Utah's Repertory Dance Theatre was founded in 1966 as a fully-professional modern dance company through a cooperative effort involving the Salt Lake City community, the University of Utah and a major grant from the Rockefeller Foundation. This partnership was created to establish a company which would keep alive that unique, artistic achievement which is American Modern Dance.
Noted educator and Children's Dance Theatre director Virginia Tanner's dream of establishing a professional company of dancers dedicated to the performance, creation and preservation of modern dance led to the development of RDT. As a professional group of artists in residence at a university, RDT began as a bold attempt at artistic democracy which gradually evolved as the company selected artistic leadership within its own ranks. A founding member, Linda C. Smith has guided the artistic mission since 1983 and kept the thread of continuity and the "dream" of Virginia Tanner alive.
Today, RDT continues to fulfill its high initial expectations. It is the oldest and most successful company of its kind, a living museum representing one hundred years of dance history, preserving the largest and most significant collection of American dance in the world. RDT acquires classic works by significant twentieth century choreographers and also commissions new works for its prestigious repertory. From the legendary Isadora Duncan and Doris Humphrey to the revolutionary Merce Cunningham and Michio Ito, RDT is both a museum and a contemporary gallery representing the scope and diversity of modern dance past and present.
RDT's mission, to aid in the decentralization of the arts and to reach audiences outside the metropolitan centers, resulted in the creation of a versatile and flexible national touring company which has been seen in more than 300 cities throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe. RDT has performed for diverse audiences from Bicknell, Utah to Vienna, Austria, in school rooms and opera houses, from gymnasiums to the Kennedy Center. As ambassadors for Utah, RDT proudly represents its community and its art form throughout the world.
The company has a long standing commitment to arts-in-education. In the early 1970's RDT was selected by the National Endowment for the Arts to develop multi-faceted arts residency programs for public schools. RDT has created activities which educate audience of all ages through classes, workshops, lectures and performances which reach over 30,000 school students each year in Utah alone. Projects have focused on ecology, literature, history and cultural diversity which give students and teachers tools to increase communication and develop self esteem as they increase their understanding and appreciation of world culture.
RDT strives to broaden the public's understanding of the art of modern dance through a variety of community based programs and acts as a resource center and laboratory for dancers, choreographers, visual artists, writers and composers. The company offers annual summer workshops and year-round classes to train aspiring professionals as well as inspire the creative potential in people of all ages.
In the early 1990's, RDT played a pivotal role in helping to revitalize downtown by embarking on a project to build a new performing arts center in the heart of Salt Lake City. The Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center, RDT's home, enables the company to expand its potential and better serve the community. RDT is committed to increasing the public's awareness and deepen their understanding of the arts through a variety of activities, free lectures, informal performances and open rehearsals bringing alive an area of cultural and social activity.
(Historical Note taken from Repertory Dance Theatre's website at http://rdtutah.org/about.html)
The Repertory Dance Theatre (RDT) photograph collection consists primarily of public relations photos of individual dancers, company portraits, and assorted choreographic works. Of note are several taken by noted dance photographer, Martha Swope. Originally donated by RDT and processed by the Marriott Library in 1982, this collection was re-processed in 1994. The Marriott Library anticipates receipt of additional photos in 1995, hence the existing collection was identified in preparation for the addition of new material.
The photos in this collection date from the first twelve years of RDT's existence, and include many early photos of RDT dancers which went on to establish their own dance companies, or to dance with other nationally renowned performance groups.
For the purpose of this register, variations which occured over time in the names of the dancers, have been noted by indicating earlier or later names within brackets. The dancers listed within a folder indicate the dancers which are included in the photos of this collection, and do not necessarily reflect the entire casting of the choreographic work. The dancers included in the photos of a choreographic work may be from several different casts of the same work, and may span several years.
Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.
The library does not claim to control copyright for all materials in the collection. An individual depicted in a reproduction has privacy rights as outlined in Title 45 CFR, part 46 (Protection of Human Subjects). For further information, please review the J. Willard Marriott Library’s
Collection Name, Collection Number, Box Number, Folder Number. Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library, The University of Utah.
See also the Repertory Dance Theatre audio-visual colleciton (A0619) and the Repertory Dance Theatre records (ACCN 0725).
Donated by Linda Smith, Artistic Director of Repertory Dance Theatre in 1982.
Processed by Scott Marsh in 1994