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TABLE OF CONTENTS


Collection Summary

Creator Sketch of Tapestry Dance Company

Scope and Content of the Collection

Organization of the Records

Restrictions

Index Terms

Related Material

Separated Material

Administrative Information

Description of Series

Series PRODUCTIONS

Austin History Center

Tapestry Dance Company Records

An Inventory of the Tapestry Dance Company Records at the Austin History Center



Collection Summary

Creator:Tapestry Dance Company.
Title:Tapestry Dance Company Records.
Inclusive Dates:1990-2003.
Bulk Dates:1994-2003.
Abstract:Tapestry Dance Company was founded in 1989 by Acia Gray and Deidre Strand in Austin , Texas. The professional dance company’s work resulted in productions over the years of a collaboration of modern, jazz, rhythm tap, contemporary ballet and other dance forms. They are known for their Tap Jam festivals started in 1991, and incorporated in 2001, into a broader dance festival called Soul to Sole.
Call Number:AR.2005.007
Quantity:2.5 linear ft., 3 boxes(1(Archive stacks, 1(Oversize Volumes), 1(Secured storage), 325 items.
Collection Unit:Archives and Manuscripts Collection.
Respository:Austin History Center, Austin Public Library, 810 Guadalupe, Austin, Texas, 78701.

Creator Sketch of Tapestry Dance Company

Founded in 1989 by rhythm tap dancer Acia Gray and ballet/jazz artist Deidre Strand in Austin, Texas. Begun as a performing company that included the founders and French tap artist Fred Moritel, Tapestry’s vision was to present different dance forms in unison with each other. The group’s work resulted in the choreographic development and presentation of a collaboration of modern, jazz, rhythm tap, contemporary ballet, and other dance forms.

In 1990 the Company expanded by opening a training facility and rehearsal studio. Adhering to its mission, dancers are “cross-trained” by professionals in ballet, rhythm tap, modern, and jazz. This unique Strand/Gray syllabus has produced a generation of students now performing as professional dancers in the United States and abroad. The Academy, the organization’s training arm, offers classes to dancers of all ages and levels of experience. Visions in Rhythm is a youth apprentice group within which serious young dancers can work towards professional career. The Founders’ Scholarship gives cash awards to students unable to afford dance lessons. Another outreach program, Rhythm, Dance, Music and You, enlightens students about dance in local schools through performance and discussion.

The professional dance company has expanded to eight resident artists who perform two annual productions as the Paramount Theater in Austin. Past performances include Austintatious, .com, and My Funny Valentine. The dancers are invited to perform in local, national, and international venues. In addition, the Company has hosted numerous dance and music artists including Gregory Hines, Sarah Petronio, The Samba Police, and Dee McCandless.

Since 1991 the Company has sponsored Tap Jam, a multi-day festival dedicated to rhythm tap. Events include classes with professional dancers, panel discussions, performances at local malls, a “tap jam” in which all may participate, and a formal faculty performance presented at the Paramount and One World Theaters. Tap Jam was incorporated into a broader festival called Soul to Sole, in 2001. The Company in 2001 and 2002 used Soul to Sole as a platform for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children by enabling child registration, distributing literature, and promoting fund-raising activities at their events.

The Tapestry Dance Company is a 501(C)(3) registered non-profit organization and is funded by contributions from individuals, corporations and foundations, as well as by grant organizations such as the Texas Commission on the Arts. The Company’s administrative staff is responsible for the daily operation of the organization. The production support staff ensures the success of the Company’s performances. The volunteers perform various tasks, such as taking photographs of events and managing archives.

The Company has been situated in various locations around Austin, including 2521 Rutland Drive, and is presently at 507 Pressler Street.

Adapted from creator sketch by Susan Trombley

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Scope and Content of the Collection

The collection contains materials on Tapestry Dance Company productions from 1990 to 2003. There is 1 box (.5 linear feet) of flyers, posters, press releases, notes, correspondence, schedules, brochures, newspaper clippings, budget materials, registration forms, playbills, DVD recordings and photographs. The oversize materials for public use consists of posters, broadsides, and T-shirts. The preservation copies, also oversize, consists of posters, broadsides, flyers, programs, postcards and DVDs. There is also a notebook produced by Sue Trombley on the Tapestry Dance Company.

