos are present, such information may be indicated parenthetically following the listing: e.g., Danilova alone (1).

The remaining subseries (Danilova alone; Danilova with others; Other people; Places) within the Photographs series are self-explanatory. Almost all photos prior to the 1960s are black and white. Where possible, dates have been provided for the photos in these subseries. Dimensions are not provided, but oversize photos are contained in box 42. Individual listings may represent single or multiple photographs.

The Correspondence consists of approximately 800 letters, telegrams, cards, or postcards from people, institutions, and organizations. Housed in five boxes, the correspondence dates from 1937 to 1997, the bulk running from the 1970s to the 1990s. In addition to 125 personal names–representing many of the ballet world’s leading figures--and a small number of institutional and company names, the alphabetical list of correspondents includes several generic categories, such as "Telegrams," "Fan mail," and "Unidentified." Some correspondents, typically the less well-known, are not listed individually but are filed in "miscellaneous" folders according to their last names; miscellaneous folders are listed following individual names under the relevant letter of the alphabet.

The correspondence also includes a few letters from Danilova. These are either drafts or copies that she retained, and are filed together with the material from the correspondent to whom she is writing. Where such correspondence is present, a special bracketed reference follows the name of the correspondent, indicating the presence of a Danilova letter.

The Writings by Danilova in the collection are not extensive, consisting of two boxes of drafts (mostly typescripts, some annotated by Danilova), galleys, and page proofs of Danilova's memoirs, Choura: The Memoirs of Alexandra Danilova (1986); a box of manuscript and typescript notes--primarily for lectures that Danilova delivered in the late 1950s and early 1960s on various ballet-related topics--some of which are loose, but many of which are collected in seven notebooks; a poem in Russian concerning Serge Denham, the director of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo; and miscellaneous notes, probably for lectures. Two contributions by Danilova to Ballet Review are not included in this series but are listed instead in the "Articles" section of the Press series.

Seventy-nine Programs are included in the Danilova Collection. Only ten programs feature Danilova as a performer. Of these ten, the earliest dates from 1935, while Danilova was with the de Basil Ballets Russes; several others are from the 1940s, when she was with the Denham Ballet Russe; and the rest are from the 1950s when she made guest appearances or was on tour with her own company, Great Moments of Ballet. Included is a program for the final performance of Danilova's career, in Tokyo with the Asami Maki Ballet in September of 1957. Most of the other programs in this series involve events with which Danilova had some connection, but not as a performer: performances of students of the Edith James School of Ballet (1950s) or the School of American Ballet; performances of operas or ballets for which Danilova did the choreography or staging; or tributes to Danilova and other ballet stars.

In the Danilova Collection, Press consists of newspapers, magazines and journals, and periodical newsletters. Almost all of the press material pertains to Danilova or the field of ballet: reviews of performances; announcements of appearances; reminiscences; articles on the various Ballets Russes, or on leading dancers and choreographers. The press material is composed of three subseries: Newspaper clippings; Articles; and Magazines and Newsletters. The clippings number about 350 and date from 1929 to 1997. The "Articles" subseries contains about 40 citations of articles of interest from complete magazines and journals. These articles range in date primarily from the 1970s to the 1990s. Two articles by Danilova are included. Many of the journals in the "Magazines and Newsletters" subseries contain ballet reviews written by Danilova’s goddaughter Kim Kokich in the 1980s. Among the press materials can be found interesting anecdotes and facts about Danilova’s life.

The Danilova Collection's holdings of Awards and Honors consist of sixteen plaques, commemorative plates, medallions, ribbons, and certificates given to Danilova from. The awards and honors are in three categories: Arts Awards (the Kennedy Center Honors; the Handel Medallion; and others); Civic Honors (city keys; honorary titles and appointments); and Memberships.

The Subject Files series in the Danilova Collection consists of one box of miscellaneous papers-- some pertaining to Danilova. A sampling includes business, financial, and medical records, biographical sketches of dancers other than Danilova, a dress appraisal, an itinerary for Danilova's 1993 trip to Russia, a copy of Danilova and Balanchine's copyright registration for their staging of Coppélia, and a transcript in Russian of an interview of Danilova by Nina Alovert. Most of the material dates from the 1960s to the 1990s.

The series Writings by Others contains 17 items in one box, and consists of the writings (mostly unpublished and primarily manuscripts and typescripts) of persons other than Danilova. They take the form of ballet synopses and scenarios, an outline for a television drama, radio and motion picture scripts, a research paper, and a film scenario. Items of interest include: the film script of The Turning Point, the 1977 motion picture in which Danilova played a small role; the radio script for a Woman’s Hour radio profile of Danilova; an unpublished review of Danilova’s choreography for La Gioconda (1958); a transcript of Danilova’s comments on ballet costumery; and manuscript and typescript drafts (incomplete) for Elizabeth Twysden’s biography of Danilova (1945).

Printed Material refers primarily to "Books" and "Catalogs" from Danilova’s personal library. The seventy-five books are relating to ballet, art, or religion. Many are in Russian and some contain author inscriptions. Nineteen catalogs are mostly art exhibition and auction catalogs, including several costume design catalogs. Also included in Printed Material is the miscellaneous category of "Other," which contains an assortment of booklets and brochures such as souvenir books from School of American Ballet benefits and galas, publicity brochures of various ballet companies, and tourist information booklets.

The Danilova Collection contains a small quantity (9 items) of Music, namely, photocopied sheet music in piano score from five different ballets: Naïla, The Nutcracker, Paquita, Raymonda, and Swan Lake. Some pages are annotated (as photocopied annotations they are barely legible in some cases).

Artwork in the Danilova Collection consists of 14 items in one folder. Included are drawings, prints, and a "painting" on an envelop. Items of intrerest include: two large prints of Czar Nicholas and Alexandra provide some samll evidence of Danilova’s roots in pre-Revolution Russia.

The Personal Materials series consists of address books (4), datebooks (1989-1994, incomplete), business cards of others, and Danilova namecards and passports. Also included are an autograph book signed by members of the Ballet Russe on Danilova’s birthday in 1943, and a souvenir notebook from a 1952 performance directed by Danilova of the Edith James Ballet in Dallas, Texas.

The Audiovisual Materials consist of two audiocassettes, one audiotape, one film, one record album and eight videocassettes. Of particular interest are videos of an interview with Dick Cavett in 1978; the Kennedy Center Honors in 1989; and Nijinska: A Legend in Dance, a television documentary with some commentary by Danilova. In addition, an audiocassette recording of a radio program discussing The Firebird includes commentary by Danilova, and a video recording of This Is Your Life (1995), featuring the British ballerina Alicia Markova, with comments by Danilova, provides a glimpse of Danilova in her final years. These materials have been transferred to Motion Picture, Broadcasting, and Recorded Sound Division. (See Appendix A for a brief list of these materials)