Alwin Nikolais and Murray Louis Dance Collection

The Alwin Nikolais and Murray Louis Dance Collection documents the careers of two leaders in American Modern Dance.  The collection includes films, videos, photographs, manuscripts, posters, administrative documents, awards, programs, reviews, and musical recordings.  The artists’ dance companies include the Playhouse Dance Company, the Alwin Nikolais Dance Company, the Nikolais Dance Theatre, the Murray Louis Dance Company, and the Murray Louis and Alwin Nikolais Dance Company.

The collection measures over 400 cubic feet. Deposits began in 1999 and continue.  Ohio University received the collection through a generous gift of Murray Louis. Processing, preservation, and access is made possible by Ohio University, Murray Louis, the National Initiative to Preserve America’s Dance, the National Endowment for the Arts, and Save America’s Treasures.  Judith Connick, now retired, was the curator of the collection.