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Organization of the Records

This collection is in one series organized chronologically by date of Tapestry Dance Company productions. It consists of textual materials, DVDs and photographs of and about the company's productions.

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Restrictions

Restrictions on Access and Use

The Tapestry Dance Company added an addendum to the Austin History Center Deed of Gift form: “Whenever possible, the Tapestry Dance Company will provide two copies of artistic production materials to the Austin History Center. The Austin History Center will retain one preservation copy of the artistic production item. This copy is not to be used by the public for any purpose. The Austin History Center will retain one use copy of the artistic production item for public access.”

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Index Terms

Persons:
Bufalino, Brenda.
Gray, Acia.
Nicholas, Fayard.
Petronio, Sarah.
Robbins, Judy.
Strand, Deirdre.
Walker, Dianne.
Organizations:
Tapestry Dance Company.
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Texas Commission on the Arts.
Paramount Theatre.
Dance Umbrella.
One World Theatre.
Subjects:
Dance - Austin - Texas.
Tap dancing.
Dance companies.
National Tap Dance Day.
Tap Jam.
Soul to Sole.
Places:
Austin (Tex.).
Corpus Christi (Tex.).

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Related Material

See NOTEBOOK at end of collection. In the notebook within the Arrangement tab and under the Scope and Contents page is a list of where other materials on the Tapestry Dance Company are located.

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Separated Material

OVERSIZE VOLUMES COLLECTION - T-Shirts (no duplicates) and posters that can be used by the public.

SECURED STORAGE ROOM - Preservation copies not to be used by the public. These are duplicates of any artistic production materials donated to the Austin History Center. At this time there are flyers, programs, postcards, posters, broadsides, and DVDs.

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Administrative Information

Custodial History:

Sue Trombley in the Spring of 2003 produced a notebook and did some arrangement on the Tapestry Dance Company Records as a class project at the University of Texas, Information Studies. The material was then donated by Tapestry Dance Company to Austin History Center. Processing on this collection was begun in late February 2006.

Preferred Citation:

Tapestry Dance Company Records (1990-2003), AR.2005.007. Austin, TX: Austin History Center, Austin Public Library.

Acquisition Information:

Donor #: DO/2005/022.

Donation Date: 2005-03-20.

Processing Information:

Preliminary Processing By Ruth Baker Date: February –March 2006. Final Processing and Finding Aid By Ruth Baker Date: April 2006

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Detailed Description of the Collection

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

 

Series PRODUCTIONS

boxfolder
11Tap Jam. Postcard flyers, poster, press release, notes, letter,schedule, graphic items (for poster). May 22, 1994
(19 items).
2Tap Jam. Disk (MFD-2HD), master class flyer. May 20, 1995.
(2 items).
3Tap Jam. Letters, flyers, newspaper announcement, press release, Lakeline Mall application. 1996
(29 items).
4Tap Jam. Letter, flyer, guidelines for Lakeline Mall. 1997
(5 items).
5Tap Jam. Ginny's printing folder with Tap Jam poster prototype. 1998.
(2 items).
6Tap Jam. Prototypes for poster. 1999.
(97 items).
7Tap. Correspondence, planning & budget, certificate (Arlene Montomery). Fund raising document from National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. 2000.
(7 items).
8Soul to Sole. Poster, flyer, lists of participants and classes, program, correspondence, agreement (One World Theatre), and registration forms. 2001
(91 items).
9Soul to Sole. Brochure, flyers, program (One World Theatre), Dance Umbrella News,Summer-2002. 2002.
(6 items).
10Soul to Sole. Flyer, playbills. 2003
(3 items).
11DVD Recordings and Indexing for Each Production. #9003 - Tapestry, Corpus Christi. #9102 - Tapestry, First Annual Austin Dancefest. #9104 - Tapestry - Composite of 3 dances. #9106 - Tapestry Ellington at Eight. #9108 - Tapestry, Ellington at Eight. #9109 - Tapestry at the Paramount. 1990-1991
(7 items).
12Photographs of Productions. Tapestry Tap Jam. (1-41) ; Tapestry Tap Jam (42-48) ; Tap Jam (69-123). 1992, 1996, 1997
(123 items).
13Notebook produced by Susan Trombley, Graduate student in Information Studies, Class Project. University of Texas. Contains: Introduction, User guide, Index, Records retention schedule, Austin History Center, Authorities, Citations, Arrangement. Spring, 2003
(1 items).

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