Historical Note
The Grand Union was a collective of nine choreographers/ dancers who performed group improvisations from 1970 to 1976. The group evolved out of work by Yvonne Rainer, in particular, Continuous Project-Altered Daily, yet Rainer purposefully subverted her role as leader; each member had an equal give-and-take in the creation and process of the performance. The Grand Union embraced dance, theater, and theatrics in an ongoing investigation into the nature of dance and performance. Performers included David Gordon, Stephen Paxton, Barbara Dilley, Nancy Lewis, Lincoln Scott, Becky Arnold and Douglas Dunn.
Grand Union's performances included both spontaneous and choreographed behaviors-using gesture, dance and voice-manipulating objects or bodies as objects, accompanied by a loosely constructed soundtrack of contemporary songs, music and silence. As Sally Banes writes in Terpsichore in Sneakers, "Just as their concerns varied, the persona each member of the Grand Union projected in performance could shift enormously from one night to the next, from one section of a single performance to another… widely divergent styles and concerns, working within a framework that encouraged provocation, as well as cooperation." Each performance was unpredictable, unrepeatable and ephemeral.
Return to topScope and Content Note
The collection consists of seven videotapes which document a series of Grand Union performances that took place on May 28, 1972 at the Joe LoGiudice Gallery at 59 Wooster Street in SoHo. The performers are Trisha Brown, Barbara Dilley, Douglas Dunn, David Gordon, Nancy Green, Steve Paxton, and Yvonne Rainer. The original footage was shot on ½" open reel videotape by Gary Bower, Ron Clark, and Jamie Dearing and produced by Carlota Schoolman. In the late 1970's, Schoolman made ¾" U-Matic dubmasters of the original reels. In a letter to Yvonne Rainier, Schoolman suggested that this second set was incomplete, "missing the second half," possibly because she sent a tape to someone in London. In 1992, Middlemarch Films made another set of ¾" U-Matic dubs from the dubmasters for a documentary on postmodern dance. The material was not used in the documentary because of objections from Trisha Brown and Steve Paxton. In 2002, this set was given to the Fales Library and Special Collections by Yvonne Rainer. Preservation masters and research copies of the 7 tapes were made in April 2003 by Vidipax (Job #3947). Original numbering of tapes, eg. #D222, was applied by Middlemarch Films. Fales Media Object ID numbers, eg. #174.0001, were assigned in October 2005.
Return to topArrangement
Material is arranged according to preexisting numerical order. Tape 2 was not part of acquisition.
Related Material at Fales Library and Special Collections
Robert Alexander Papers
Judson Memorial Church Archive
Return to top
Separated Material
There is no information about materials that are associated by provenance to the described materials that have been physically separated or removed.
Return to topRestrictions
Access Restrictions
Open to researchers. Appointments are necessary to consult manuscript and archives material.
Use Restrictions
Collection use is subject to all copyright laws. Permission to
publish materials must be obtained in writing from the Director of Fales Library and Special Collections. For further information,
contact:
Fales Library and Special Collections
Elmer Holmes Bobst Library
70 Washington Square South
New York, NY 10012
Phone: (212) 998-2596
Fax: (212) 995-3835
Email: fales.library@nyu.edu
URL: http://www.nyu.edu/library/bobst/research/fales/cdfa.htm
Access Points |
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Subject Names: |
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| Barbara Dilley | ||
| Carlota Schoolman | ||
| David Gordon | ||
| Douglas Dunn | ||
| Gary Bower | ||
| Jamie Dearing | ||
| Nancy Green | ||
| Ron Clark | ||
| Steve Paxton | ||
| Trisha Brown | ||
| Yvonne Rainer | ||
Subject Organizations: |
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| The Grand Union | ||
Subject Topics: |
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| Dance - United States | ||
| Modern Dance | ||
Subject Places: |
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| New York (City) | ||
Document Types: |
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| Videotapes | ||
Administrative Information
Provenance
The videotapes were donated to the Fales Library by Yvonne Rainer in 2002.
Preferred Citation
Published citations should take the following form:
Identification of item, date (if known); The Yvonne Rainer Grand Union performance videotape collection; MSS 174; box number; folder number; Fales Library and Special Collections, New York University
Libraries.
Container List
[The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.]